The opera, with its ravishing music, its romance of sentiment and incident, its resplendent scenery, and the rich costumes and brilliant delineations of its actors,—all so well calculated to charm a people of luxurious tastes,—has always been generously patronized in New Orleans; and so, too, have been the other forms of musical presentation. Amateur musicians have never been scarce there: such persons, pursuing their studies, not with a pecuniary view (being in easy circumstances), but simply from a love of music, have ever found congenial association in the city's many cultured circles; while many others, who, although ardently loving music for its own sake, were yet forced by less fortunate circumstances to seek support in discoursing it to others,—these have always found ready and substantial recognition in this music-loving city.
But does all I have been saying apply to the colored people of New Orleans as well, almost, as to the others? Strange to say, it does. Natural lovers of the "art divine," and naturally capable of musical expression,—they too, although with far less of advantages for culture than the others, have with voice and instrument, and even as composers, helped to form the throng of harmonists, playing no mean part in the same. The colored people of New Orleans have long been remarked for their love of and proficiency in music and other of the elegant arts. Forty years ago "The New-Orleans Picayune" testified to their superior taste for and appreciation of the drama, especially Shakspeare's plays. A certain portion of these people, never having been subjected to the depressing cruelties of abject servitude, although, of course, suffering much from the caste spirit that followed and presented great obstacles to even such as they, were allowed to acquire the means for defraying the expenses of private instruction, or for sending their children to Northern or European schools. Indeed, as regards the exhibition of this ambitious musical spirit, this yearning for a higher education and a higher life, these people often exceeded those of fairer complexions; many of their sons and daughters attaining to a surpassing degree of proficiency in music, while they became noticeable for that ease and polish of manners, and that real refinement of living, which ever mark the true lady or gentleman.
Again: there was another portion of this same race, who, in the circumstances of their situation, were far less fortunate than even those of whom I have just been speaking: I mean those who were directly under the "iron heel of oppression." Nevertheless, many of these were so moved by a spirit of art-love, and were so ardent and determined, as to have acquired a scientific knowledge of music, and to have even excelled, strange to say, in its creation and performance, in spite of all difficulties. As to just how a thing so remarkable, nay, I may say wonderful, was accomplished, would form many a story of most intense and romantic interest. But with present limits I may not narrate the many instances of heroic struggle against the foul spirit of caste prejudice, and the many noble triumphs over the same, that belong to the lives of nearly if not quite all of the artists of whom I shall presently briefly speak.
And here it is utterly impossible to resist the depressing effects of that deep feeling of gloom which settles upon one as thoughts like the following crowd into the mind. How much, how very much, has been lost to art in this country through that fell spirit which for more than two hundred years has animated the majority of its people against a struggling and an unoffending minority,—a spirit which ever sought to crush out talent, to quench the sacred fire of genius, and to crowd down all noble aspirations, whenever these evidences of a high manhood were shown by those whose skins were black! Ah! we may never know how much of grandeur of achievement, the results of which the country might now be enjoying, had not those restless, aspiring minds been fettered by all that was the echo of a terrible voice, which, putting to an ignoble use the holy words of Divinity, cried up and down the land unceasingly, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther!" For to judge as to what "might have been," and what yet may be, despite the cruelties of the past (since, even in this instance, "the best prophet of the future is the past"), we have only to look at what is. But from those bitter days of a barbarous time, when hearts were oft bowed in anguish, when tears of blood were wept, and when often attempts were made to dwarf yearning intellect to a beastly level,—let us turn quickly our weeping eyes from those terrible days, now gone, we hope never again to return, towards that brighter prospect which opens before our delighted vision: let us joyfully look upon what is, and think of what may be. For
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"The world is cold to him who pleads; The world bows low to knightly deeds." |
Returning, then, directly to the subject in hand (viz., the colored musical artists of New Orleans), I first quote from a paper prepared by a cultured gentleman of that city, himself a fine musician, the following retrospective comment on some of the former residents there:—
"For want of avenues in which to work their way in life, and for many reasons which are easily understood, our best artists [colored] removed to other countries in search of their rights, and of proper channels in which to achieve success in the world. Among these were Eugène Warburg, since distinguished in Italy as a sculptor; Victor Séjour, in Paris, as a poet, and composer of tragedy; Caraby, in France, as a lawyer; Dubuclet, in Bordeaux, as a physician and musician; and many others." All these were forced to leave New Orleans, their native city, because of the prejudice that prevailed against them on account of their color. In other countries, which Americans have been wont to style, forsooth, "despotic," these aspiring men found ready recognition, and arose, as has been seen, to high distinction in their chosen callings.
Of a few others who for these same reasons left their native city and went abroad, as well as of a large number of talented, educated musical people who remained in New Orleans, I shall now speak.
The Lambert family, consisting of seven persons, presents the remarkable instance of each of its members possessing great musical talent, supplemented by most careful cultivation.
Richard Lambert, the father, has long been highly esteemed as a teacher of music. Many of his pupils have attained to a fine degree of proficiency as performers of music, and some of them are to-day composers.