BLACK MUSIC MONTH
The Power of a Song in a Strange Land By Donna Cox
F
rom the moment of capture, through the treacherous middle passage, after the final sale and throughout life in North America, the experience of enslaved Africans who first arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, some 400 years ago, was characterized by loss, terror and abuse. The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807 made it illegal to buy and sell people in British colonies, but in the independent United States slavery remained a prominent—and legal—practice until December 1865. From this tragic backdrop one of the most poignant American musical genres, the Negro spiritual, was birthed. Sometimes called slave songs, jubilees and sorrow songs, spirituals were created out of, and spoke directly to, the black
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experience in America prior to the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, that declared all slaves free. West African roots Spirituals have been a part of my life from childhood. In small churches in Virginia and North Carolina, we sang the songs of our ancestors, drawing strength and hope. I went on to study, perform and teach the spiritual for over 40 years to people across
the U.S. and in various parts of the world. Despite attempts, white slave-owners could not strip Africans of their culture. Even with a new language, English, and without familiar instruments, the enslaved people turned the peculiarities of African musical expressions into the African American sound. Rhythms were complex and marked by syncopation, an accent on the weak beat. Call-and-response, a technique rooted in sub-Saharan West African culture, was frequently employed in spirituals. Call-andresponse is very much like a conversation – the leader makes a statement or asks a question and others answer or expound.
