Music and Some Highly Musical PeopleTrotter, James M.
History
Music and Some Highly Musical People
Trotter, James M.
African American musicians -- Biography; African Americans -- Music
"Sound again, clarion,--clarion loud and shrill!
Sound! Let them hear the captive's voice.
Be still, be still!"
No answer being made to this signal, the prisoner thus laments his
cruel fate:--
"They have gone; they have all passed by,--
They in whose wars I have borne my part,
They whom I loved with a brother's heart:
They have left me here to die."
The melody was quite pretty, and the solo of the captive was of music
so appropriate and pathetic as to bring tears to the eyes of both
singer and auditory. Some of my former schoolmates, now grown to
womanhood and manhood, will probably remember better than myself this
song and others that with "glad hearts and free" we used to sing so
earnestly in the schoolroom and at our school-exhibitions. From what I
learn from credible sources, it may be stated, that a visit now to the
schoolrooms of Cincinnati would reveal a scientific acquaintance with
music so great as to almost prevent the making of a comparison between
the two periods under consideration.
The Mozart Circle, under the direction of _Mr. William H. Parham_, is
a vocal organization of twenty-five members, established about three
years ago. In July, 1875, this society gave a public performance, in
costume, of the cantata of "Daniel." No attempt was made to notify the
press that the cantata was to be rendered; but a gentleman of fine
taste, and one who is generally on the lookout for all signs of
art-advancement made by the colored people, was present on the
occasion referred to. His impressions of the performance were
recorded the next day in the Cincinnati "Gazette" and "Commercial,"
and were as follows:--
CONCEALED MUSICAL TALENT.
MR. EDITOR,--Permit me the use of a small space in your next
issue to speak in deserved praise of a musical entertainment
enjoyed by a portion of our citizens last Monday night.
It was the cantata of "Daniel," rendered in full costume by
the recently organized Mozart Circle, which, embracing about
twenty members, has in the short space of six months
developed a capacity which gave them success in this
enterprise. It is a pity that their excessive modesty
prevented their seeking the service of the press; for they
have thereby kept themselves in an obscurity which it is my
hope that this article will serve to draw them from. The
preparation made for this entertainment should not have its
service limited to a single occasion. It deserves
repetition, and an appreciative public deserves the
opportunity to enjoy it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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