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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 1908)
THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND, SUNDAY KORNINO, aODER 2 1901 IPINO o ' T.a i .!ew . sv f 'A srr---'--.-.---i- Queer Instruments XhatAreMadetoPro duce.Sw.eet Sounds the Luneta. the famous pleasure esplanade tn Ma nila, listening te the strain of "Faust" or "Lohen grin" or "La Boheme"; to Hou march or Ameri rr ftni,, , V A S AMERICANS learn more of their nf little brown brothers by adoption, the Filipinos, they find revealed to them, more and more, interesting racial and individual characteristics. One of the most interesting things about them is their love of music and the inventive genius that enables them to produce musical strains from what seems to us the queerest instruments imaginable. It is true that much of what a Filipino regards as music may be classed as mere noise by an American, but the musical spirit exists, to a remarkable extent, in those far-away islands of the sea. Eleanor Franklin Egan, who has writ- ten the following entertaining story of "The Musical Soul of the Filbino." studied her . subject among the natives of the islands. She ' spent considerable time in the Philippines, i and made a special endeavor to understand the life and home spirit of the people. By Eleanor Franklin JEgan MONO our "little brown brothers" tn the Philip LX pine Islands It is not difficult to find proof JL A. positive that music hath charms to fire well as to "soothe the savage breast." v.iJh. "aTe Filipino lives his life and hath his being- in the midst of a "concord of sweet sounds " borne of these sounds may not strike the ear of the cultivated occidental listener as "sweet." but he will recognize them all as being attuned to a various na tional soul which best expresses Its longings and its triumphs in music vTh.e.V,sayanB. an3 Tagaloga. the two Filipino tribes which have attained the highest modern cultivation are musical in the most occidental sense. They are musical enough to interpret Wagner or Verdi, Gounod . or Sousa in a manner not to be despised by anybody and their musical ability gives them better right than any other faculty which they possess to be called "our ' little brown brothers," and to be reoognized aeriouaiv as such. J But the Vlsayan and the Tagalog are not the. only people who inhabit the fair Islands In the south seas There are a dozen or more other tribes as musical as they who have never heard a modern orchestra r braes Land, and who play only upon their native instru ments native music as curious to us as is the music of the Chinese. This is an enormous subject, a subject which should be carefully considered by somebody who knows oriental muslo thoroughly if such a person exists and who would be able to write a complete . history of the development of musical expression among the peoples of the Philippines through a nroc ss of comparison with the musical development of ether Malay peoples. Many a time 1 have sat near the bandstand in can ragtime: 10 niriuM waning or int waning melodies of Hustle and Scandinavia, played by a band made up entirely of Filipinos of the most ordinary class, and I have wondered whence rame their ability to do this really remarkable thing. It cannot be said that they have acquired- the ability as the Japanese have acquired It. A Japanese band can play anything that a Filipino band can play, but they do ft In a "wooden" way, without originality or even a generally accepted standard of expression. They play sotes. Tbe Filipino plays music, feeling It, loving It, Jug gling with It and oftentimes Improving upon Its ac cepted Interpretation. They have a rerfeot ear for sound. Almost all Filipinos, that Is, Vlsayans and Tagalogs, play some kind of Instrument. Every little town and village has its hand, and there are dozens of them, of varying grades of excellence. In the city of Manila. They are everywhere. Muslo Is the dlstlnctest thing tn one's life In the rhlllppine islands. Every day Is full of It. If one cares to listen. There are many bands made up of young men who do not know one clef from another who cannot read a single note of musio, who do not know by name "The Pilgrim's Chorus" from "A Hot Time in the Old Town." But these bands play. They will play quite acceptably anything that Is sung or played to them, and they will do it instantly. I have myself, at dinner parties, or other social