ded.

The Beluch singer seldom changes from minor into major or from one key
into another, but he is very fond of repeating the same melody in all the
octaves within the utmost limits of the compass of his voice. It is
considered a feat in singing to hold a note for an interminable time, as
also to go through the greater portion of the melody without taking
breath, and it really seemed extraordinary that some of the singers did
not break a blood vessel in the process. The eyes of the performers got
so swollen and almost shooting out of the head with holding the notes so
long, and the veins of the temples and arteries in the neck swelled to
such an extent as to cause serious apprehension.

On one occasion I heard an improvised song with the accompaniment of the
_soroz_ (violin) only. This time--an exception in my experience--the song
was given in a deep, low, nasal voice, each note being tremulous and held
on for several minutes in a most plaintive manner.

Some of the love songs were quite pathetic and touching, and in the war
songs, the grievances were poured forth very plaintively with an
accompaniment of strings and drums and burst out suddenly into fire and
anger. At this point, when the musicians were carried away by the martial
words of the song, the instrumental accompaniment became next to
diabolical. It was very inspiriting, no doubt, and made them feel very
war-like. The din was certainly such as might have turned any man into a
fighter.

Love songs, in which the singer imitated women's voices to perfection,
were really most graceful and sad, and quite interesting were the musical
recitatives with violin accompaniments which the Beluch render in quite a
masterly way.

Then there was the comic song--quick-timed and full of life--much too
full and too comic to appeal to a European, and so fully illustrated that
personally, I infinitely preferred the more melancholic ones which had
more music in them.

Duets and trios were occasionally attempted with quite good results,
except that there always seemed to be a competition as to who should
start highest, and this had occasionally a grating effect.

The Beluch possess most soft musical voices, well-rounded and graceful,
quite a contrast even in mere conversation to those of their neighbours
the Persians or the Afghans; but the character of the Beluch songs and
music is not dissimilar from the Persian, and both betray a markedly Arab
origin. In Persian songs,