Topics we will discuss and learn:
- The African experience in American creates the foundation elements of the blues, spirituals and jazz
- Spirituals and Gospel
The African experience in
American creates the foundation elements of the blues, spirituals and jazz
The African belief in many gods helped them to
assimilate Christianity into their belief system.
Among many African cultures there is a custom of
acceptance of a conqueror’s gods and an inclusion of them into their ritual
observance. They are recognized as
powerful and placed in the hierarchy of the tribe’s gods.
There were corresponding similarities in the
religions that made it easier for the African to adopt the conqueror’s
religion.
The many saints in the Catholic and Episcopal
religion were similar to the many deities in their indigenous religions such as
Yoruba and Akan. Santeria is tone such
amalgamation that grew in Cuba. Vodoun
grew in Haiti and New Orleans.
The African-American found similarities in his/her
situation with the Jewish stories of Moses and Pharoah, and the travels in the
wilderness.
The total immersion of the Baptists was attractive
to the early slaves because the water spirits were some of the most powerful
spirits in many West African religions.
Yemoja and Osun in Yoruba are said to grant you success in life and can
bestow riches.
The belief in “spirit possession” that was
distinctly African made its way into the Black churches through different
expressions.
It
is known as “gettin’ the spirit” or “gettin’ happy”
The ring shout is very similar to African ritual in
that people congregate in a circle and move together amidst singing and dancing
for hours to allow the spirit to come through them.
Even though dancing was strictly prohibited they
rationalized the movement of the shuffle because they weren’t crossing their
feet.
After successive generations of African-Americans
who never knew Africa and who practiced Christianity, it became taboo to
practice African religions. As a result
religious sayings and beliefs became known as superstitions and “voodoo” became
known as a negative pagan ritual when in fact it was a religious way of life
known as Vodoun.
Attempts at missionization and conversion by
evangelical groups were sparse at first because of the belief that Africans
were savages and beasts. However when
the benefits of more passivity and less revolutionary activity among slaves were
realized through conversion, many masters sought to missionize their slaves.
Double Entendre or double meaning
Although passivity did increase among slaves,
resistance did not stop. The religious
songs became the coded messages with which the slaves communicated. Songs like “Steal Away,” “There’s a Great
Camp Meeting in the Promised Land,” were ways of congregations letting each
other know under the master’s nose that either a meeting was taking place or
they were going to runaway.
Call
and Response
The field hollers and work songs were mainly shouts
and grunts but the congregational preaching tradition used melodic singing in
their call and response exchanges. “Have
you got good religion?/Certainly, Lord.”
The Hymns
The various hymnals used in the white churches were
transformed into new songs in the black churches with songs like “Climb Jacob’s
Ladder” changing to “Climin’ Jacob’s Ladda.”
The notes would be flattened or diminished creating
what’s known as the blues scale
Syncopation, polyphony, and vocal effects such as
vibrato were all used to change the music to a distinctly different expression.
Social function of the Black Church
Originally
the only place where slaves could congregate
Place
for social events barbecues, concerts, etc.
Hierarchy of ministers, deacons,
elders, trustees, ushers with the
“backslider”
or “heathen” at the bottom
Many of the “house” slaves or freedmen founded the
Black Episcopal and Presbyterian
churches in an effort to align themselves with their white masters.
They rejected for the most part the behavior of the
Baptist and Methodist congregations because the music was too “African.”
Imitation of the white slave masters meant social
ascension and more material comforts
Spirituals
Spirituals
evolved in camp meetings and camp fires
Fisk Jubilee Singers
Sang concert versions of the spirituals and gained
respect for African-American song
Sang
around the world and for heads of state
Composers
James
Weldon Johnson
Wrote
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”
J.
Rosamund Johnson
Wrote
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Harry
T. Burleigh
William
Grant Still
Concert
Singers
Marian
Anderson
Roland
Hayes
Gospel
Gospel
evolved in urban settings under tents and in tabernacles
The composers borrowed melodies and structures from
Tin Pan Alley songs much like jazz composers did.
Composers
Thomas
Dorsey “Father of Gospel”
Played
for Ma Rainey
Wrote
“Precious Lord, Take my Hand”
James
Cleveland
Started
the Gospel Music Workshop of America
Andre
Crouch
Richard
Smallwood
Singers
Mahalia
Jackson
Clara
Ward
Sister
Rosetta Tharpe
Terms to know:
Call and response
Double Entendre
polyphony
Youtube:
Thomas Dorsey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBVMmjHlhJA
Clara Ward (story of Gospel): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_1AVgx9kv8
Edwin Hawkins Singers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwcWdWlv2yM
Lift Every Voice and Sing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1DHxzkD9Ps
Slave Narratives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E68yahKvqH0
