Eileen Southern

This survey of the music of black Americans begins with the arrival in 1619 of the first black men in the English colonies. It discusses the work of black composers and performers, the role of the black churches in the North, theatrical activities, the songs of work and play, the development of jazz, and art music.

"In this companion volume to The Music of Black Americans, Eileen Southern draws on letters, journals, memoirs, ledgers, books, articles, and even slave advertisements in newspapers to illuminate the story told that historical survey, now in its Third Edition. The collection includes documents dating from early America through the twentieth century. Monumental figures such as Frederick Douglass, Solomon Northrup, W.E.B. DuBois, W.C. Handy, Ethel Waters,...