Episode 4: A once-enslaved musician’s melodies come back to life

It's a story of mystery and music. Connecticut church volunteers searching to learn more about their community’s history learn that a once-enslaved fiddler named Sawney Freeman lived in their town. They go on a meticulous search to learn about this musician and discover he was also a composer. In fact, handwritten manuscripts of music attributed to Sawney Freeman were stored in a library across the state. The church painstakingly restores his music – and now, for the first time in centuries, his melodies are being performed.

In our fourth episode, reporter/producer Diane Orson and editorial consultant and curator Frank Mitchell highlight how Sawney Freeman’s music challenges the way most people think about the lives of the enslaved. Mitchell explains how free and enslaved people have shaped the culture of the United States, and he connects the music of Sawney Freeman to today’s genre-crossing Black artists, including Lil Nas X and Beyoncé.

Visit www.ctpublic.org/unforgotten to learn more, including videos, photos and digital stories.

Support the project at ctpublic.org/donate

This podcast was produced by Cassandra Basler.

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