Slave Songs of the United States

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Slave Songs of the United States was a collection of African American music consisting of 136 songs. Published in 1867, it was the first, and most influential,^[1][2] collection of spirituals to be published. The collectors of the songs were Northern abolitionists William Francis Allen, Lucy McKim Garrison, and Charles Pickard Ware.^[3] The group transcribed songs sung by the Gullah Geechee people of Saint Helena Island, South Carolina.^[4] These people were newly freed slaves who were living in a refugee camp when these songs were collected.^[5] It is a "milestone not just in African American music but in modern folk history".^[6][7][8][9] It is also the first published collection of African-American music of any kind.^[10]

The making of the book is described by Samuel Charters, with an emphasis on the role of Lucy McKim Garrison.^[11] A segment of History Detectives explored the book's history and significance.^[12]

Several notable and popular songs in the book include:

• "Roll, Jordan, Roll" (#1)
• "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" (#31)
• "Bosom of Abraham" (#94 as "Rock My Soul")
• "Down in the River to Pray" (#104 as "The Good Old Way")
• "Jehova"
• "Hallelujah"
• "I hear from Heaven to-day"
• "Turn sinner"
• "Turn O"
• "Nobody knows the trouble I've had"
• "No Man can hinder me"
• "Heave away"
• "Charleston Gals"
• "I'm gwine to Alabamy"
• "I want to die like-a Lazarus die"
• "Belle Layotte"
• "On to Glory Jacob's Ladder"
• "My father, how long?"
• "Musieu Bainjo"
• "Lean on the Lord's side"
• "God got plenty o' room"

The book provides instructions for singing, which is accompanied by a discussion of the history of each song, with potential variations, interpretations of key references, and other related details. In the Dover edition, Harold Courlander contributes a new preface that evaluates the book's significance in both American musical and cultural history.

• "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen"
• Songs of the Underground Railroad
• "Jimmy Crack Corn"
• Port Royal Experiment
• Port Royal Island
• Saint Helena Island (South Carolina)
• Coffin Point Plantation

• Black, Robert (1968). "Reviewed Work: Slave Songs of the United States by Irving Schlein". Journal of the International Folk Music Council. 20: 82–83
• Chase, Gilbert (2000). America's Music: From the Pilgrims to the Present. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-00454-X.
• Crawford, Richard (2001). America's Musical Life: A History. W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-04810-1.
• Darden, Robert (1996). People Get Ready: A New History of Black Gospel Music. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8264-1752-3.
• Koskoff, Ellen, ed. (2000). Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume 3: The United States and Canada. Garland Publishing. ISBN 0-8240-4944-6.
• National Conference on Music of the Civil War Era (2004). Mark A. Snell; Bruce C. Kelley (eds.). Bugle Resounding: Music and Musicians of the Civil War Era. University of Missouri Press. ISBN 0-8262-1538-6.
• Southern, Eileen (1997). Music of Black Americans. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-03843-2.

• Full text on Internet Archive (1867 edition)
• Full text on Internet Archive (1951 edition)
• History Detectives segment (S6E11)
• Remastered digital edition using LilyPond