Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Feb. 21, 1981, edition 1 / Page 18
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rue .. in i ;.: iui 'In impi in)i iiiccii'i i i he fiekl li.iiUls. an J. u- mkIi, Often commanded a higher price on ihc market. Because (he mood of the workers and the work to be done dictated the timing and rhythm or the music, the leader had to intuitively determine what to sing. Reminiscent of the bards in far-off, Africa, he improvised and created lyrics and melodies as needed. So, too, were messages disseminated in this fashion. Whenever Har riet Tubman was in the area, a special song was sung: Dark and throny is de pathway Where de pilgrim makes his ways; But beyond dis vale of sor row Lie de fields of endless days. Specifics, as to meeting places and departure times, might be extem poraneous verses added to work, secular or religious songs to alert potential runaways. Other songs that served to inform listeners that there was an escape plot being planned were: Steal A way To Jesus; Oh, Sin ner, You'd Better Get Ready; Good News, De Chariot's Coming; mi I Hear From Heaven To Day. Follow The Drinking Gourd alluded to the Big Dipper constellation as a .AT , FEBRUARY 21, 1981 way of traveling north. Although both slave and free man had been ex posed to white church music, it often was too stilted or unsatisfactory to express their needs. Notic ing the dichotomy bet ween the master's Sunday piety and his godless man ners from Monday to Saturday, the southern black was even more at tuned to a need for music and rhetoric that not only nourished his soul, but also helped to dispel the malaise of slavery. Richard Allen of Philadelphia (1760-1831), who is chiefly noted for organizing and heading the first congregation of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was acutely aware of this. He collected hymns that he belived would appeal to his black congregation. A Collection of Spiritual Songs and Hymns Selected from Various Authors by Richard Allen, African Minister, was printed by John Ormrod in 1801. Because Allen's counterpart in the South at that time had little or no access to a hymnal for his "congregation," it may be assumed that he or his lead singer was the com poser of many religious songs. It should be noted that long before white men entered Africa as slavers, explorers, or missionaries, there was a widespread belief in a Supreme Being, and each village had its "minister" or priest. This allowed for an easier transference in the New Land, not the admoni tions or forces of the white master. Here, in the United States, ministers enjoyed the same leader ship role as did those priests in Africa. This helps to explain why many insurrections were in stigated or led by religious men. Two of the more famous- were Nat Turner and Denmark Vesey. Thus, out of the merger of the slaves' songs, from Africa and their ex periences in the New Land, came a form of music about which much has been written: The Spiritual, Recognized as a form of communal com munication, this music served to bind a people as does all folk music; for folk music is a music that reflects the tastes and feel ings of a community rather than individual emotions. The spiritual's close relationship between the singer (slave) and Jesus might be explained by their commonality: both had been "'buked (rebuked) and scorned," tortured in some manner, and forced to accept un just, heavy punishment. This is why He is the deity most often mentioned in the spiritual: He was deemed most sympathetic V A traditional slave celebration of many southern plantations produced a music that was to have a domi- to their plight. John Lovcll, Jr., in his definitive book on Afro American spirituals, Black Song: The Forge And The Flame, wrote that this music ". . . .blended the experiences and poetic im aginations of one folk group and created songs for the human heart." He further states that the "purposes" of the spiritual are to: 1. Give the community a true, valid and useful song 2. Keep the community invigorated C 1M0 N.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO CO. iJJCaw) h (pi nil I W I ' ' I I I f' I .,tiliiiiiiiili.i.JwMpiiiiii mmm r-lO V'" .. 1 1 v - r 1 YtfiW W1 .tvi ' vf .'-z, . I 'i l ff 0 ."X x ' PC" t? ' j ' ME"TH0L;RESH. 1111 1 tgg IDlnfDlJ- LlQffpo Solem Ughfs brings smooth, ' easy menthol refreshmentfo low tor smoking. Do it smooth .:: . ; ; J with Solem Lights. v .. . .- " ; ' : . ; Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined ' UGin&ii WVMiii9.'iiic ' That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health. ' , 0 mg. nicotint. av.'per cigaretta. FTC Heport 79. I ', ' ' ' ' ' 1 The "Jubilee 3. Inspire the uninspired individual 4. Enable the group to face its problems 5. Stir each member to personal solutions and to' a sense of belonging in the , midst of a confusing and terrifying world 6. Provide a code language for emergency use Recognizing the in herent danger for foment that the slaves' religious services (or any form of assemblage) and the sing-, ing of spirituals presented, they were banned in some areas of the South as early as the 1830's. Most par ticularly did the black Methodists come under fire, for they had acquired considerable strength and were thought to be behind the Vesey plot. So, too, were drums prohibited due to the fear that they would be used as means of communicating informa tion. To circumvent this, nifcetmgs had to be'hdditt the woods at night, or In a j secure building with guards posted. Singing was done into a glass or pot filled with water to ab sorb the sound. Whatever the inconveniences were, they were not