MISS EDNA THOMAS

Northern Advocate, 24 June 1925, Page 4

MISS EDNA THOMAS

WHANGAREI SEASON.

Miss Edna Thomas gave her final concert in Whangarei last night and again delighted her audience, encqre3 being clamoured or on several occasions. It was obvious thnt her "New Orleans Street Cries" were the general favourites with, the audience, and each rendering was greeted with loud applause. The little "chansonettes" in the Creole-French patois, which, saitl Miss Thomas, were so popular with the children of New Orleans and throughout the Southern States, were alsovery well received, and are, indeed, very fascinating and go with a lilt and swing which is most entrancing 1 , The fact that Miss Thomas' songs and street cries are all authentic, in that she. herself learnt them from th«£ people who actually used theni, makes them doubly interesting.

The value of the- old negro slavgsongs was greatly enhanced by Miss Thomas' ability to explain their origin! and the effects of various parts of the Scripture on the negro mind, whicM has a direct bearing on the majority ofl Miss Thomas' songs. The trials an 3 tribulations endured by the Children of Israel ■ in their bondage under Pharoah, was a prolific seourco from which many of their songs were drawn. Their own condition as slaves and that of - the Children of Israel were <so analogous, explained Miss' Thomas, thdfc the negro mind at once perceived tW* possibility of drawing an inexhaustible supply of material from the Scriptural accounts of the sujfferings of thef Children of I.sracJ. The explanations, in' conjtirtctidn wifH each song, made the concert thoroughly! enjoyable ami- interesting; and a most entertaining evening . was only marred by the fact that Miss Lucile Laurence did not appear, several of her haTp-strings having succumbed to thei ragaries of the weather and snapped*