As pointed out by John Wesley Work in his book American Negro Songs and Spirituals, AfricanAmerican songs often retain forms that originated in African tribal customs. "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" belongs to the largest group, a class of spirituals that use the African "call and response chant form." Work described it as "interesting as well as distinctive. Its feature is a melodic fragment sung repeatedly by the chorus as an answer to the challenging lines of the leader which usually change." The chorus, "Comin' for to carry me.....
This is a free excerpt of 87 words. This section contains 173 words. This
study guide contains 6,048 words (approx. 20 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Swing Low Sweet Chariot Access Pass.
