Slaves
attempted to preserve the culture that they had brought with them
from Africa. Jeanette Murphy recalled: "During my childhood my
observations were centered upon a few very old negroes who came directly
from Africa, and upon many others whose parents were African born,
and I early came to the conclusion, based upon negro authority, that
the greater part of the music, their methods, their scale, their type
of thought, their dancing, their patting of feet, their clapping of
hands, their grimaces and pantomime, and their gross superstitions
came straight from Africa."
Attempts were made to stop slaves from continuing with African religious
rituals. Drums were banned as overseers
feared that they could be used to send messages. They were particularly
concerned that they would be used to signal a slave uprising.
Slaves would often sing while at work. In his autobiography, Frederick
Douglass recorded how slaves "would make the dense old woods,
for miles around, reverberate with their wild songs, revealing at
once the highest joy and the deepest sadness." The songs told
of the slave's loves, work and floggings and served as rhythmic accompaniment
to labour.
(1)
Frederick Douglass, Narrative
of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845)
While on their way (to work), the slaves would make the dense old
woods, for miles around, reverberate with their wild songs, revealing
at once the highest joy and the deepest sadness. They would compose
and sing as they went along, consulting neither time nor tune. The
thought that came up, came out, if not in the word, in the sound;
and as frequently in the one as in the other. They would sometimes
sing the most pathetic sentiment in the most rapturous tone, and the
most rapturous sentiment in the most pathetic tone. This
they would sing, as a chorus, to words which to many would seem unmeaning
jargon, but which, nevertheless, were full of meaning to themselves.
I have sometimes thought that the mere hearing of those songs would
do more to impress some minds with the horrible character of slavery,
than the reading of whole volumes of philosophy on the subject could
do.
(2)
William Box Brown,
Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown (1851)
The name of our new overseer was
John F. Allen, he was a thorough-going villain in all his modes of
doing business; he was a savage looking sort of man; always apparently
ready for any work of barbarity or cruelty to which the most depraved
despot might call him. As a specimen of Allen's cruelty I will mention
the revolting case of a coloured man, who was frequently in the habit
of singing. This man was taken sick, and although he had not made
his appearance at the factory for two or three days, no notice was
taken of him; no medicine was provided nor was there any physician
employed to heal him. At the end of that time Allen ordered three
men to go to the house of the invalid and fetch him to the factory;
and of course, in a little while the sick man appeared; so feeble
was he however from disease, that he was scarcely able to stand. Allen,
notwithstanding, desired him to be stripped and his hands tied behind
him; he was then tied to a large post and questioned about his singing;
Allen told him that his singing consumed too much time, and that it
hurt him very much, but that he was going to give him some medicine
that would cure him; the poor trembling man made no reply and immediately
the pious overseer Allen, for no other crime than sickness, inflicted
two-hundred lashes upon his bare back.
(3)
Christian
Schultz, Travels on an Inland Voyage (1810)
Slaves have their own national music,
consisting for the most part of a long kind of narrow drum of various
sizes, from two to eight feet in length, three or four of which make
a band. The principal dancers or leaders are dressed in a variety
of wild and savage fashions, always ornamented with a number of tails
of the smaller wild animals.
(4)
Solomon
Northup, Twelve Years a Slave (1847)
If it had not been for my beloved violin, I
scarcely can conceive how I could have endured the long years of bondage.
It was my companion - the friend of my bosom - triumphing loudly when
I was joyful, and uttering its soft melodious consolations when I
was sad.
(5)
Jeanette
Murphy, The Survival of African Music in America (1899)
During my childhood my observations
were centered upon a few very old negroes who came directly from Africa,
and upon many others whose parents were African born, and I early
came to the conclusion, based upon negro authority, that the greater
part of the music, their methods, their scale, their type of thought,
their dancing, their patting of feet, their clapping of hands, their
grimaces and pantomime, and their gross superstitions came straight
from Africa.
(6)
Paul
Robeson
was interviewed
about music by R. E. Knowles in the Toronto Daily Star (21st
November 1929).
The
African people have an almost instinctive flair for music. This faculty
was born in sorrow. I think that slavery, its anguish and separation
- and all the longings it brought - gave it birth. The nearest to
it is to be found in Russia, and you know about their serf sorrows.
The Russian has the same rhythmic quality - but not the melodic beauty
of the African. It
is an emotional product, developed, I think, through suffering.
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