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''Slave Songs of the United States'' was a collection of African American music consisting of 136 songs. Published in 1867, it was the first, and most influential, collection of spirituals to be published. The collectors of the songs were Northern
Full text on Internet Archive (1867 edition)Full text on Internet Archive (1951 edition)''History Detectives'' segment (S6E11)
using
''Slave Songs of the United States'' was a collection of African American music consisting of 136 songs. Published in 1867, it was the first, and most influential, collection of spirituals to be published. The collectors of the songs were Northern abolitionists
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The Britis ...
William Francis Allen
William Francis Allen (September 5, 1830December 9, 1889) was an American classical scholar and an editor of the first book of American slave songs, ''Slave Songs of the United States.''
Allen was born in Northborough, Massachusetts in 1830, the ...
, Lucy McKim Garrison, and Charles Pickard Ware. It is a "milestone not just in African American music but in modern folk history". It is also the first published collection of African-American music of any kind.
The making of the book is described by Samuel Charters, with an emphasis on the role of Lucy McKim Garrison. A segment of '' History Detectives'' explored the book's history and significance.
Notable songs
Several notable and popular songs in the book include: *"Michael Row the Boat Ashore
"Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" (also called "Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore", "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore", or "Michael, Row That Gospel Boat") is a traditional African-American spiritual first noted during the American Civil War at St. Helen ...
" (#31)
*"Bosom of Abraham
"Bosom of Abraham" refers to the place of comfort in the biblical Sheol (or Hades in the Greek Septuagint version of the Hebrew scriptures from around 200 BC, and therefore so described in the New Testament) where the righteous dead abided prio ...
" (#94 as "Rock My Soul")
*"Down in the River to Pray
"Down in the River to Pray" (also known as "Down to the River to Pray," "Down in the Valley to Pray," "The Good Old Way," and "Come, Let Us All Go Down") is a traditional American song variously described as a Christian folk hymn, an African-Ameri ...
" (#104 as "The Good Old Way")
See also
*"Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen
"Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" is an African-American spiritual song that originated during the period of slavery but was not published until 1867. The song is well known and many cover versions of it have been done by artists such as Mar ...
"
* Songs of the Underground Railroad
* "Jimmy Crack Corn"
*Port Royal Experiment
The Port Royal Experiment was a program begun during the American Civil War in which former slaves successfully worked on the land abandoned by planters. In 1861 the Union captured the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and their main h ...
*Port Royal Island
Port Royal Island (historically Port Royal) is an island located in Beaufort County, South Carolina. It is considered one of the Sea Islands in the Lowcountry region and is the most populous island in northern Beaufort County, containing most of ...
*Saint Helena Island (South Carolina)
St. Helena Island is a Sea Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The island is connected to Beaufort by U.S. Highway 21. The island has a land area of about and a population of 8,763 as of the 2010 census. It is includ ...
*Coffin Point Plantation
Coffin Point Plantation, is a historic plantation house located in the Frogmore area of Beaufort County, South Carolina, USA. A Sea Island plantation.
Ebenezer Coffin, born in Boston in 1763, received 1120 acres and 63 chattel slaves from his ...
References
* * * * * *Notes
External links
Full text on Internet Archive (1867 edition)
using
LilyPond
LilyPond is a computer program and file format for music engraving. One of LilyPond's major goals is to produce scores that are engraved with traditional layout rules, reflecting the era when scores were engraved by hand.
LilyPond is cross-pla ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slave Songs Of The United States
1867 non-fiction books
1867 in music
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Song books
Non-fiction books about American slavery