The singing of capeyuye (the Mascogo—Black Seminole people—equivalent of the U.S. spiritual) became a significant token of individual and communal identity in that population. The life and career of Gertrudis Vázquez are studied as emblematic of that tradition. The technical aspects of capeyuye are described and its performance is examined with the context of Mascogo society, particularly its connection with important events such as funerals, birthdays, and other festive occasions.
Examines the transplantation of the vocal romance from France to the Federalist U.S, focusing on romances by Eugène Guilbert (1758–1839) and Jean-Baptiste Renaud de Chateaudun (fl. 1795). The songs are described as both vehicles of nostalgia for the ancien régime and the French colony of Sainte-Domingue, and aspects of the new post-revolutionary reality. Both composers came from the Caribbean region and settled on the East Coast of the U.S.
