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Reproduction of a drawing by E.W. Kemble, includ
ed in an article by George Cable, "The Dance in Place
Congo," Century Magazine 31 (1885-86). African-type
the 1830's. Lambert was a
violinist of note, and a
music teacher. He
fathered four sons and
two daughters. The four
Orleans and became-,
associated with the St.
Bernard's Brass Band.
Edmund De 'de '
(1829-1903) studied the
sons became professional clarinet as a child under
musicians;. both daughters Debarque. He switched to
played the piano, and one
became a music teacher.
Lucien Lambert, the
eldest son, early indicated
the seriousness with which
he viewed music, for he
would practice on the
piano for six or more
hours daily. This dedica
tion enabled him to
achieve laudatory recogni
tion as a pianist by the
cognoscenti of New
Orleans; and he soon out
paced local instructors."
The decision was made
that he should pursue fur
ther study in Paris. Upon
completion of his studies
in Europe, he returned to
his native city, only to find
the color bar intolerable1.
He then settled in Brazil
where he became involved
with piano manufacture.
As a composer, he was
quite prolific; Etude
Mazurka, La Juive, and
Au Clair de la Lune (with
vviai0n&kpengLthr,ef
the more familiar-
Sidney Lambert, the se
cond son, also composed
for and played the piano.
His major contribution
was a manual for piano in
struction which achieved
for him an award of merit
from the King of Por
tugal. He, too, went to
Paris where he remained
as an instructor of music.
The younger Lambert
the violin under Gavici,
the white director of the
St. Charles Theater Or
chestra. As he matured,
De 'de ' supported himself
as a cigar maker and lived
frugally until he could go
to Paris in 1857 on his sav
ings to continue his
studies. He remained in
France, married a Fren
chwoman, and became the
director of the orchestra
of L'Alcozar in Bordeaux.
Several of his more
notable compositions are:
Le Sement de L'Arabe,
Vaillant Bele Rose
Quadrille and Le Palmier
Overture.
Samuel Snaer (1883-?)
was most noted as a
pianist, but performed as
well on the cello and
violin. He taught both
violin and piano and was
the organist for St. Mary's
Roman Catholic Church.
Snaer was a productive
composarofetiofh gewtau
and religious , music, i.with . j
an overture for full or
chestra, Graziella, and a
solemn Mass to his credit.
In addition, the musi
ciancomposer wrote in
strumental pieces, vocal
and instrumental com
positions, polkas,
mazurkas, quadrilles, and
w&ltzcs.
E.V. McCarty (1821-?)
received his first piano
The Bamboula
Norres in New Orleans.
An unnamed patron felt
that McCarty's skills
merited further study in
Paris where he became
friendly with the Hon.
Pierre Soule who interven
ed to get him admitted to
the Imperial Conser
vatoire, even though he
was over age. He studied
harmony, composition
and achieved some distinc
tion in vocal music. He
also became a dramatist
and was awarded the lead
in the play Antony by
Alexander Dumas. Mc
carty remained in Paris.
In addition to in
dividual achievement in
musicianship, the fascina
tion for parades and brass
bands was shared by all of
the citizens of New
Orleans. Blacks had their
own brass bands and a
high degree of proficiency
was achieved by the in
strumentalists, for private
study was often pursued
by the band members.
Other areas of the
South found enter
tainermusicians often
working in obscure
anpnyrnity,, hog MQ
dowrgentation.pC Jneme
indicates that free blacks
performed or listened to
recreational music within
the confines of their own
homes. The churches were
a bastion for gatherings,
as has been noted, and
often provided a focus for
social gatherings. Taverns
and street corners in urban
areas gave the itinerant
musician a place to per-
instruments were generally used in the slaves' own
jubilees.
In the rural area, the
slave fiddler or banjoist,
would provide instrumen
tal music in his Jubilees.
Solomon Northrup, in
his book Twelve Years As
A Slave, clearly ar
ticulated how slaves had a
determination to make
some sense of an insensate
degradation through
music.
Born free in Saratoga
Springs, New York, he
became well-known in the
area for his expertise in
fiddling. Working during
the summer at the United
States Hotel, a resort in
his home town, he became
an itinerant fiddler during
the winter months, play
ing with "pick-up" dance
bands and earning as
much as $3 a night.
.Lured to Washington,
D.C., by a promise of a
wen-paying : engagement
plus expenses, Northrup
was kidnapped and taken
to a plantation in Loui
siana where he became the
property of Edwin Epps
and - acquired the new
name of Piatt Epps.
During this period, his
mistress encouraged Epps
to buy "Piatt" a violin so
that he could entertain the
family. When it was
discovered that he really
did possess considerable
skill, Epps hired out his
slave to play at other plan
tations. Playing his violin was
the only balm that Nor
thrup had during his bon
dage. Poetically, he wrote:
It was my companion the
friend of my bosom,
triumphing loudly when I
was joyful, and uttering
its soft, melodious con
solation when I was sad. .
it would sing me a song of
peace.
Freedom was gained by
the reverse process of hav
ing friendly help to return
North.
If Northrup's repertoire
included "Negro" songs
of the era, he may well
have played music that
had been disseminated by
a unique group of slave
workersentertainers: the
black watermen.
Worksongs were impor
tant to maintain a rhythm
for the task being per
formed as well as to main
tain spirits. Blacks were
SAT., FESHUA3Y 21, ISlf 'TKECASClKATiSa
firemen and food handlers nse, he early developed
on ; the boats, and i his very senaurve ear and
stevedores on land. Thev--nemory for music per-
moved along trie Eastern
seaboard and all of the
major rivers: Mississippi,
Ohio and Missouri. They
moved as far , west as
Omaha, Nebraska, south
to the Gulf Coast, and aD
along the east coast. When
their work day was over,
the boatmen were often
called upon to entertain
the passengers with a show
during dinner, and dance
music afterwards. Because
these workersslaves
"enjoyed" the greatest
mobility, it is' entirely
possible that they may
have been responsible for
disparate segments of the
black population
throughout the states hav
ing knowledge of the same
songs. The handicap of
slavery, then, produced a
universal language in
song.
Thomas Greene
Bethune (1849-1908),'
known as "Blind Tom"
suffered a double han
dicap, for he was born
sightless to a slave named.
Charity Wiggins in Col-,
umbus, Georgia. When
his mother was sold to a
Colonel Bethune, Tom as
"thrown in" the pur
chase. Before long, it was
discovered that Tom could
duplicate on the piano any
music to which he had
listened. As is common in
individuals who must
compensate for a missing
formed m tus presence.
The discovery of this .
gift" by Bethune was
capitalized on by- the
owner and his family.
Tom's career began
when be was but eight
years old and presented in
a recital in Savannah by
his master. In the first
year of the Civil War, he
was required to perform if
several concerts for the aid
of veterans of the Con
federate Army.
He performed at the
White House, throughout
the United States, and, in
the European capitals. His
extensive repertoire in
cluded selections from the
music of the masters:
Bach, Beethoven, Chopin,
Mendelssohn, Rossini;
from Heller Liszt, Gott
schalk, Hoggman,
Th albert; operatic arias
from Verdi, Bellini,
Gounod - popular ballads,
of the day; in short
anything that had been,
written and he had heard,
he duplicated precisely. It
was recorded that he could
duplicate over 7,000r
musical compositions.
At times, his recitals
assumed a somewhat car
nival air. Three pianos
would be placed on stage.'
While two pianists were
"banging away" discor
dantly, twenty notes were
struck in rapid isolation
on the third piano. Tom
correctly produced the
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