Negro spirituals still resonate

He paid little attention to the words.  But the slaves, they were getting ready to steal away all right – steal away from the plantation.  They were to start on a dangerous journey on the Underground Railroad, a loose organization of sympathizers who provided hideouts and other help to runaway slaves.  The songs the slaves sang have come to be known as Negro spirituals.

“They come out of the slave experience, songs of perseverance and hope,” said Andrew Granade, associate professor of musicology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s conservatory.

It was mainly call-and-response music. One person would sing a line and others would respond with a chorus. Sometimes one person would sing a line and others would add lines.  The songs had no authors, said Pamela Baskin-Watson, a local writer, arranger and pianist.