| The Books of American Negro Spirituals Revised Edition Contributor(s): Johnson, James Weldon (Author), Johnson, J. Rosamond (Author) |
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ISBN: 0306812029 ISBN-13: 9780306812026 Publisher: Da Capo Press OUR PRICE: $21.84 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: December 2002 Annotation: In two elegant and masterly prefaces, James Weldon Johnson discusses the origin and history of more than 120 of the most significant spirituals known. Favorites like "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," "Deep River," and "Go Down, Moses" are arranged for voice and piano by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, and considered within their African tradition. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Music | Religious - Christian - Social Science | Ethnic Studies - African American Studies |
| Dewey: 782.253 |
| LCCN: 77023414 |
| Physical Information: 0.81" H x 6.99" W x 10.04" (1.51 lbs) 384 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - African American - Religious Orientation - Christian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This stirring collection of Negro spirituals, edited by the great Negro poet James Weldon Johnson and arranged for voice and piano by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson, presents 120 of these melodic -- and intensely moving -- religious folk songs for contemporary performance. The original language has been faithfully preserved in this convenient performing edition, so that the spirituals can be sung today exactly as they were more than a hundred years ago. Included in this special, two-volumes-in-one publication are such perennial favorites as Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Deep River, Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho, and Go Down Moses -- songs handed down from generation to generation in a rich oral tradition, and painstakingly assembled and edited for the enjoyment of future generations. The songs are prefaced by James Weldon Johnson's masterful discussions of their origins, musical quality, and historical significance. Above all, he stresses the essential dignity of the Negro spirituals, which, though no doubt inspired by the religious faith of their masters, -- are purely and solely the creation of the American Negro |