6
author's preface.
higher honor here; every street-corner attests their
popularity. Every city has its band of minstrels, who
blacken their faces, and reproduce plantation melodies
and manners for the greedy delight of every class in
society. One of the wealthiest gentlemen of New
York, of the highest social rank, said to me: 'I very
much prefer to visit the Negro ministrels than the
opera.' The unabated success of these companies — a
success beyond that of any other class of amusements —
shows its deep and extensive popularity.
"It has made those rich who can catch these wild
wails of our national captives, and fashion them into
songs. If these composers invent melodies and give
them this dialect, they still keep close to the character
they assume, and make both words and tones sound
forth the depths of breaking hearts. Few more pa¬
thetic pieces are in all musical literature, than ' Lucy
Neal,' 'Uncle Ned,' 'Old Folks at Home,'or'Carry
me back to old Virginny.' How wonderfully did this
experience of the slaves agree with that of their He¬
brew brethren by the side of the River of Babylon."
That there has been a wondrous growth in literary
matters among the colored people is obvious. That
this elevating of the mind would cause rapid and radi¬
cal changes in their religious and social life was not only
to be expected, but greatly desired. These changes
are not more clearly defined or easily distinguished in
any direction than in that of their singing. Naturally
gifted in imaginative and musical ability, their culture
is seen in the more artistic manner of their musical
performance as well as elsewhere. In view of these
things, while retaining much of the old, we have also
laid hands upon the new order of things, accompanying-
each song or melody with music originally prepared for
it, and for use only in this book. Verses apparently
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