Portland Observar Section II February 28. I M I Page 8
Some of the members also formed the basis for the
orchestra for the Theatre de la Renaissance which was
for “ free coloreds.”
Several residents of the "Paris of the South” as New
Orleans was called, achieved recognition beyond their
city.
PICAYUNE BUTLER was a virtuoso banjoist whose
career began in the 1820s and was known along the en
tire length of “ The River” as the Mississippi was affec
tionately known. He acquired such consúmate skill that
he was invited to become a participant in a competition
in New York City in 1857. Contemporary writers repor
ted that had he not broken two strings during the con
test, he would have been declared the winner. Even so,
despite this handicap, he acquitted himself admirably
on the required sets of schotische, reel, waltz, polka and
jig. It is alleged that he was the composer of many of the
songs that white ministréis performed on stage. So
popular was he, that an anonymous ministrel (white)
wrote a song in his honor. Picayune Butler’s Come To
Town for inclusion in a published collection of songs of
the minstrelsy in 1858.
A common form of advertising wares for street ven
dors to go through residential sections of town calling
out the various attributes of their product and en
couraging potential customers with original verses to
their recognizable “ theme song.”
SIGNOR C O R N M E A LI was such a vendor. Reputed
to have a wide vocal range, and enjoying trememdous
popularity, his given name is unknown, but his stage
name was obviously adopted from his vocation. He was
saved from anonymity because he was the first Black to
perform on the stage of a white theatre anywhere in the
United States. The event took place at the St. Charles
Theatre in New Orleans in 1837.
Opening his program with his own song, Fresh Corn
Meal, he followed that with popular songs of the day.
So enthralled were his audiences by his voice, and
presence, that upon his death, it has been said that the
entire city mourned him.
As noted earlier, classicists were an important thread
in the fabric of music that cloaked the free Black in New
Orleans, and the Negro Philharmonic Society was the
weaver.
R IC H A R D L A M B E R T , along with Constantine
Debarque, became a permanent director of the Society
in the 1830s. Lambert was a violinist of note, and a
music teacher. He sired four sons and two daughters.
The four sons became professional musicians; both
daughters played the piano, and one became a music
teacher.
LUCIEN L A M B E R T, the eldest son, early indicated
the seriousness with which he viewed music, for he
would practice on the piano for six or more hours daily.
This dedication enabled him to achieve laudatory
recognition as a pianist by the cognoscenti of New
Orleans; and he soon outpaced local instructors. The
decision was made that he should pursue further study
in Paris. Upon completion of his studies in Europe, he
returned to his native city, only to find the color bar in
tolerable. He then settled in Brazil where he became in
volved with piano manufacture.
As a composer, he was quite prolific; Etude Mazurka,
La Juive, and Au Clair de la Lune (with variations)
being three of the more familiar.
SIDNEY LAM BERT, the second son, also composed
for and played piano. His major contribution was a
manual for piano instruction which achieved for him an
award for merit from the King of Portugal. He, too,
went to Paris where he remained as an instructor of
music.
The younger L ambert sons remained in New Orleans
and became associated with the St. Bernard’s Brass
Band.
Garrett A. Morgan, 1877-1963
Kentucky born Garrett Morgan
received wide recognition for his
outstanding contributions to public
safety. Firemen in many cities in
the early 1900's wore the safety
helmet and gas mask that he in
vented, and for which he was
awarded a gold medal at the
Second International Exposition of
Safety and Sanitation in New York
in 1914 Two years later, he himself
used the mask to rescue men trapped
by a gas explosion in a tunnel being
constructed under Lake Erie. Fol
lowing the disaster which took 21
lives, the City of Cleveland honored
him with a gold medgt for his heroic
efforts.
In 1923, Morgan received a patent
for his new concept-a traffic signal
to regulate vehicle movement in
city areas "Stop" and "Go" signs
were systematically raised and low
ered at intersections to bring order
out of chaos and improve traffic
safety. Some years later, after he
had sold his design to the General
Electric Company, Morgan's device
was replaced with the light signal in
use today.
Fred Meyer
4
James Weldon Johnson
(1871-1918)
O utstan d in g Am erican poet author and esM yitt, h u w orks in the
field o l literatu re are w o rld reknow n He was also the first black f v
ecu tive D irecto r of the N A A C F
Eureka Vacuum Cleaner
1804 NE Union - 287-9420
Archie Alexander, 1888-1958
Archie Alexander, a design and
construction engineer, left his stamp
on the landscape of America by
building bridges, freeways, airfields,
railroad trestles and powerplants.
Born in Iowa, Alexander attended
the State University and received
an engineering degree in 1912.
After several years as a’ design
engineer, he and a former class
mate established their own engineer
ing firm and constructed major
projects across the Nation. Starting
at horn)», they built the heating
plant and powerhouse at the
University of Iowa, a sewage treat
ment plant in Grand Rapids,
Michigan, an airfield in Tuskegee,
Alabama, and the Tidal Basin bridge
and seawall and the Whitehurst
Freeway in Washington, D.C.
Alexander received many awards
during the course of his career.
At the centennial celebration of
the University of Iowa in 1947, he
was named one of its outstanding
alumni. In 1954, President
Eisenhower honored him with the
appointment as Territorial Governor
of the Virgin Islands.
ONE STOP SHOPPING CENTERS
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