Historical Romance of the American NegroFowler, Charles Henry
History
Historical Romance of the American Negro
Fowler, Charles Henry
African Americans -- History
The time would fail to mention the names of all those eminent singers
who have made themselves illustrious in these latter years in this
country, and not in this country alone, but they have crossed the wide
oceans in ships, and sung before the admiring audiences of many a
foreign land. But among all these great singers of our race who have
thus distinguished themselves, I will simply mention the name of Miss
Flora Batson, who has justly been called the "Jenny Lind of America,"
and she can sing, indeed, before any audience in this nation—a veritable
nightingale and queen of song. But leaving her and a whole host of other
warblers on one side, there is a grandeur in singing of our church
members and congregations on the Sabbath-day that has become the
standing wonder of the country; and it is my own deliberate opinion, and
the openly-confessed opinion of many of the white race, that for music
and song, at least, we have no equals in the United States.
I think we may safely claim that not only can we play and sing, but we
can play and sing well, there arising from the great congregation a
grand volume of music and song that reminds me of the "voice of many
waters," mentioned in the Revelations—a volume of song rising from
powerful lungs, and helped on by the warm feelings and enthusiasm of the
race. And as our oppressed forefathers whiled away the long hours in the
field, and lightened their labors by singing, so our people nowadays
bring home the latest new hymn or fine anthem of praise, and sing them
at home to brighten up their domestic cares, and find a vent for that
joyous nature and devotional enthusiasm for which the colored race are
famed over all the earth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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