gath- ' "ur mo x-inpino Dana is sure to tie, often tested their ability to do this by singing for them some song which somebody wanted them to play. The first violin or tenor horn would follow me closely. Just breathing the melody as I sang It, and then ha would play it over to the other members of the band (or stringed orchestra, as the case might be) and In a few moments he would have it in full har mony. PLAYERS APPLAUD THEMSELVES It might not be Just perfect In detail, but It would u!F0?d nou"h-v-And the players would be delighted with it. too. They would applaud themselves Joy ously and try It again and again until they had quite mastered It or until somebody volunteered to give them a new tune to practice upon. Many an unforgettable evening is spent by Amerl .:nth?.Xile ln Man'lan J"-' ch harmless dlvVTsion as this and many a Filipino band or orchestra has Se.d nVr rePrtolr this off-hand manner. Most of their bands are equipped nowadays with TiZlfy ,nsVument"' but it has not been so long In".Ktht bras" 'n,trument wa a reat possession ,rd.,bamb.0,0 horn of nat,ve manufacture the in- mlHK.S' th man Tnese bamboo horns were made by the players themselves, and nothing argues the fon,B LJIv.the natlve FillPmo musical ablia? l of good quality!" W" t0 roduca rua rhi..C..ole tbe" mu8'cally uneducated bands and all vt..!.d2 tT? a"d incongruous things. Most k Ltor" JweJurnlng from the Philippines will tell ' Sr "r Weard'A Hot Tlme ,n e Old Town" or, I Don't Care if You Never Come Back" olaved frendnatButba.nat neral ot "me deaTaepared S'w-l pfaVei'.o'uYfua?. wlU UU yS that mufu'r.1, haVf he"? a ban at tha "eaa of a sad little funeral cortege straggling along to the uneven vV. I .sSlBtsBBsl BBBBBBBBaVZnSSfV'V'9' lit , - .f .1 : :2 7 mill i .a rrr7 srocresr fevr iM - mum . t-ci v - m i sr . ill I: skW . kill- .irVr' 'II Ji Vi I;'. 4111 5.'V V " vv-r rv f - fi;. .. :je-i ana mourniui strains oi aammy." And I have laugnea, too, knowing uiac to tnem it expressed only that wnicn uiey maae it express. They knew only me iuu iuu nviaiui i ii wrigiasi. uniunereai aen tlment. I don't know much about the weird wild Instru ments or other Filipino tribes. Nobody seems to. I wish somebody did so, that I might learn about them without having to spend years in an attempt to ac quire original Information. Probably the most curious instrument to be found in the Philippine islands is the nose flute, played by the Tlngulans, a non-Christian tribe of northern Luzon. This Instrument is made of bamboo and resembles any other flute1, except ln the manner of Its playing. and the kind of "rain-barrel" sound which It emits. There Is no way, of describing how It is done, be cause no human white man could possibly do It. The player breathes Into it through one nostril while the other nostril Is perfectly free to perform Its usual function. The sound produced, strange as It may seem. Is loud enough to satisfy any savage ear, and the nose flute artist is Just as proud of his accomplishment as. is any famous dtornetlst bowing before applauding thousands. And well he may be. The drum and "tom-tom" are as much In evidence In the musical effort of the wild tribes of the Philip pines as they are among any other uncultivated peo ples. The little drum of the Bontoo Igorotes.'upheld'Ty' human Jawbones, Is of peculiar interest because of the fact that it Is always used in the celebrations which follow the successful head-hunting expeditions of this tribe. Fortunately, American precept and example, to gether with a little forceful persuasion ln the form of occasional prosecutions for murder in the first de gree, are rapidly making head-hunting expeditions unpopular even among the least civilized of head hunting tribes. The Bogobos, one of the non-CJhrlstian tribes on the island of Mindanao, are to me the most plctur eaque and beautiful of all the Filipino peoples. Com- I mlssloner Dean C. Worcester, the Philippines secre- j tary of the Interior, who knows more about the peo- pies of the Philippines than any other American, says thev are one of the least civllizbd tribes in the lslandv. j They are pagans of the most distinct order, andN even to this day indulge at times in human sacrifice to propitiate their deity. But they have an eye to beauty and personal adornment They make marvelously elaborate bead garments In combinations of colors worthy of our most urtlstlo North American Indian tribes. And they appreciate beauty of design, aa