Like a THE ART of the AM written by CYNTHI concept and art by MIC MIL MILLBROOK P
SLAVE SONG A GRADY WOOD MINNEAPOLIS
hat does a bird have to do with American slave songs Harriet Tubman born into slaverv around 1820 used to dream that she was flying over the landscape like a bird Tubman successfully escaped in 1849 and later helped many others escape to the North Her dreams echo a phrase that appears in the Bible in Psalm 124 7 We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler's snare The lives of enslaved Africans were extraordinarily difficult but they were not without song Africans brought their musical and religious traditions with them to the American colonies Whether working on ships or docks in forests or fields slaves sang The music helped them pace their movements lift their spirits and communicate with one another Music was important at other times too they sang together in their cabins and during private times of worship Slave owners had never heard such harmonies and syncopated rhythms Over the centuries thousands of enslaved people improvised songs to work by and songs to dance to As slaves slowly adopted the Christian faith of their masters their songs combined stories from the Bible with African rhythms These songs of worship are called
The Jubilee Singers of Fisk University in Nashville Tennessee began performing spirituals in 1871 They toured widely and helped call attention to this musical form Musicians religious leaders and scholars have worked to preserve the folk songs from this time The spirituals have received particular attention Today they are sung in homes in churches at schools and on concert stages around the world On the pages that follow artist Michele Wood has painted her interpretations of thirteen spirituals The illustrations show people working dreaming spying and rejoicing You'll find music and lyrics alongside the paintings as well as brief notes describing biblical historical or artistic elements within Full song lyrics are included at the end of the
