Negro music in America; 21

The negro music and American. Negro music in America are an exploration of it and its impact on American culture. Here is your host for the series Tony look at Bach from the very day that he landed in change in America the negro had to fit each new experience into the pattern of life that he was forced into as a slave. His new masters wanted to destroy every vestige of his African culture as quickly as possible. The new language of course was a must. And all of his African customs and religious practices were forbidden to Christianize as slaves became projects for many people especially the ministers who must have had misgivings about slavery and the masters who probably found this to be a means of solving their guilt feelings. At any rate it seems quite probable that one of the first opportunities to replace any of the forbidden African Customs was in their exposure

to the white man's religion. I wouldn't be surprised to hear one reason they embraced it beyond that of a need for religious expression was because it gave them the opportunity to express themselves in the fervent singing of the hymns that they were taught. As time went on the negro genius had great creative improvising and unhappy with the white man's hymn styles began to create one of the most magnificent bodies of folk music in America in what became known as the spirituals full of sorrow and longing for a better world in the hereafter from Biblical texts and stories from cries for freedom came simple but beautiful folk poetry set to music and sung in a manner not previously known to American ears fortified with poly rhythms from the African background the spirituals became much more a much more satisfactory form of musical expression to the slave. A very early form of spiritual with many features and a company which can be traced back to the seventeen hundreds is all day sung by Bessie Jones with a group and accompanied by Fife drum and guitar.

Yeah. Yeah.

Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey. You are so

young. I was. An example of the reverence the nigger composer and singers so deeply felt toward the Christian god is simply but eloquently expressed in Ain't that a rocking song biodata. There you are at all

on its own from. 0 0. 0 0 0 0 0. 0 0 told. 0 0 0.

On the mean all. That's really this one of the sleighs primary longings was for freedom. This was expressed in many spirituals but never more beautifully than in this freedom trilogy as sung by Odetta. Or.

Oh oh oh oh oh oh. Oh oh oh. Oh. Oh oh oh.

Sure. 0 0 0 0 0 0. 0. More of the beautiful spirituals are slated for next week.

I'm sure you won't regret doing it again. Negro music in America with Tony look and Bach resided transcribed by the SEIU Radio Network. Got together in the next week as we continue our exploration of the negro and American music. This program was distributed by national educational radio. This is national educational radio network.