The Sounds Of Slavery: Discovering African American History Through Songs, Sermons, And Speech

by Shane White, Graham J. White

Songs, speeches, and sermons provide a revealing window into the sufferings of slaves a century ago, and this groundbreaking work collects some of the most revealing of such documents from the 1700s through the 1850s.

Genres: History, Music, Nonfiction, African American, American History

241 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

SHANE WHITE is the Challis Professor of History and an Australian Professorial Fellow in the History Department at the University of Sydney specializing in African-American history. He has authored or co-authored five books, including "Playing the Numbers", and collaborated in the construction of the website Digital Harlem. Each project has won at least one important prize for excellence from institutions as varied as the American Historical Association and the American Library Association. He lives in Sydney, Australia.

Reviews

[Kristin Traylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. African Americans had had so much snatched from them, and there was so little recognition of their humanity, and yet they were able to establish communication, connection, and culture solely through their voices. The accounts of the time are mostly from letters of white visitors to the south, and they had never heard anything like the rhthyms, harmonies, and vocal techniques that were all around them. White people were also surprised at the constant mixture of spiritual and secular themes. Since singing could go on for many hours, the singers had many ways of keeping the music flowing. There also accounts from former slaves who were interviewed in the WPA. They talked about how wonderful it was to be allowed to have a black preacher.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cultural history of sound during American slavery, focusing on the musical and spoken culture of American slaves. A scholarly work for a general audience. The authors used various contemporary accounts along with later recorded interviews of former slaves made in 1930s.

Fascinating glimpses into the utter strangeness of that era. It doesn't paint a comprehensive picture, but you do get these vivid bits of a completely foreign, yet very nearby universe. For example, in July 1852 in Richmond, VA, four free blacks were arrested because they had been serenading "some black damsels" late at night. Two got sentenced to ten lashes and the younger two got five lashes. Around the same time inn Richmond, Kunkel's Opera Troupe, a minstrel show, was playing to standing room only audiences. So, you have white Richmond lashing blacks for singing and on the other they are paying money to see whites perform watered-down versions of black music in blackface.

There's much more to this book than this one example, it covers sounds of work, play, religious practice, etc. There are all sorts of obvious limitations to this type of project and I thought the authors did a great job of contextualizing their work within these limitations.

It's a short book, but it did take me a while to get through.

[Dr. Yvette Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the CD that accompanied the book.

[Kyle Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, school just ended so I couldn't finish it lol

[Patrick Whitman]

With the CD, $6, ex Brisbane City Council Library!