Slave Songs of the United States - Paperback

by William Allen (Author)

During the 19th century, the authors recorded the music of the slaves from what was actually heard on plantations during, and immediately following, the Civil War. Direc-tions for singing and musical scores are provided.

Back Jacket

"It is hard to explain why no systematic effort has hitherto been made to collect and preserve their melodies.

The public had well-nigh forgotten these genuine slave songs, and with them the creative power from which they sprung.

These are the songs heard . . . upon the Mississippi . . . wild and strangely fascinating."
--from the Introduction

The authors lived during the nineteenth century and recorded the music of the slaves from what was actually heard on plantations during, and immediately following, the Civil War. Dramatic and melodious songs like "Come Go With Me," "Hold Out to the End," and "The Lonesome Valley" speak truthfully of the slave way of life--the hardships, the spirituality, the community.

In this edition, directions for singing and musical scores are provided, thus accurately preserving the original intonations and rhythms of these songs that are an integral part of the nation's history.

Author Biography

Born in Northborough, Massachusetts, on September 5, 1830, William Francis Allen was the son of a Unitarian minister. After graduating from Harvard College in 1851, he left America in 1854 to study in Europe at G^ttingen, Berlin, and Rome. He finally returned to Boston in 1856. Under the employment of the Freedmens Aid Commission, Allen began to work on St. Helena Island in South Carolina in November 1863. Four years later, in 1867, Allen was appointed chair of ancient languages and history at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He later changed his position at this university to chair of Latin language and Roman history. During his tenure, he pioneered a new way of teaching history. His method used a topical system of study and reading of original sources. Allen was a prolific writer. His contributions to classical literature chiefly consist of schoolbooks. The Slave Songs of the United States (pb[fb]) provides directions for singing and musical scores to accurately preserve the original intonations and rhythms of slave songs. Also discussed are the intricacies of the language and variations of pronunciation. In preserving these songs, the authors were preserving an integral part of the nationís history. William Francis Allen died on December 9, 1889.