Slave Songs of the United States was a collection of African American music consisting of 136 songs. Published in 1867, it was the first, and most influential,Darden, p. 71Southern, part g. 152 collection of spirituals to be published. The collectors of the songs were Northern abolitionists William Francis Allen, Lucy McKim Garrison, and Charles Pickard Ware.Crawford, p. 416 The group transcribed songs sung by the Gullah Geechee people of Saint Helena Island, South Carolina. These people were newly freed slaves who were living in a refugee camp when these songs were collected. It is a "milestone not just in African American music but in modern folk history".Darden, pp. 99–100Snell and Kelley, p. 22 It is also the first published collection of African-American music of any kind.Chase, p. 215
The making of the book is described by Samuel Charters, with an emphasis on the role of Lucy McKim Garrison.Charters, Samuel. 2015. Songs of Sorrow: Lucy McKim Garrison and "Slave Songs of the United States". Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. A segment of History Detectives explored the book's history and significance.
Notable Songs Several notable and popular songs in the book include: "Roll, Jordan, Roll" (#1) "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" (#31) "Bosom of Abraham" (#94 as "Rock My Soul") "Down in the River to Pray" (#104 as "The Good Old Way") "Jehova" "Hallelujah" "I hear from Heaven to-day" "Turn sinner" "Turn O" "Nobody knows the trouble I've had" "No Man can hinder me" "Heave away" "Charleston Gals" "I'm gwine to Alabamy" "I want to die like-a Lazarus die" "Belle Layotte" "On to Glory Jacob's Ladder" "My father, how long?" "Musieu Bainjo" "Lean on the Lord's side" "God got plenty o' room" The book provides instructions for singing, which is accompanied by a discussion of the history of each song, with potential variations, interpretations of key references, and other related details. In the Dover edition, Harold Courlander contributes a new preface that evaluates the book's significance in both American musical and cultural history.
See also "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" Songs of the Underground Railroad "Jimmy Crack Corn" Port Royal Experiment Port Royal Island Saint Helena Island (South Carolina) Coffin Point Plantation "Wade in the Water"
References Black, Robert (1968). "Reviewed Work: Slave Songs of the United States by Irving Schlein". Journal of the International Folk Music Council. 20: 82–83
Notes
External links Full text on Internet Archive (1867 edition) Full text on Internet Archive (1951 edition) History Detectives segment (S6E11) Remastered digital edition using LilyPond