On the Trail of Negro Folk-songs

On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs is a non-fiction book by Dorothy Scarborough. It was first published in 1925. The book, a survey of African American folk songs, has been reprinted several times.

On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs
AuthorDorothy Scarborough
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectAfrican-American folk songs
PublisherHarvard University Press
Publication date
1925

The book focuses on secular songs, that is, songs without any kind of religious message or origin. It was one of the first studies to focus solely on secular songs and weaves between analysis of the music and anecdotes from Scarborough and the people who introduced the songs to her.[1]

History

On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs was published by Harvard University Press in September of 1925.[2] The book was written primarily by Scarborough with assistance from Ola Lee Gulledge, a pianist and former professor at Oklahoma Baptist University.[3][4] It was republished in the 1960s by Folklore Associates.[5]

Reception

The initial printing of On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs was positively received by scholars. The Sewanee Review noted that Scarborough presented African American folk songs as "the greatest poetry-producing force in American life" and that her material was presented sympathetically.[6] A review of the book in Poetry praised Scarborough for her blend of entertainment and scholarship and for highlighting the beauty of African American folk songs.[7] The Journal of American Folklore was critical of some of the book's claims, especially relating to the origins of various songs, but wrote positively of her selections.[8] Robert E. Park noted that On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs was unique for being an entirely secular collection, with no religious songs, and praised her "intimate and chatty" prose.[9] A review by Lowry Charles Wimberly in American Speech was relatively critical, noting that many of the songs Scarborough chose to include were not original African American developments and that she had categorized many songs from their respective genres.[10]

The book received continued positive reception upon its re-release in the 1960s. Ed Cray described it as "the product of innocent happier days" and criticized Scarborough's categorization and commentary as mostly uncritical, although he recommended it as a "quaint period piece."[5] Ethnomusicology acknowledged some of the book's shortcomings but wrote that it served as an important archetype for later scholarship.[11] Positive reviews were also published in the Journal of American Folklore and Notes.[12][13]

References
  1. Johnson, Guy B. (1926). "Recent Contributions to the Study of American Negro Songs". Social Forces. 4 (4): 790–791. doi:10.2307/3004464. JSTOR 3004464 – via JSTOR.
  2. "This month should see the appearance". Asheville Citizen-Times. 1925-09-05. p. 17. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  3. "Popular Book Reviews: News and Views of Recent Fiction". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. 1925-10-04. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-02-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Former Teacher at O.B.U. Will Visit Shawnee". Shawnee News-Star. Shawnee, Oklahoma. 1924-10-19. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-02-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Cray, Ed (1965). "Reviewed Work(s): Negro Folk Music U.S.A. by Harold Courlander: On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs by Dorothy Scarborough". Western Folklore. 24 (1): 61–62. doi:10.2307/1498886. JSTOR 1498886 – via JSTOR.
  6. Loggins, Vernon (1926). "Reviewed Work(s): On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs by Dorothy Scarborough". The Sewanee Review. 34 (1): 119–121. JSTOR 27533963 – via JSTOR.
  7. Walton, Eda Lou (1926). "Review: On the Trail of Negro Song". Poetry. 27 (4): 221–223. JSTOR 20575378 – via JSTOR.
  8. Carter, Isabel Gordon (1925). "Reviewed Works: On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs by; The Negro and His Songs by Howard W. Odum, Guy B. Johnson". The Journal of American Folklore. 38 (150): 623–624. doi:10.2307/535148. JSTOR 535148 – via JSTOR.
  9. Park, Robert E. (1926). "Reviewed Works: Mellows: A Chronicle of Unknown Singers. by R. Emmet Kennedy; On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs. by Dorothy Scarborough; The Negro and His Songs. A Study of Typical Negro Songs in the South. by Howard W. Odum; The Book of American Negro Spirituals. by James Weldon Johnson, J. Rosamond Johnson; Negro Poets and Their Poems by Robert Kerlin; The New Negro: An Interpretation. by Alain Locke". American Journal of Sociology. 31 (6): 822–23. doi:10.1086/213997. JSTOR 2765514 – via JSTOR.
  10. Wimberly, Lowry Charles (1926). "Reviewed Work: On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs by Dorothy Scarborough". American Speech. 1 (5): 286–287. doi:10.2307/452718. JSTOR 452718 – via JSTOR.
  11. Mason, Wilton (1964). "Reviewed Works: Folk-Songs of the South by John Harrington Cox; On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs by Dorothy Scarborough". Ethnomusicology. 8 (3): 313–314. doi:10.2307/850137. JSTOR 850137 – via JSTOR.
  12. McGhee, Nancy B. (1965). "Reviewed Work: On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs by Dorothy Scarborough". The Journal of American Folklore. 78 (307): 84–85. doi:10.2307/538124. JSTOR 538124 – via JSTOR.
  13. Epstein, Dena J. (1963). "Reviewed Works: Negro Folk Music, U. S. A. by Harold Courlander; On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs by Dorothy Scarborough". Notes. 20 (4): 655–656. doi:10.2307/895671. JSTOR 895671 – via JSTOR.
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