Portia K. Maultsby

MUSIC OF NORTHERN INDEPENDENT BLACK CHURCHES DURING THE ANTE-BELLUM PERIOD

is directly related to the social values and life styles of the educated and the uneducated black. These life styles were influenced by the social, economic and political patterns of the North. As a result, the religious musical tradition of educated blacks, who were striving to achieve middle class status, was similar to that of the white Protestant. On the other hand, the tradition associated with uneducated blacks, who were struggling to survive, reflected the experiences of the segregated black community. The latters musical tradition, therefore, was of a different character from the music associated with the white Protestant tradition. In order to understand the circumstances which led to the development of both traditions among northern blacks, it is necessary to provide the reader with general historical data concerning the institution of slavery in the North, the religious status of blacks in the North, the general trends of the white Protestant musical tradition, and the social, economic and political conditions which affected the status of northern blacks after the abolition of slavery.