Of course, the masters wanted their slaves to follow the masters' faiths: the English masters converted their slaves to Anglicans, the Spanish to Catholics, and so on. Around 1780 in USA, black Protestants congregations began to form, and attended multiple-day camp (temporary) meetings.
At these meetings, they sang folk hymns that were ‘lined out’: the preacher would call out a line of the stanza and the audience would repeat it in song.
"The spiritual, a religious folk song, became an expression of hope for release from oppression and sorrow, if not in this life, at least in the next."
In the 1840s, white stage companies began presenting minstrel shows, in which the white male performers put on blackface and pretended to be black men, amusing or acting ridiculous! Later, black men were hired, and put on a blackface to pretend to be a white guy acting black!!
Christianity forbade working on Sunday. A favorite Sunday amusement among slaves was imitating the European dances they had seen. They usually danced before the whites, and the most inventive couple would receive a cake prize; thus, it was called the cake walk. And in 1890s, infected WHITES from coast to coast cakewalked !!
* Zulu antiphon from the Zulu movie (1964)
In slavery days, they were usually banned from making African musical instruments (regarded heretic); they sang cappella.
Only after the American Civil War, did they pick up the military band instruments abandoned by the disbanded armies.
Only after the American Civil War, did they pick up the military band instruments abandoned by the disbanded armies.
And here, you could watch the funny steps clearly. Note that the accompanying rhythms were called ragtime; jazz was around the corner.
Further on call-response:
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