The Books of American Negro Spirituals, Paperback

In two elegant and masterly prefaces, James Weldon Johnson discusses the origin and history of more than 120 of the most significant spirituals known. Favorites like "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," "Deep River," and "Go Down, Moses" are arranged for voice and piano by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, and considered within their African tradition.

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) is recognized alongside W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington as one of the most respected interpreters of the black experience. Composer J. Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954) was an authority on Negro spirituals.