Negro Folk Music U.s.a.

by Courlander, Harold

• ISBN13: 9780486836492
• ISBN10: 0486836495
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2019-09-18
• Publisher: Dover Pubns

Summary

This thorough, well-researched exploration of the origins and development of a rich and varied African American musical tradition features authentic versions of over 40 folk songs. These include such time-honored selections as "Wake Up Jonah," "Rock Chariot," "Wonder Where Is My Brother Gone," "Traveling Shoes," "It's Getting Late in the Evening," "Dark Was the Night," "I'm Crossing Jordan River," "Russia, Let That Moon Alone," "Long John," "Rosie," "Motherless Children," three versions of "John Henry," and many others.
One of the first and best surveys in its field, Negro Folk Music, U.S.A. has long been admired for its perceptive history and analysis of the origins and musical qualities of typical forms, ranging from simple cries and calls to anthems and spirituals, ballads, and the blues. Traditional dances and musical instruments are examined as well. The author — a  well-known novelist, folklorist, journalist, and specialist in African and African American cultures — offers a discerning study of the influence of this genre on popular music, with particular focus on how jazz developed out of folk traditions.

Author Biography

Harold Courlander (1908–96) was a noted novelist, folklorist and journalist, specializing in African and African American cultures. He wrote more than 40 books, including studies of Hopi traditions, the Ashanti of Ghana, Yoruba gods, and Haitian voodoo. Courlander charged Alex Haley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Roots, with plagiarism and was awarded an out-of-court settlement.

Table of Contents

Contents
    I The Setting
   II Negro Folk Music in the United States
  III Anthems and Spirituals as Oral Literature
 IV Cries, Calls, Whooping, and Hollering
  V Sounds of Work
  VI Blues
 VII Ring Games and Playparty Songs
VIII Louisiana Creole Songs
  IX Performers' Corner: Ballads and Minstrelsy
   X Dances: Calindas, Buzzard Lopes, and Reels
  XI Instruments: Drums, Gutbuckets, and Horns
      The Music
      Notes
      Bibliography
      Discography
      Sources of Notated Songs
      Index