Canton High School - Echo Yearbook (Canton, MA)

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THE ECHO 19 tation life enters into the development of our folk music, modulating and im- proving the old Indian tunes, thereby handing down to us today a folk music which is the most beautiful of its kind, and which cannot be compared with any other folk music in the whole world. In tracing the development, we na- turally have to begin with the In- dian music, whence most of our folk music comes. There were, of course, many different tribes and each one had its own characteristics. Their tunes were monotonous and plain, but very beautiful. Indian music embod- ies seven different kinds of songs from which our present folk songs are de- rived: war songs, religious songs, mys- tery songs, historical songs, mourn- ing songs, love songs, and finally con- vivial or social songs. Some of these were accompanied by dancing. As no two Indian tribes had the same characteristics, we cannot say that each expressed all the seven different kinds of folk music. We can, how- ever, readily see that no love tunes came from the Iroquois, because of their warlike natures. The beautiful Indian music from which our folk music is mostly derived has been, we are sorry to say, quite neglected, but distinguished American composers, such as Charles Cadman, A. Farrell, and Victor Herbert have done their best to revive it. Now let us go on to plantation life and see what it has contributed to the development of our topic. Although the origin of the folk song came from Indian life, it developed around the plantations. The negroes, natural- born singers, helped considerably in the development of folk music. As they toiled in the fields under the boiling sun, they expressed their sor- row and happiness in their songs. One finds much melody and emotion in negro tunes and feels the sentimental- itiz that is in every folk song. Every body admits that the plantation song of the slaves is the true folk song of the United States. Who has developed these beautiful plantation songs and made them the emblem of our coun- try 'K It is Stephen Foster, the Ameri- can folk song genius, who has written over one hundred sixty well-known American folk songs, including such beautiful tunes as Swanee River, Nellie Gray, Old Folks at Home, Qld Black Joe, and many other well- known folk tunes. Melodies such as these will endure through the centur- ies and will encourage others to try to improve our American folk music. We can also see in these tunes native American traits, developing into cer- tain manners, morals, and tastes. But along with the influence of Indian and Plantation life comes a great deal of influence from the Old orld. Settlers from 01d France came to Canada and later travelled down the Mississippi river to Louisi- ana, giving us what we have termed the Creole Song. The Spaniards settling in California, New Mexico, and Florida have also contributed to our folk music. In the Northwest the Germans and Scandinavians gave con- tributions of their own national life, which have blended with the native elements of our folk music. Where- ever foreign races have settled, they have brought new elements, and all these have had their part in develop- ing what we know as the American folk music. Now we turn to another classifi- cation of national folk music that we may term patriotic. Every nation ex- periences wars and every war has a decided effect on music, especially folk music. It is then that a nation be- comes very patriotic, and that patriot- ism is expressed to the utmost in its folk music. This form of our national music was lacking in the nineteenth century. Although we had Stephen Foster's songs, they were not war songs, and we were in need of com- posers for patriotic songs. The Ameri- cans, therefore, adopted English tunes for their patriotic music, and during the Revolutionary War, when only war songs were sung, the soldiers made up the words to these adopted tunes. The nation at this time was fond of English tunes and for a time the beautiful plantation songs were displaced because they were not spirit- ed enough for them. Une of the ear- liest patriotic songs, of which we have recorded, was thc Liberty Songf c'on'1posed during the llevolu- tionary War. Our own patriotic Qc if if ffiUlllilll.,lK'fi on page Zlflj

