THK II.I.USTKATKI» KB A TURK SECTION
I)«rember *i, ItSO
E x tra o rd in a ry Genius of M oh am et’s
J. A. ROGERS
High-born Negro Descendant By Noted
Author
Ilmihim A1 Mululi was Ruler of Islam and its Greatest Singer
gold that the glider place* on a public singer. remarked to D)aml,*do#n to us through the mist ot
PART II
the leavrs of a book '
singer
tvelve hundred years
Ibrahim, in unier to ahow that ho had forever ahan* On hearing th u I>jar-far the Mar- ' another
•'In making his living Ilka us, ha
Ishak wa* a composer of the first
d o n o d all thought* of mounting the Mohammedan throne uirrtda. wa* to moved Uiat. forget-
Is taking the bread out of our rank, and held on to the old form*
attain, decided to become a public ainifer, an wan said.
tin s that hr was hi the royal pres- mouOu "
I rhea, ha roar, ami drawln« his j Ibrahim, overhearing the remark and the old songs Ibrahim was an
T hu w u a d n p lm l occupation,*
thry rritraim i ’
innovator; he believed in giving the
I silken train after him. walked u p ‘ handed Uu three prtxes to tliem:
rrp tv n l only lor itami alava* and whan
•Ths C aliph,' Ire adds "wa* so !m- aim down on the divan uttering
spirit free rein. Moreover he be
"Take
you
Uie
salary
that
Is
your
|iri*on* ol Ute lower classes l'ubile prewed that lie forgot to chide lb erte* of admiration
due." he said scornfully, "and leave lieved that his royal birth gave him
Mugen entertained at feaata. aiid|ruhim for nia neglect of tlie day be
At another time Uie aide dr-camp to me what Is but a pastime '
; added freedom One day when he
tlirlr lliemes were hi praise of wine fore "
jf Taber, the grral general, wu* so
He spared no pain* in perfecting
Ilia lieauty of women, and the tan-l Ibrahim "'"old aUr his hearers to overcome
1 was Caliph, he said-:
with
d.-light
that
lie
wrnt
1
his
art
He
delved
Into
higher
guors of love Ttiey were thus held such heights of ecstasy that they
"I am a king and the »on of a
, ii abomination by religious folk much i sometimes forgot that thry were In over lo Ibrahim and kissed the h- rn mathematics In order to get a better
venae of time Nature had endowed king. I sing according to my fancies
the lame as actors were regarded In the royal presence. and romniltted of Ills Jewelled robe
On another cvenUig Ibrahim went I him with a voice such as none then What it pleases me to sing, I sing "
the Iasi century, or cabaret singers - breaches of etiquette for which they
to the pajacc when a contest of living had ever heard a voice in
are by some people today
might have paid with their lives
Proclaimed his Own Ability
song was In progress A n prises, the which power, lyric quality, and flex
t-'roin Caliph to public singer was
Kissed |hr lleni uf his f «armeni
Caliph had before him. three cups ibility were admirably combined
Kaeh was an unsparing critic of
Indeed a humiliating step' Hut II I
was the only way of saving his life ! One day he was singing for llie one of stiver, full of gold pieces: Intent- study and good taste had the other. Ibrahim wished to stand
% Marvrlwus Voire
without a rival and. though ex
The misfortune had Ita romiienna- ]
I ceedmgly generous in other respects,
lions, however Because of his royal
he was hard to the point of cruelty
birth Ibrahim had bes-u restricted In j
j in this. Conscious of his ability he
l
¡ mi
¡it . • I
l- m d a r t
1 as
said one day:
tin-rly he could sthg only ar< r r t ly '
behind a curtain except when he
“Were It not for the handicap of
was called to the Ultimate gather
my noble birth I would accomplish
Inn* of Hie Caliph: now however,
such prodigies that ail would be
he was free to win lam e ami ndnitr I
! obliged to agree that I have never had
atlon. free to sing whrre nnd when
he pleased
and never could have an equal on
Throwing now his a hole soul Into
i this earth."
hi art he captivated Irlrnd and foe !
Once when before the Caliph he
alike w i'h his marvellous voice, and I
made a wager with Ishak that he
hi* equally ste a l p-nser of improvia-
would sing In four tones Picking
uu
The astronomer, Mohammed, j
up an Instrument he sang in unison
said of him:
with it. then in a higher octave.
"I h a ir for several years been one
| tie« in a chord grave, and finished
of those privileged to attend the pri
i In a baas octave, that is to -ay he
vale affair* of the Caliphs Mamnun
hud four octaves at his disposition.
and Montassem and Uvls is what !
| or three registers: tenor, barytone.
have noticed as Mam as the voice ,
, and bass
of Ibrahim was heard the people In ,
At another time Ishak sang a coir,
the iMktace and r*t>rrtallv tile valets. I
position of his own Uiat had pleased
slaves and laborer* would drop ,
Uie Caliph immensely.
