Tom-Tom: An Epic of Music and the Negro

Author’s Note: The plot below is taken from the manuscript, available to view at the Harvard Library. This plot follows the main layout of the manuscript. Additional materials, some of which would affect the plot, are detailed in the Song List.

Act 1

In an unnamed village in West Africa, the tom-toms can be heard in the distance. The Leader tells the Boy to listen to them (‘Listen to the distant Tom-Toms’). He must use his own tom-tom to warn the village if there is danger near. They must guard against the mighty black men, who arrive in the darkness and steal people away and make them slaves. The Boy obeys, beating his tom-tom in rhythm with the others.

In the village, the people are chanting while Voodoo performs a blood ritual (‘Low clouds hang low’). The gods are calling for blood, and a sacrifice must be made. Voodoo dances, followed by the village girls. He chooses one of them to be the sacrifice. The Girl’s Mother gives thanks that she has been honored so highly, and asks the