Final answer:
Before being called spirituals, African American slave songs were known as shouts, work songs, hollers, and jubilees. These songs were integral to the slaves' cultural and emotional expression, blending African musical elements with European hymn texts, which resulted in a unique musical tradition.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prior to being called spirituals, the songs composed and sung by enslaved African Americans took various forms such as shouts, work songs, hollers, and jubilees. These forms of music provided emotional release, a sense of community, and were even used to covertly communicate. Spirituals later became a key part of the religious and cultural expression among African Americans, often reflecting biblical themes, particularly those associated with freedom and deliverance, like in the Exodus story. African slaves melded the stylistic elements of West African music with the text of European hymns and psalms they were taught by their enslavers, creating a unique African American musical tradition that influenced future genres such as the blues.
The influence of West Africa in spirituals is evident in the call-and-response format, syncopated rhythms, and the utilization of "blue" notes that express minor tones within major and pentatonic scales. Slaves used their bodies to express their music through hand-clapping, foot-stomping, and dance, further emphasizing their African heritage.
The first collection of these songs, titled Slave Songs of the United States, was published after the Civil War, providing a record of the musical legacy that had developed among enslaved African Americans. One of the most iconic spirituals from this tradition is "Go Down Moses", which was used by Harriet Tubman as a coded message for escape and freedom. Despite oppression, music became a significant outlet for the slaves, both as an emotional expression and a method of resistance.