546 W. THALBITZER. 
has expressed surprise at the conclusion of one (no. 2) of them. 
FRIDTJOF NANSEN too, in “Eskimoliv” cites a melody from the east 
coast. This, as shown by Thuren, (here, рр. 41—42) was already 
published by Berggreen in 1870, and contains much of the true 
Eskimo character. My own earlier direct renderings of the West 
Greenland drum-songs from Oommannag (Umanak) Fjord (72° N. Lat.), 
which I wrote on the spot on music paper, using a violin and a 
tuning-fork, seem to me comparable to raw sketches, inaccurate in 
details, especially in regard to the rhythmic movement, but containing 
an echo as it were of the true style. The same is true of my nota- 
tions (DD) from Ammassalik. I have also a similar conception of 
Franz Boas’ material from Baffin’s Land. In regard to В. STEIN’s 
melodies from Cape York, we find that he himself writes of “the 
approximate value of a version in our tonic scale.« (Cf. here p. 30). 
That modern invention, the phonograph > first brought us ideal 
help. Under Thuren, and thanks to his intensive investigations, these 
"tones from East Greenland now obtained an exact scientific expres- 
sion. ara re 
| Thuren himself was not blind to the dangers in tonometry and 
tone-calculations (all statisties can be abused), but for this very reason 
his remarks on the matiers and his results are of the greatest interest. 
However let others be the judge, the subject lies outside my range. 
Let me only in this connection quote Thuren’s remarks (p. 29. Cf. 20), 
which coincide with the general impression the traveller receives of 
the Eskimo, that the East Greenlanders are a musical people. Natur- 
ally our music sounded like nonsense or buffoonery in their ears. Our 
music was dark speech and they could not sing true after our scale. 
However they had their own musical traditions and the more or less 
fixed forms of their own technique, which they cultivated, now with 
quiet passion, now with dionysion enthusiasm. They seemed well 
acquainted with tone intervals and tone connections not exactly coin- 
ciding with those which we, in our music, are wont to consider the 
only ones worthy of recognition. Some individuals used these more 
than others, but on that account to call the latter, whom we con- 
1 Cf. р. 25. These two melodies, the first from Ammassalik, were recorded in 
Copenhagen by J. Fabricius, after Holm’s return, and with Joh. Petersen, Holm’s 
interpreter, singing. The latter is not musical, so the melodies were probably 
already distorted in his mouth. Fabricius too, as was but natural, for at that 
time Eskimo music was unknown, was quite at a loss in the matter, and for 
want of a better relation transformed them into the old European folk song 
style. 
My phonograph was an instrument from Pathé & fr. in Paris (NB. a phono- 
graph is a very different thing from a gramophone which is not fitted for 
no 
making records when travelling). 
