MUSIC140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Work Song, Musical Gesture, Music Week
Document Summary
First record of africans being captured and forced into slavery in n. america. Slaves were taken from the west coast of africa. Seen as property for the rest of their lives deprived of all it means to be human. They were able to maintain some of their culture: music is omnipresent everywhere; music can be used in the context of anything, music is a big part of west african culture. Unlike minstrel show songs, this is actually an example of black culture. ** no work song recorded by slaves no recording technology was advanced enough at the time slavery was still occurring ** There were many firsthand accounts describing the work songs of the time. Song leader was a very important role: slaves often got sick the leader could set an easier pace so that no one got overworked, but everyone was pulling their weight.
