Collections
These songs were preserved through the efforts of scholars, singers, and institutions who understood what was at stake. Each collection reflects a moment in the history of how Black music has been heard, documented, and valued.
Du Bois Sorrow Songs
5 songsThe ten spirituals W.E.B. Du Bois identified in The Souls of Black Folk (1903) as the singular spiritual heritage of the nation.
Fisk Jubilee Repertoire
12 songsSongs documented by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, founded in 1871, who brought Negro spirituals to national and international audiences.
Hampton Collection
13 songsSpirituals preserved at Hampton University beginning in 1867, with particular attention to Sea Islands and Virginia Tidewater traditions.
Lomax Collection
1 songSpirituals and work songs recorded in the field by John and Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress, beginning in the 1930s.