is amply proved by the long, gract-,ul lines of thetr stringed instruments. These Instruments, of the guitar variety, have only i one -or two strjngs. but they produce tones of ex quisite sweetness. The muslo of the Bogobos is of the most elementary character, but it Is quite dis tinct and individual, and nobody who has ever heard Its curious strumming arid thumping accents likes to think that within a generation or two it is destined to become a thing of the past. This is true of the music of all the non-civilized Filipino peoples. The American educational system does not Include a course in native music, and it can only be a few years before all the quaint Instruments will have become the property of museums and col- ' lectors, and the weird, unwritten musio of the people l will have floated away upon the troplo air never to j be recalled. , TheP s Ranfs&omPovertytoRiches pospeeior r t- c t-r x v r rrs rjrv sr f r-.m. . . n 1 JK-V-J conveniences of civilization f Did yon ever think, you who bare studied upon the facts that go to make the mysterious rroblemg of human life, whit part U played hj the bewhUkexed man.! There it about this typical trian an individuality that cannot be found among the crowded masses of In ore civilized sections. H OW : -scy persons know anything of th life of the prorpector who is seeking tainersl riches im remote, Ttragh seo--tiens, ftr from th luxuries, crma th L ET ss follow tbe ereekes trail of this prowler of tbe kills from the Use be first kails frem the eld farm dew Eaet, yeong as a frea, ttak bUag eve wltk aptrlta ad Merry, aaa wlta 1 &reefrerr ' Arr-r-, - aa air about Lira tkat mark hiss as a tenderfoot wne has Just blown out of bis borne dcsl Ths bonny face of his sweetheart haunts his mind, her cabinet photograph is la His inside pocket, aad his cost Is still damp waere sh wept her farewell en his shoulder.. He Intends te make a fortune la a few moot hi and go back to her. He wlU write her every few days In his most err r hie style velesnes of Inter esting matter. He telte her of tbe brig at prospects ta view, of the wonderful opportunities at band. He te'ls her te be tree to aim for a few aeeths aad be will rtora to her li with riches aad beaers that his ewa eeersiee will aeraly fetch kua. Let us watca Mm his first trip aa a a-nld haater. The wills of aatare seem a sar 6 1 m te Mm. tor the hills and forests are aew ptctarea, aad what paella fancies he has are not yet blunted or worn out of him by hardships. His camp equipment consists of a multitude of un necessary articles, and it takes him half the season to pack them to the hills and the other half to pack them out. His cooking is something awful, yet he Is as particular about flies aryl bugs as If It would make him actually ill should he bqil a mouse ln his coffee pot or swallow a few ants ln his tea. He does not get time to prospest much the first year, but he talks to some old veterans of '49, and ln an amaslngly short time he knows all about the busi ness. 1 To hear him talk about formation you would think he was present at the creation of the world, and to hear him go over a list of ponderous geological terms that he has committed from his little four-bit prospector's amide would actually make an old pros pector homesick. He Is initiated, however. He has taken his first degree, has played the first card in the great game. The wheel spins around. Bo far he has drawn a blank, but he writes to his sweetheart to wait for him an other year. His letters still come, but not so regu larly as at first They are crowded with affectionate epithets to be sure (more, perhaps, than he would like to have bis partner see), but they seem more studied and less genuine than before. Another year has gone out with tbe snow and re turns with It. with but little to show but a luxuriant growth of beard and a few choice specimens of float which he found Just where his grub-stake played out. He is sure he can find the ledge the coming season. Tbe snow comes and goes; the rivers fill and empty. Again Jack Frost, that breesy agent of winter, hangs his yellow posters on the birch and tamarack. Then the prospector comes ln again to "hole up." He has drawn another blank. His wsgers against the game are heavy, the passion hss enslaved him. He will prowl away his life ln the hills or strike it. He may have a few prospects by this time fine Indica tions. He has learned to play Jokes on his stomach he promises it pie and