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is THE ECHO grams for Senior performances, for which the Seniors are everlastingly thankful. In the faculty, Miss Prew, Miss Pease, Miss McCarthy and Miss O'Hara took the place of Miss Tirrell, Miss Sharp, Mr. Drohan, and Miss Stanley, respectively. On the athletic field, our football team enjoyed its greatest success, go- ing undefeated through the entire season under the leadership of Carle- ton Thomas, the hero of the Fresh- men girls, as well as of a certain Sen- ior. Cther class members of this never-to-be forgotten team were Frank Witt, Albion Fletcher, Andrew Wile, Henry Parker, Robert Hallet, and Henry Bowmar. At our Senior Social, which was held in December, everyone had a good time, in spite of the limited floor space. Then came the Senior Play, the best by far for many years. We congratulate the fine actors and actresses who made this such a great success. In connection with our study of American Government, we visited the State House. In the morning we went through the various parts of the building, some of the ambitious stud- ents climbing up into the cupola, where dirty windows and stormy weather prevented them from seeing anything. Later in the morning, we visited the Pemberton Square Court House. At this building the various groups of students attended a session of one of the courts. After lunch we returned to the State House, where we sat through part of a session of the House of Representatives. The early adjournment of the Senate en- abled us to meet Caspar Bacon, the President of the Senate, and Mr. Holmes, our district Senator. On Color Day, the underclassmen were obliged to sit up and take notice. On that day, the Seniors, attired in Green and White, presented the as- sembly witli all due respect and obedi- ence from inferiors. At last, only too rapidly, we come to this eventful evening. In all, many friendships have been made here at Canton High which will last through life. Neither shall we forget our happy, carefree days. Still, our history has not end- ed, for each member of the class of 1931 will carry on into the world, the best ideals of the Canton High School. Let us hope that our deeds may ever remain honorable and praiseworthy, and that the Class of 1931 will con- sistently live up to its class motto of Deeds, Not Words. Elizabeth L. Burt, '31. THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICA FOLK MUSIC What is folk music 'Z It is not our latest popular music, which stays with us two weeks and then vanishes to give place to another piece. Folk music is music that has the character of its nation stamped on it indelibly. We can therefore classify folk music as National music, for it expresses the emotions of the people. We need not classify or consider folk and na- tional music separately. The charac- teristics of a nation may always be found in its music, for man so ex- presses his feelings as to 'distribute his notes in terms of design. Neither should we forget that the folk music of a nation is a very important factor in determining its musical rank. Per- haps a simpler definition of folk music would be music to which the people set words, producing of folk song. But the folk song of a nation stays and now in this it would be rather to attempt to com- which the people would have to be regarded as a mas- through the ages, fast world of ours, difficult for anyone pose a folk song would accept. It very unusual to be terpiece. America has folk music, but which, in comparison with other nations, we must admit, is quite barren in this respect. Cf course, each defect has its cause. The Puritans who came over in the seventeenth century had to make a living and fight for their existence, so that there was little time for them to produce any folk music. Their psalmody cannot be classihed as folk music, as it did not stay with the future generations. Therefore, in finding the origin of our American folk music, we must go back to Indian life for one of the sources whence the American folk song is derived. But its origin does not come from Indian life alone. Plan- fContinued on page 195

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20 THE ECHO g song, The Star Spangled Ban- ner, is of English origin and used to be a drinking song. But the Ameri- cans, always in search for some- thing new, became a little tired of English music, which they had adopt- ed, and tried with all their might to produce something of their own. They did succeed somewhat and produced a few songs such as Dixie, to the strains of which all the emotional feeling of the South is aroused, and the Battle Hymn of the Republic, of which the North is very proud. We must in conclusion say, that the heart story of our great wars, especially the War of Independence, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, is to be found in the patriotic songs of those periods. At the present time, pure folk music tends to go out of use among the people, as popular music takes its place. Folk music now is taught in the public schools, so that the present generation may learn to appreciate it. The radio also tries to revive pure folk music through different methods, but people nowadays care for popular music, as it changes very often. Of course there are reasons for this. America is very much handicapped in the production of folk music, both by its business activity and by the fact that it is a gathering of many nations, which are not yet amalgamat- ed into a distinct type. Our country is too large to have a common folk song, and being represented by many nationalties, its folk music is sectional rather than national. The South is the only section that has developed a folk song, distinctly different from the music of other nations, as it pos- sesses characteristic surroundings, and a race of natural singers in its colored population. As to the North and East, we have an entirely dif- ferent story. They are both too busy in their commercial activities to pro- duce folk music. As to the West, we can only say that as yet it has not developed a singer who can picture ranch life in beautiful tones. I have attempted to trace American folk music step by step to give some idea of how it was produced and un- der what circumstances it developed. We have seen that folk music is the spontaneous expression of a natural musical instinct of the human race. The origin of American folk music is to be found in the tunes of the Ameri- can Indian. The development, as I have shown, has been largely brought about through plantation life and through the influence of European na- tions. I have also considered pa- triotic music as an important factor of our folk music, as was especially shown during tha early wars of our national life. We, as citizens of Ameri- ca, being still pioneers in the iield of folk music in comparison to other nations, should therefore further the education of folk music with all pos- sible means, so that it may be handed down from generation to generation! N. Rasetzki, '31. JOURNALISIVI IN AMERICAN HISTORY PUBLICK OCCURENICES, the precursor of the modern newspaper in this country, was undertaken by Benjamin Harris in 1690, to cure or to charm the spirit of lying, so preva- lent in the New England Colonies. At least, such was the assertion made in the first and only issue of the sheet, which the government prompt- ly suppressed. Journalism lay dormant during the short period between the demise of the lamented PUBLICK OCCUR- EN CES and the birth of the BOS- TON NEWS LETTER, the first real newspaper in America, which ap- peared in 1704. To it belongs the hon- or of employing the first reporter, fwho was also editor, copy reader, and printer.J This gentleman's first assignment was to cover a hanging of six pirates, which he did very creditably and faithfully, saying little, to be sure, of the last moments of the buccaneers, but giving in full the lengthy two column prayer of the clergyman, which, after all, was what his public most desired. However, the newspapers of colo- nial days bore little resemblance to the great metropolitan dailies of our time. They were more like a high school paper. In their four small pages would be found a few para- 4Continued on page 211