“Freedom” is authentically Bieber - the new Jesus-obsessed Bieber - and innovates what we typically hear from gospel music. Lots of blues artists even sang spirituals in the blues style," says Graham.(REVIEW) Justin Bieber surprised fans with the new EP “Freedom” on Easter Sunday - just over two weeks after the release of his sixth studio album “Justice.” The six-song EP features guest artists like Tori Kelly, Judah Smith and Pink Sweat$. "They may have been born in freedom, but African Americans still suffered, and the blues was a vessel into which they poured their daily troubles. Graham expands on the difference between gospel music and spirituals: "Whereas spirituals focused on the afterlife as a source of eventual freedom, gospel (meaning "good news") songs focused on the here and now - how to get through each day."īut what about the connection between spirituals and other musical traditions within the black community, such as the blues? Graham cites theologian James Cone, who called blues "secular spirituals." Randye Jones wrote in her book " So You Want to Sing Spirituals: A Guide for Performers" that "As a result of the rebirth of racial pride obtained from the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, anything that appeared to reflect passivity and acceptance of the status quo was rejected by the young warriors who fought in the trenches to reap the rewards of political activism."Īccording to Jones' book, many black activists turned to gospel music instead, which had risen out of the rise of Pentecostal worship in the early 1900s. Burleigh took up the mantle and began composing spirituals for solo singers and pianists, which singers like Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson and others performed in the 1920s through the 40s.īut in the latter half of the 20th century, spirituals fell out of favor among African Americans. After the singers' tour, their spirituals became branded as 'jubilee songs,' which held sway in pop culture through the end of the 19th century. "So the biggest change was that spirituals were presented as art music and were also committed to print, removing the plethora of opportunities for improvisation and participation that the folk tradition had provided," says Graham.Īnd there was one group that popularized this concert spiritual more than any other: the Fisk Jubilee Singers, who went on tour to fundraise for Fisk University in the 1870s. This new spiritual was intended to be more of a presentational experience with performers and observers rather than a communal experience in which all attendees participated. "Folk spirituals evolved during Reconstruction to become arranged concert music that was written down and sold in books and sheet music," says Graham. They became a key fixture of commercial entertainment during the Reconstruction era. It's possible that spirituals didn't function as much in escape attempts as we might think, though it's "impossible to know" due to the lack of written documentation, says Graham.īut after the Civil War and the abolition of slavery in the U.S., spirituals took on a new purpose in the black community. However, the enslavers caught onto Douglass' plan because they sang too fervently. And finally, music had a spiritual aspect, linked to ritual, the ancestors, the gods that inhabited the natural world," says Graham.Īccording to Graham, Frederick Douglass - who became a prominent abolitionist after escaping slavery - wrote about singing a spiritual in an escape attempt, including the words "run to Jesus, shun the danger, I hain't going to stay much longer here." "In addition, music was usually linked to other arts - such as dance, poetry, drama, clothing - and it played a prominent role in social and political life. Graham also cites black composer and scholar Olly Wilson, who stated that there was a preference for a " heterogeneous sound ideal," or a combination of certain timbres of voices and instruments, which was common to many African and African American musical traditions. Songs also exhibited a "flexible approach to pitch" and a pattern of "repetition and variation" that allowed for overlapping musical layers and "improvised embellishment of melodies and rhythm," according to Graham. According to Graham, who we spoke to by email, these practices included communal songs featuring call-and-response, in which some performers – or usually, the leader - would call a statement or ask a question, and other singers would respond. Sandra Jean Graham is an Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at Babson College and the author of " Spirituals and the Birth of a Black Entertainment Industry." Although slaves came from many different African societies, there were some common musical traditions that brought about the spiritual.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |