Footsteps articles from March 2002

Footsteps archives from March 2002

A tradition begins.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... We know that the first enslaved Africans in what is now the United States were brought to Jamestown, Virginia, in the summer of 1619. We also know that the first slave song to appear in print was "Go Down, Moses," published in the New York...

Crossing the Atlantic.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Before African slaves were brought to work on plantations in the American South, many had lived along the coastal areas of western and central Africa. Some came from eastern Africa as well. Music played an important part in everyday life in...

A note of difference.(African music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... There were several basic differences between the music brought to America by the African slaves and the music brought by the European settlers. European music, generally, was transcribed (on paper) and coded in systematic musical notes that...

The struggle and the dream.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Spirituals are the most popular example of slave songs. These religious folk songs reveal the slaves' deep and abiding faith. But spirituals were only one style of African American music. Secular folk songs also provide vivid images of what...

Psst! pass it on ...(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Slaves commonly sang as they worked. Sometimes they sang slow, mournful folk songs. Other times, they sang spirituals. The slaves would pace the songs in a cadence (series of notes) that seemed to correspond neatly with the rhythm at which they...

Write a signal song.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Signal songs informed slaves who were planning an escape or were escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad about specific instructions, such as the date of departure, destination, obstacles along the way, location of stations, and meeting...

The power of song.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Early black music was a blend of European and African styles. One of the more notable features of these songs was the use of call-and-response, also known as antiphony. In this style, a leader sings a phrase of music and the chorus...

Patting juba.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The form of rhythm called "juba," "patting juba," or "pattin' juba" became so popular that even when instruments were allowed, dance musicians sometimes stopped the music to insert stanzas of juba. Its syncopated rhythms were later reflected...

Glossary.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Spirituals are religious folk songs. First heard in the late 1600s or early 1700s, they combine African musical traditions with Protestant Christian traditions. Many times there are no identifiable composers such as Popular spirituals such as...

Daniel in the lions' den.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The story of the prophet Daniel, a righteous man who spread the news about his God's greatness throughout King Darius's land, is told in the Bible's Old Testament. Daniel was thrown into the lions' den when he ignored Darius's law that...

Freedom threatens tradition.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... With emancipation came new aspirations for the newly freed African Americans, and with these aspirations came new songs and new musical forms. The slave system had separated many people from their loved ones. As these freed people set off...

Fisk Jubilee Singers.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Today's Fisk Jubilee Singers have a long history. The first group won worldwide fame in the late 1800s and is considered responsible for popularizing and preserving African American spirituals. The singers also began a tradition of raising...

The tradition continues. (Then And Now).(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... African American composers and singers, and groups such Henry "Harry" T. Burleigh, Paul Robeson, and Sweet Honey in the Rock continued the oral tradition of spirituals and brought them to the concert stage. "HARRY" T. BURLEIGH Born in...

Interview: Bernice Johnson Reagon.(musician)(Interview)
March 1, 2002... What was it like for you growing up in Georgia? What type of music did you hear? I grew up in a rural area in southwest Georgia. For me, the strongest places for music were in church, in school, on the playground, and in my home. All the...

Civil Rights takes a cue.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... One of the more powerful images from the Civil Rights Movement is that of people of all colors singing spirituals together in solidarity in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. Music played an essential role in this movement,...

Timeless themes.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Although most spirituals are the compositions of slaves, these songs continue to touch the hearts of people throughout the world today. Their themes express the sorrows, fears, and hopes of one group during a particular period in United States...

`Wade in the water'. (At The Museum).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Museum exhibits are usually visual experiences. People walk through museums to look at art or other rare objects. But how do you create an exhibit about music? Can music be made "visible"? At the Smithsonian Institution, we wanted to create...

An interview with Harry Belafonte. (Reflection And Memories).(Interview)
March 1, 2002... Best known as an entertainer, Harry Belafonte has been a successful singer, actor, producer, goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, and human rights activist. In 2001, he completed a project on which he had worked for more than 40...

Georgia Sea Islanders and Bessie Jones.(African American music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Because of the isolation of Georgia's Sea Islands, elements of traditional African music that have been forgotten in other areas have survived in the islands. One of the key people responsible for making the islanders' music known to the...

Your pages.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Max DeOliveira Alfred J. Gomes Elementary School New Bedford, Massachusetts [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Guilherme de Pina Alfred J. Gomes Elementary School New Bedford, Massachusetts [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Books. (More About).
March 1, 2002... African American Musicians by Eleanora E. Tate (Wiley, 2000) includes much information in its easy-to-read chapters that profiles African American musicians, both legendary and less familiar, over the past 200 years. Dark Midnight When I...

Music. (More About).
March 1, 2002... Early African American secular songs display a culture's rich oral tradition. This music transcends generations because it has been passed down by word of mouth. Today, a number of recordings comprised of songs may be found in libraries, music...

On the net. (More About).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... For a site devoted to spirituals with text as well as pictures and sound, check out: xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/TWH/TWH_front.html For more information about African American history, including spirituals and abolitionist music, try:...