History and Impact of African-American Slave Songs

Some people have a hard time listening to “black music,” meaning Jazz, Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop but using the same logistics, you would have to put Rock, Pop, many church hymns, and much of choral literature in the same category. For the most part people do not understand the origins of the many types of music we hear around us every day. Unless your high school music teacher found this type of appreciation necessary, or you happened to take some music courses in college, chances are you’re a part of the “most people.” To understand and fully appreciate the music you enjoy today, you must first understand that while African-American slave songs were a prominent part of pre-Civil War culture, they have also had great influence on modern culture.

In order to further understand African-American music, you must first know a certain amount of information about African music and culture. Music was and is a very important part of African culture. Much of African music was used as a way to document history. Because they di

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The use of ‘call and response’ was widely used (“Intro to 1). While they may have adopted these songs, they most certainly did not leave them as they found them.

Everyone has heard of the underground railroad and how songs like “Follow the Drinking Gourd” were used to relay the way north to freedom. Because most slaves were unschooled and illiterate, this style of group singing was not only favored, but necessary. Much of this occurred because of the large Creole population left from when the French controlled the city.

The rhythmic structure of African music, and likewise African-American music, was unlike any other music in America at the time. The meanings of the different songs were many and varied, but field songs often proved to help keep a rhythm and pace, much as sea shanties did for the oarsmen of boats. The most important of these was the drum. There were traditional songs to celebrate weddings, births, and even the loss of a baby tooth. These songs were sung on the field and in private quarters. They also adopted many of the European hymns. During this time the European style church was introduced to the slaves. In Rap, the drum beat (or heavy bass) as well as the speech-like story telling is very similar to that of its African ancestory. This is very evident in their music. In response to his own findings, Ralph Ellison wrote “[I]t was the African’s origin in cultures in which art was highly functional which gave him an edge in shaping the music and dance of this nation.

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Approximate Word count = 1867
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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