Originally published in 1867, this book is a collection of songs of African-American slaves. A few of the songs were written after the emancipation, but all were inspired by slavery. The wild, sad strains tell, as the sufferers themselves could, of crushed hopes, keen sorrow, and a dull, daily misery, which covered them as hopelessly as the fog from the rice swamps. On the other hand, the words breathe a trusting faith in the life after, to which their eyes seem constantly turned.

Originally published in 1899, this collection of spirituals, folk songs, and ballads was collected and arranged by the musical instructors at the Hampton Institute, a historically African-American college in Virginia. The songs represent the cultural heritage of African Americans in the South, and many of them are still performed today. This new edition includes sheet music and lyrics for all of the songs, and provides a valuable resource for musicians and music historians alike. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

In 1872, a group of student singers€from the Hampton Institute in Virginia (an€African American school€that traced its history to€outdoor classes taught in 1861 to runaway slaves) toured the country to raise money for a new classroom building. For many white audiences, €the tour was€the first time hearing traditional plantation work songs and spirituals. This book, originally published in 1874, records the Hampton singers' songs.