Portland Obaarvar Section II February 28, 1881 Paga 17
One might have thought that the need for spirituals
and protest songs was over, but this uneasy era o f Jim
Crow laws, vigilante groups, such as the Ku Klux Kian,
and sharecropping, created conditions where, in some
cases, the ex-slaves were worse o ff than ever.
Once more, Blacks turned to that mitigable force,
music. The Black bards increased the repertory o f
music, and a new form was born from men who were
put into prison for any pretext: the prison song.
Lum ber camps, mines, factories, cattle ranges,
steamboats, and the ubiquitous railroad, all contributed
to the melodies and chants that became fa m ilia r.
Perhaps the most popular railroad song was w ritten
about the legendary Black track liner John Henry.
The increased need for new railroad spurs developed
a group o f men called track liners o f Gandy Dancers.
Track lining required a specific rhythm in order to ac­
com plish the jo b . As the leader o f a group o f field
workes was expected to do, so too was the caller or
leader o f the gandy dancers. He had to know hundreds
o f liner for the song couplets in order to keep his crew
interested and busy. Thus, they too were responsible for
keeping the elements o f songs from many sources, work
songs, spirituals, etc., alive.
The purposes o f the s p iritu a l has been discussed
earlier in this paper, but it was not u ntil post-bellum
times that it became an art fo rm , and it was due to
eleven young singers, seven of whom were slaves. They
were the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
Fisk, founded in 1866, was first intended to be a high
school, but the need for an institution o f higher learning
was recognized, so the Fisk College classes began in
1871.
When a young white instructor named George White
was asked by the president o f Fisk to give music instruc­
tion to his students he was overwhelmed by the emotion
produced in him by their singing.
Tha first troupa of Fisk Jubilee Singers to tour Europe. (Fisk University Library)
The President o f Senegal, Leopold Senghor has since
said, "N e g ro voices, because they have not been
domesticated by training, follow every shade o f feeling
or im agination; drawing freely from the in fin ite dic­
tionary o f nature, they borrow its tonal expressions.
from the light songs o f the birds to the solemn roll o f the
thunder.”
Recognizing that these natural qualities would en­
hance the singers’ perform ance, W h ite ’ s tra in in g
enabled them to read music and develop stage presence
Why is
Black History Week
So Special
To Emanuel Hospital
Nearly 17 years ago, we made a commitment to stay in this community in order to provide high-
quality health care services to the people here and in the greater Portland metropolitan area.
Through the cooperative efforts of the N.E. Coalition, the Eliot Neighborhood Association and
other organizations, we continue to be committed to the social and economic development of the
area, with an annual payroll of $18.9 million and 1,799 employees. The direct impact on the north
and northeast areas of the city is considerable, as evidenced by the high percentage of employees
coming from the immediate community.
Emanuel Hospital has served as a catalyst for additional development in the area and continues
to work with the community to attract positive projects.
Emanuel Hospital is dedicated to our total community, and this week we pay special tribute to
the Black community and its efforts to make the promise ' Affirmative A ction" a reality.
Sincerely,
Roger G. Larson
President
Emanuel Hospital