Folk Songs
Historical
Folkore plays an integral part in the lyrics of some songs. This was an excellent method to communication used during slavery to express sadness, anger, and many other deep feelings.
The folks songs of the Caribbean equate emotionally to the Spirituals of America. These songs emered from the slaves, needs to communicate. Talking while working was forbidden, but the slaves discovered they could chant, what they wished to say without incurring the wrath of their masters.
Religious Songs
Spirituals
These early spirituals, sung by the American slaves were not just tunes. With the unceasing varations on a theme, they were religious and social songs sung by a group of people whose minds and hearts were bent on the expression of feelings.
Jamaican Revival Songs
Revival, a special brand of Jamaican religious expression, often seen at street meetings, emerged out of the 1860 Revival which swept the island a generation after the emancipation of the slaves and the arrival of the missionaries. Much of the music is improvisatory both melodically and harmonically.
