Spirituals in Montauk

“Milestone Negro Spirituals: When Folk Songs Bring Freedom,” a free program of words and music by the bassist Hilliard Greene, will be presented at the Montauk Library on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Mr. Greene, who is known for composing and performing solo contrabass music, has toured North and South America, Europe, and Asia during his 35-year professional career. 

Sunday’s concert will feature songs associated with the Underground Railroad used by runaway slaves in the 19th century to escape from the South, among them “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,” “Wade in the Water,” “Deep River,” “Go Down Moses,” “Michael Row De Boat Ashore,” and “I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray.” The music is based on the coded spirituals that helped runaways elude capture.