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| Negro Spirituals and Their Purpose in Slaves' Lives |
| Africans were taken from their homeland not able to speak in their native tongue. "The Africans who arrived in North America represented many cultures. Contrary to belief, they were representative of a variety of highly advanced civilizations." (Pinkney, 5) These different cultures spoke different languages, and the slaves could not communicate to one another because they were from different backgrounds. This resulted in "talking drums". Talking drums allowed African slaves to communicate to one another. The drums were used to echoe the beat of the heart and through that it formed a language only the Africans could understand. No matter, what country they came from. However, their slave masters eventually made talking drums prohibited (forbidden). The slave masters were concerned that these drums would bring about slave uprisings. This led to the creation of the Negro Spiritual. If they couldn't talk to each other through drums they would use their voice in a universal sound. Negro Spirituals consisted of passages from the Bible that the slaves could remember, since they were unable to read texts. These passages also known as the Gospel, became songs. Resulting in a Negro Spiritual. People would work in the fields and cry out to the Lord, this was ok by the slave master's being that they were forced into the acculturation of the Christian faith. Also the slaves were happier while they were working and they were less rebellious while singing. Singing was their way of surviving, to believe that their Lord was going to save them. |
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| There are many comparisons to the church and African music. There is the Call and response: in this similarity for Africans there is a yell leader who shouts out and the clan, or community that is there yells back the exact same thing. As for church when a preacher or a choir director sings something, the congregation or choir repeats the same thing. There also was what is called Improvisation: This was when a member would just go off and ad-lib to a song. Singing about their condition of life and present times. This could end up happening for the entire day, as long as that person wanted to sing or as long as someone else didn't join in. Today one can see everywhere not only in the church when people ad lib and create their own version to the song. This goes back all the way to African music and slave music. Spiritual song and dance comes from African tradition, and has evovled into a wonder mechanism to speak to troubled people. To embrace their soul. |
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