enough to prevent the need from be ing fulfilled. In the South during the earlier decades, entertain ment for slaves on the plantation was chiefly of fered by individual in strumentalists (mostly fid dlers or banjoists) with the group joining in with sing ing, dancing, or "patting." The latter was a method where the feet were tapped, as well as the thighs and shoulders, by the hands in an intricate and precise syncopated rhythm (more recently known as "hamboning".). In New Orleans, there was a section of the city called Congo .Square (since renamed , Beauregard Square). Here, on Sundays or holy days, whites who were tourists or locals, came to watch the "wildest danc ing." The slaves would congregate by tribes to; form circles where they: wpuld perform a dance or "shuffle" that was peculiar to West Africa. Hours would go by, with any who fell from exhaus tion quickly replaced by another. Of course, the chief instrument, similar to the banjar or banjo was made from a calabash. The instrumentalists were within the ring. "Incessant chanting and . nant influence upon American musical expression. The Bettman the exciting music. . . .", according to an 1808 report, created a state of frenzy within the par ti V pants. This, same report stated that at sun down, ". . . .the city patrols show themselves with their cutlasses, and the crowds immediately dispersed." "According," Langston Hughes mused, "some musicologists believe that jazz was born before sunset in Congo Square. Certainly the basic beat was there all day long." Such entertainment for slaves was chiefly limited to the exotic city of New Orleans, with its largest black population in any American city; for one third of its inhabitants, about 12,000 were black. It also had a peculiar caste system based upon color and status: free or slave. The free people (Creoles of color, as they were known) and free blacks of umwfred I'ptttentageQlrit' dutged , y.i irt u c i; more sophisticated or genteel pursuits. Perhaps to clear ly delineate their status, they eschewed the more African-inspired music for the European variety. In almost every household there was a piano and some member(s) was able to acquit himherself well enough to entertain family and friends. Voice lessons were also taken to indulge the petted young ladies of these middle class Creoles. At the white balls, opera houses and theaters, sections were often set aside for the blacks, and they were almost always filled to capacity. Sp seriously did many music lovers and ac complished instrumen talists view their music, that the Negro Philhar monic Society was formed with over 100 members. It served a double purpose; the one just stated, and it prevented those who truly found racial discrimina tion distasteful, from'hav ing to attend segregated performances at the white theaters. In addition to performing at concerts in their own building, the Society acted as booking agents for visiting per formers. Some of the members also formed the basis for the orchestra for the Theatre de la Renaissance which was for "free col oreds." Several residents of the "Paris of the South", as New Orleans was called, achieved ' recognition beyond their city. Archive Picayune Butler was a virtuoso banjoist whose career began in the 1820's and was known along the entire length of the "The River," as the Mississippi was affectionately known. He acquired such con sumate skill that he was invited to become a par ticipant in a competition in New York City in 1857. Contemporary writers reported that had he not broken two strings during the contest, he would have been declared the winner. Even so, despite this han dicap,' he acquitted himself admirably on the required sets of schot tische, reel, waltz, polka and jig. It is alleged that he was the composer of many of the songs that white minstrels performed on stage. So popular was he, that an anonymous minstrel (white) wrote a song in his honor: Picayune Butler's Come - To Town for inclusion in a published V "cbll&tidhof songs of the minstrelsy in 1858. A common form of advertising wares was for street vendors to go through residential sec tions of town calling out the various attributes of their product and en couraging potential customers with original verses to their recognizable "theme song." Signor Cornmeali was such a vendor. Reputed to have a wide vocal range, and enjoying tremendous popularity, his given name is unknown, but his stage name was obviously adopted from his voca tion. He was saved from anonymity because he was the first black to perform on the stage of a white theater anywhere in the United States. The event took place at the St. Charles Theater in New Orleans, in 1837. Opening his program with his own song, Fresh Corn Meal, he followed that with popular songs of the day. So enthralled were his audiences by his voice, and presence, that upon his death, it has been said that the entire city mourned him. As noted earlier, classicists were an impor tant thread in the fabric of music that cloaked the free black in New Orleans, ;and the Negro Phimar monic Society was the weaver. Richard Lambert, along with Constantine Debar que, became a permanent director of the Society in Now, as always, First Capital pays a higher rab of Interest on Passbook Savings then any other CcnSc cr Savings & Loan In Durham end Orcngo Counties! ANNUAL INTEREST COMPOUNDED DAILY mil ml (7TT7J7 fr.7S7 CAPITAL &CVr."Ga iivnuiyaio mail, iajiikum, w.i. inwuiurwsesj II Mon.-Thurs. 9-4, Fri, 9-5; Durham 286-1241 , Chapel Hill 929-0438 jff
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Feb. 21, 1981, edition 1
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