MUH 214 1st Edition Lecture 8Work/ Folk SongsSlave Labor – Pre Civil War-North- Became more industrialized- Became more urban- Less demand for field laborers- More demand for skilled laborers- Black population stabilized-South- Invention of Cotton Gin- Increased demand for raw materials such as cotton, sugar- Continued influx of slaves- Rural isolation of plantationsCommunication1. Music was primary form of secular slave communication2. Most blacks lived on plantations in 19th c.- 1790 – 700,000- 1860 – c. 4,000,0003. Reflected African use of music 4. Commentary on problems, despair, hope5. Assertion of humanity in non-human environment6. Spread by itinerant workers, watermen, and hire-outsPost-Civil War Labor -Emancipation Proclamation (1863) freed slavesThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.-Juneteenth Day (June 19, 1865) – Notification in TX-13th Amendment abolished slavery-Reconstruction – 1866-1877-Sharecropping-Rise of Ku Klux Klan-Peonage – Enslavement for unpaid debt-Pig Laws – Felony for stealing pig (5 years)-Vagrancy Laws – Had to prove employment status-Convict leasing – Convicts hired out as slave labor allowed b 13th amendment ($164,000 annually 1890 in Alabama)Cries/Hollers/Calls1. Used to make announcements2. Arrange appointments3. Organize meetings/ work details4. Convey greetings5. Sell goodsUses 1. Hollers used to communicate across fields2. Hollers often yodelized song3. Calls/cries for more personal communication4. Calls used to communicate messages5. Cries express emotional experience- Cry for food, water, help, loneliness, sorrow- Locator6. Cries half sung, half yelledTypes of Cries1. Plain – simple, straight forward, functional2. Florid – very decorated with interpolation and melisma3. Coloratura – more musical complexity in melody often displaying singer’s virtuosity, talent4. Street Cries (vendors) – used to sell goodsPerformance Techniques1. Yodeling2. Glissando3. Melisma4. Falsetto5. Microtones6. Repeated pitches7. Guttural effectsWork Songs-Used to coordinate efforts-Lifted spirits-Enabled slower workers to keep up-Warded off fatigue-Used to coordinate- Planting- Harvesting (Harvest celebrations)- Picking cotton- Grinding corn- Laying rail tracks- Building fences- Hauling fishing nets- Rowing boats- Corn husking (contests often held)- Loading cargoMore about Work Songs-Work detail leaders became song leaders- Prized for strong voices- Commanding personalities- Strong rhythmic sense-Often detail exploits of one worker-Lines often improvised-Topics- Separation from loved ones- Mistreatment by owner or overseer- FreedomFolk Songs-Subject often about mythical, idealized character-Often used African technique of assigning human elements to animals -Often sung as solo-Storytelling through music-Typically accompanied by guitar or banjo-Regional/Cultural- French Creole*Influenced by Caribbean Islands *Based on French folk music*Sung in French Patois (Slang)*Mixed French customs with African elements*Dance related instrumental accompaniments*Forerunner to Cajun music- Gullah Sea islands *African American Music closest to African tradition*Distinct dialectFolk Songs-Protest songs- Improvised derisive singing - Use of subtle satire in presence of whites- Copied mannerisms of master or mistress- Inserted as verses in otherwise innocent songs- Led to whites mimicking blacks in