Bøger af Charles Pickard Ware

Slavery is an important part of American history. It is intriguing to not only learn about the history of slavery, but it is extremely important to learn about the daily lives of slaves as well. Slave songs were more than simply songs that were sang as slaves worked. These songs were sometimes a source of inspiration and hope. Other times the songs could be used as a way to communicate to one another or as a form of protest against the conditions of slavery. It is equally as enlightening to read the slave narratives. Although these narratives are not all inclusive, they are some of the best sources we have today to analyze slave life from the perspective of the slave.

The musical capacity of the negro race has been recognized for so many years that it is hard to explain why no systematic effort has hitherto been made to collect and preserve their melodies. More than thirty years ago those plantation songs made their appearance which were so extraordinarily popular for a while; and if "Coal-black Rose," "Zip Coon" and "Ole Virginny nebber tire" have been succeeded by spurious imitations, manufactured to suit the somewhat sentimental taste of our community, the fact that these were called "negro melodies" was itself a tribute to the musical genius of the race

Originally published in 1867, this book is a collection of songs of African-American slaves. A few of the songs were written after the emancipation, but all were inspired by slavery. The wild, sad strains tell, as the sufferers themselves could, of crushed hopes, keen sorrow, and a dull, daily misery, which covered them as hopelessly as the fog from the rice swamps. On the other hand, the words breathe a trusting faith in the life after, to which their eyes seem constantly turned.