THE music of New Orleans has been as varied and colorful as the nationalities which have made up its population. From the operas of Paris, Milan, and Vienna came the classics which gained such popularity in the city during the middle of the nineteenth century; from the West Indies came barbaric, rhythmic chants that evolved through a period of years into work songs, dance melodies, blues, and jazz; from Canada and the outlying French settlements came the Cajun songs. The Creoles, descendants of pioneer French and Spanish families, absorbed it all, and contributed, in their turn, light airs and whimsical melodies.