AFRICAN AMERICAN SLAVERY MUSIC

AFRICAN-AMERICAN ORIGINS The first immigrants of African descents

arrived in North America in 1619, landing at Jamestown.

During the American Revolution in 1776, there were no longer African-American indentured servants but African-American Slaves.

CHALLENGES TO RETAINING AFRICAN CULTURE

Many Africans who were brought to the United States were second generation

Slave owners intentionally tried to supplant African culture by making the slaves more dependent on new white culture

Africans were prohibited to speech in their native tongues and to communicate by drumming because of fear of rebellion.

European Americans regarded Africa as backward and uncivilized.

INTEGRATION OF MUSIC WITH LIFE Music played an essential role in

providing Cultural cohesion to transmit important historical and social information. Tribes used songs Stories Dances

AFRICAN LANGUAGES Language was reflected in African

drumming Drum idioms imitated speech patterns

through the use of high and low drum timbres performed on female and male.

THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF RHYTHM Rhythm is the foundation for African music, and it

flowed out of the words and the movement of human activities. Multimeter- The overall metric pattern consists of a

series of measures that are each heard as habinh a different meter.

Polymeter- Consists of two or more meter occurring simultaneously.

Prolongation- The duration of the beats gets progressively longer, obscuring the metric pulse.

Additive- There is no regular metric pulse because beats are continually added

AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSIC WITHIN A HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT

Working songs The earliest African-American songs were work

songs developed to accompany labor. Cries, Calls, and Hollers

Are terms often used synonymously to describe a melodic tradition that was used as a means for communicating across the fields.

Spirituals Black spirituals include three types of songs:

Spirituals, jubilees, and Shouts

WORKING SONG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65e

wGQiN3SI Cries, Calls, Hollers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xny

S24-woTg&list=PL04322B8E84F8747D Spiritual http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXq

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STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EARLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSIC

African-American holller and the early performance of spiritual use primarily a free and fluid rhythm, derived from the text. Spiritual, work songs, and Hollers incorporate

traditions of indigenous African music. Texture, Instrumentation, and Form

The early spiritual were monophonic, consisting of unaccompanied melody.

The American Revolution and Striving for Freedom Thousands of slaves responded to an offer

from England for freedom for those who fought on the side of the British.

In March 1865, the Freemen’s Bureau was established to help the freed slaves and destitute whites through activities such as providing food and shelter.

THE FISK JUBILEE SINGERS The school was opened in an

abandoned Union Army barracks.(1828-1890)

The school experience financial difficulties with the first five years of operation, which led instructor George L. White to take “The Colored Christian Singers” on a concert tour.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers were important in exposing whites to black spirituals.