Ibrahim.
their work and draw nearer In or
I who felt that his laurels were in
der not lo ml s a -Ingle note Wlieu I
danger, sought Isliak during the
Ibiahim hail finished, and another
I entr'acte, and asked him to epeat
singer took his place, alt u-turned t
I the song
Ishak refused; Ibrslum
to Ihelr work, witliout wishing lo j
pull« d off his Jewelled vest and of
hear him I rail give no more strik
fered it to him whereupon Ishak rc-
ing example of his Influence upon |
lieated his song twice In a low voice
nil naltirr* foreign nml rebellious to
The Caliph, learning that Ib-ahim
education than th is"
1 was going to repeat Ishak's sony
Instantaneous I oni|M>wer
I hurried back to his seat This song
| Ibrahim now sung, adding grace
Many are the stories told ut I bra j
j notes of his own. of which he alone
him His brother. Mnnsnur. relates I
| had the secret
His success was
the following
complete. Tlie Caliph gave him six
< hie dav. lie said, the Cah|ih had
| purses ot gold, all of which he
sent for Ibtahhn to sing but In spile j
handed over to Ishak.
of ie|wnled message* Ibrahim did]
tint go The next day
■•mewlial j
Parued by Hi* Creditors
a lam ed at his negligence. he went!
And at this time Ibrahim needl'd
to tlie palace
learn in g that the
money badly. When he was Caliph
Caliph was In the menagerie look ■
and the finances of the empire were
tug at some newly aruved lions, lb-
in a bad wav he had borrowed large
rnhit.i and he started thither, stop
sums of money front his friends to
ping on tlie way to select a lyre. |
pay his army and to carry on pub
T hu Ibrahim carefully tuned and |
lic works His creditors were often
hid In Ills robe
pursuing him for these sums, and
When they arrived In the mcna- !
threatening to tell the Caliph. In
gerta the Caliph was standing with
vain Ibrahim pleaded with them that
his hark turned anil was looking at
the money had been spent lor the
one of the wild beasts He had been
use of the State.
al a tea t llir night before and had
In order to m aintain his suprem
not yet recovered from tire effects
acy. Ibrahim went sometimes to
of tlie wine.
cruel lengths. He had continued
Stealing quietly In. Ibrahim look
his habit of going about disguised
the lyrr, and began to sing. Impro
and one day when he was passing
vising:
the home of Moussouh. Ishak*
"I emptied a nip of wine for my
father, he heard Moussouh singing
pleasure
a song of his own composition, and
Then 1 drank another to correct
repeating the difficult passages while
the effect of the first."
his slaves marked the time. Mous
The Caliph, on hearing thla. ap
soull was to sing that evening for
plauded "Well done, uncle, you've
the Caliph
brought back gaiety again." And
Hiding under the balcony Ibrahim
ordering a cup of wine, the Caliph
memorised Motissouhs song
That
drained It while he listened to the
evening when Moussoull had scored
remainder of I tie song
a triumph. Ibrahim arose and
"What struck me." said Mansour.
charged him with plagiarism, offer
"was tills Mv brother that day held Vi.siting him one morning, Bedl took h lute and «gnu for him one hundred unedited songs. ing to slug the song note for note.
hlm-clf constantly to the higher or
This he did to perfection, where
tavr of the Instrument without Caliph a romponidon of his own of 1 another of gold, full of silver pieces; done the rest.
upon Moussoull was reproached by
showing tlie slightest sign of fatigue
the following Is a rough' and a third of purest crystal full
Ibrahim, however, was not with the Caliph. Later, however, Ibra
Re ¡uu even more which l win re which
told the Caliph all. and sent
translation:
of
amber
The
rivalry
was
liitenae;
out
powerful rivals. The most noted a him
frum from telling lest I he charged
rich present to Moussouh.
Willi falsehood Nevertheless, I can "In describing the beauty of my be each singer hoping to win a prise. of these was Ishak. son of Moussou-
T ie victories, however, were not
loved I dream of the pure gold In Spurned Mune, for Performances 1! both court singers The rivalry always to Ibrahim. Once a t a con
not help adding tlmt as soon as fh
the coins of the ancient G rvp -
ralilin had commenced to sing, the
Ibrahim sang and won the first between the two became a veritable cert twenty singers were singing be
Uans
ferocious beasts stretched tlielr
He sang again and won the second;
fore the Caliph, ten to the right
lie. k* In his direction, and approach Of the pearl In Ita shall In the at the third contest the Caliph was m. steal battle, which added oonsid- and ten to ll»e left Suddenly Ishak
depths of tlie sea. which la the so stirred by Ibrahim's song that siderable excitement to the court of exclaimed that one ot the singers
ed hit by bit. They ended by sup-
despair of Uto Usher
poituuc I lieu heads on Uie bars of
he rose and .showered a thousand Mamoun But for this rivalry lb
the rage until the song was finished Or of the eiqulalle linei less of the praises on him. At this, Moussouh. rahlm's name might not have come
Continued on Page Four
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Appearing Soon in The Illustrated Feature Section.