MUSC 89: Songs of the Slave: The History of the African American Spiritual
Tuesdays/Thursdays at 3:30 pm
Dr. LaToya Lain
Born out of the oppressions of slavery, the spiritual is a folk song created by Africans forcibly brought to America and enslaved for 250 years. Spirituals were created through the combination of African melodies, rhythms, and performance practices with the influences of European Christian Hymnody. The Library of Congress has collected over 6,000 of these melodies. They contain themes of suffering, hope, rebellion, and longing. They tell the story of Africans in America through song and became the catalyst through which all “American Music” was born. This course will examine and chronicle the origin and performance practice of the Negro Spiritual, it’s presence throughout American History and its influences on Contemporary American Music.
This first-year seminar counts as 3 credit hours towards graduation upon successful completion of the course.