THE STORY OF THE JUBILEE SINGERS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1532, 14 April 1887, Page 2

THE STORY OF THE JUBILEE SINGERS

(From the "Sydney Mornirg Herald.' Thb history of the Fiak Jubilee Singers, their work and ifca results, as told by Mr J B. T. Marsh m a volume recently published, rivals m Interest the moat absorbing romance, with this notable difference; that the reader lays down the book not with the sense of gratified amusement, bat with a feeling of deep, sympathy, amazement, and admiration at the wonderful results, and the raagio power , of oong. The original band was a company of emancipated slaves, who, m 1871, set out with a determinatfon to raiae by their singing 20,000 dollars for the school of which they were students, To persona In Sydney with the fine public Bchoolß, m which the children receive cheap education, the state of the slavea m America before emancipation fa almost incomprehensible. They were by law debarred from acquiring any book learning. With greediness, and under immense privations and difficulties, men, women, and children labored to acquire elementary knowledge, and the severest punishment m those early days,— following the triumph of the Northern States,— wa*, to be suspended from school privileges. From the small start made by the American Missionary Association, 17 aoademiaa and normal schools, with 7 chartered institutions for colUgiate and theological eduoation, have been established. So interesting is the account of the educational work, the establishment of the Fisk Jubilee University for freed people, and the progress of the Institution m the 20 years it has now been established, that readers will, it is believed, be glad to know that a condensed history will be pa Bale during the stay of the Jubilee Singare here. There is a touohiag significance m the fact that at Nashville, m the former slave-pen of the city, a pile of rusty handcuffs and fetters came into possession of tho Bohool authorities, and were sold aa old iron, the mo.ey being spent m Testaments and spelling bouka. Daring their first year indignities and insults wera frequent; at come hotels they were refused admission because of their colour ; at others they were compelled to take their msals m secret ; their first concerts barely paid expenses, and many a time they had to sing with the faar that their lodging and travelling money would not be paid from the proceeds of their work. The llev Henry Ward Beecher on their arrival at New York took up , their cause, and thenceforth their carea were lightened. Their first successful trip was through ' Connecticut ; m seven days their groeß , receipts exceeded 3,900 dollars. In Newark one hotel keeper, at whose house rooms Lad beoa engaged m advance, \ uirneclthem litcrallyout of their beds when ( he discovered that they were negroes and . not " nipgerß " This indignity bore good , fruit. The City Oounoil, to mark their . sense of the wrong, passed an ordinance,. . opening to the colored people all the privileges of the publio sohools. , A aecond campaign began with another t cruel insult, which again was turned to the advantage of the Jubilees. At j Princeton a church ha<^ been tendered [ for their concert : the colored people who f had bought reserved seat tickets were . oonpelled to occupy an out-of-the-way I ootner. Such an indignity, offered In the > House of God, provoked a hot rebuke from their manager, who was stoutly j hisaed for his Bpoeoh. The second , ormpaign a.so produced 20.000 dollars profit. 3 The third campaign was a vmt \o EngI; land. Lord Shaftesbuiy was their fclend and the invitations to the first concert were sent m his name. The sncceaa of [ their stoglng was complete, and the , singers had the best fortune throughout . their t»ip The Qaedn, the Duke and # Dachess of Argylo, Dean Stanley, Mr Sama-1 Garney, the Rev. Newman Hall, P Mr George Macdonald, and Mr and Mra c Gladstone, at whose bouse they sane: to , the Prince of Wales, the Grand GWina, and many royal and noble personages &'- --3 tended their concerts J&r Spurgeon, too, helped them, much, and wsb himßalf moßt . deeply impressed with their music. } From London theywent to Scotland, sing. } ing m connection with Blessrß Moody aDd P Sankey In the North of England, and, j besides large audienoea, at many placos j they received valuable giftp. Mr John } Croasley, after hearing them at Halifax, t promised them a Bupply of carpets, and j many guve £10 to furnish a room m the 3 Jubilee Hall. Four concerts m Mant Chester produced £1200. Their journey t to Britain resulted la £10,000 -being . raised for Jubilee Hall and many gifts of L apparatne, books, and money for special r purposes. 5 In May, 1875, a second English camt palgn was planned. The Jubilee Hall , waß too small, and the Livingetooe Mis- , Bionary Hall was deemed necessary. The I singer* determined to raise beyond their , ordinary earnings— whioh were needed ; for existing demands of the sohool— the . Bum of £10,000 for its erection; m their , firet year more than a Ihird of the sum . was raised exclosive of the usual conceit '■■ (work. Through the Influence of Mr G. , P. Ittman, of Rotterdam, who heard the , Jubilee Singers m LondoD, a trip to the i Continent wa<* planned, and the grand Cathedrals of the Netherlands were ! thronged to hear the plaintive melodies , sung by thoßO who had be'en Blaves m America ; 10,000 dolUrs profit from that trfp. la October, 1877, they pushed oa to Germany, and had a warm welcome, la Berlin the Cro*n Prince and Princess invltßd them to their new palace, where their singing excited the liveliest admiration. The songs are of the simplest character. The great charm seems to lie m the varying forms of interpretation, and the changing moods, the perfect intonation, and the light and shade with which thjy invest their singing, la a preface to the mus'c, the unique origin, and aoiue of the characteristics are pointed ont. Taoogh they are m reality the simple ecstatic utterances of untutored minds slirred into fervour by the meeting m church or camp, there are none of the cruditieß which shock the musician. The rhythm fs always good, though at times complicated, and of cen distinctly original. Thrae-paet measure or triple time is rarely found ; more than half the melodies follow the national Soottish music, m the fact that m the scale the fourth and seventh tones are omitted ; and aa many maintain the Greek to have been written m a Bi'milar scale, the thoughtful student may well ask if this is not perhap3 the easiest musical alphabet.