slips ln bannock or a flapjack. He must work his prospect If he has to go. on half ra tions, so be hammers away a few years of his life la a dump tunnel. He crosses the contact and runs under the cropplngs; If be Is wise enough, he gives It up packs his cayuse and leaves. But there are ' some characters wha will keep driving away, feeling ore that the next shot will expose the long-looked-for treasure. He will have to go off shift for good some time. . , . . , ' tmarlae that he was wise enourh to quit after a few years aad start out once more for the hills, where there Is, perhaps, new excitement, where every one Is striking It rich. He will get In on the ground floor this time. When be arrives at the camp be finds that the goed things are all staked, and he prowls aroend the edges uatll winter drives hlra In again. He begins te feel a little eld. He Is playing the game heavily. Baa etaxea aooui au oni m m j fea risked that many times. He feels a twin re ef rheamatlsm. and tbe demon of dyspepsia has taken ap its stands witbla blm. He I marines he is getting r.- and pnrhspa he la He kaows ha Is getting erampy. Ha winders sometimes If he ts aet getting jt m fcls brala as well as ea his varalla. t ' . He can't get along with' a partner any more, and sometimes It Is all he can do to get along with him self, so he goes out alone with dog and cayuse or Rocky mountain canary. He has his peculiar ways of doing things, and it worries him to have any one upset his little, petty methods. He likes to hold conversation with himself, and grows to think that he wants no better company. Sometimes he catches a glimpse of the gilded wings of fortune as she beckons htm- from some distant peak, and he struggles upward to Arid, like the end of the rainbow, it is still in advance. However, "all things come to him who will but wait"; he strikes it at last. He has stumbled on to gold by accident. It is cropping before him ln all Its magnificence. His practiced eye tells him It Is a for tune. He is not excited, but takes his good luck coolly, he has been so well trained in taking things as they come. He may even be careless in staking the claim properly. He goes out and proceeds to get drunk and spread tbe news. He sells out for a handsome sum, runs over the census and calls the township up to the bar. He buys the .most stylish clothes he knows any thing about. The new hat that crowns his wrinkled visage would hardly pass under the boughs that over hung his old trails, and his cayuse would be fright ened into a stampede should he catch sight of the expanse of snewy linen. He alienates the affections of his faithful dog by taking a Turkish bath. At last he buys a palace-car ticket tor his old home. He expects a great ovation in his honor. He thinks of the happy smile with which his old sweet heart will greet him. When he arrives at the depot he l surprised that the Mayor Is not there to greet him. He wonders what has became of the old brass band that used to bellow out "Marching Through Georgia" every Fourth of July, and as no one greets him he starts on foot to find the old farm. But what a change! He gets tangled in the sub urbs of the town; the new streets and cross streets are problems difficult to solve. He looks for the old "biases," but they are gone. When he finds the old homestead his brothers seem glad to meet him, but they hardly have time to talk with him. They have scarcely missed a day of hard work since he left His father and mother have long since taken up their abode on tbe hllL He calls on his old sweetheart; she has been mar ried many years; she has grown fat and plain. Her reception of blm la anything but flattering. She sur veys him critically and wonders, perhaps, how much his store clothes cost. v That Is enough of civilisation; he takes the shortest trail back to bis old camp, leaving the proverbial fatted calf still feeding at the manger. His wealth Is a burden to him and he proceeds to dispose of It. After hiring a theater for a few aUts aad trying to break up a brewery or two, we eee him once more taking the trail with a smile aad a grub-stake. Cities will spring up where his campHre esra mouldered. Steamboats will plow up the stream where oar he po'ed his rode dugost. and railroads will follow his -biases." la the great play of life, where eoarage, fortitude and hoaest endeavor are the arts neat ta be commended, cannot yoa eay that this cnaa has played his part aad played I well?
