Black Folk Music

Before this week’s lesson, my knowledge of Black Folk music was limited. I learned only in the last few years that modern-day country music, which is primarily centered around white people today, has its origins in Blues and has been influenced heavily by African American music and cultural traditions.  A lot of Black folk music has a spiritual basis to it. Dating back to slave times, spirituals were sung as a way of boosting the morale of field workers and slaves alike. These songs often contained messages of faith and hope for freedom or “better days.” Serval “tactics” such as field hollers and shouts were used as a means of communication and expression. Even themes rooted in traditional West African practices, such as the “call and response” element to the music and the use of percussion elements, highlight the ever-present cultural infusion of African Culture.  In an article by the New York Times dissecting the history and contributions of Black Folk music, “ IN THE BROADEST sense, folk music is a multiracial, working-class tradition stretching across time and continents. In the United States alone, it comprises a repertoire of ballads and work songs, blues and breakdowns, songs of love, and songs of protest.  Folk is a body of simple tunes played by beginners — “Tom Dooley,” “Oh!  Susanna,” “Down in the Valley” — and a platform for the greatest virtuosity.”