Religion questions 3
vera233
for_work_1-3.pptxHistory of Gospel Music: A Snapshot
Brief comparison
| Spiritual | Gospel |
| Pre-emancipation/slavery | Post-emancipation |
| Composer unknown/possibly group | Composed by a person |
| Catalogue of wandering couplets | Also borrows from hymns but most often freely composed |
| Natural impetus of rhythms etc. closer to Africa | More contrived than spirituals – composer finds rhythm to match words |
| People were singing themselves to freedom | Formation of gospel from holiness movements |
| Polarity of emotions in one song – from hope to despair etc. | Mono-affection- one emotion |
| Spiritual example | Mahalia Jackson |
Post civil war genre – created by people in different circumstances
Two distinct churches developed
those emulating white churches (class)
those distinctly African in nature, drew strength from the culture (mass)
Represents a return to distinctly African American religious values after a period in which many northern Black aspired to a white middle-class religiosity
Northern free blacks established the first formal black congregations in the late 18th century, founding the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia in 1816
Early services spontaneous, similar to invisible churches of the south
Late 19th c. many viewed these as backwards & unsophisticated
Began to emulate religious music of white Protestants
1910s – 1920s massive migration of southern (poor) blacks to the north looking for better lives
They brought spiritual values with them that transformed institutional form of black Christianity: evident in the beliefs and practices of Pentecostal, Holiness & Sanctified churches
Brought desire to hear impassioned preaching; spontaneous & participatory worship; space in services for interjections of ‘praise the Lord’ etc; moaning & other vocalizations of southern black worship
Gospel Music
One of the most significant musical creations to emerge out of African American culture
Still gets very little attention in academia
Rooted in the blues – born in northern urban America versus southern rural America of the spiritual
Gospel Music
A form of gospel music parallels most popular music
Constant back and forth between the two
Both a repertoire of music & a style of singing/performance
Certain characteristics can be added to nearly any kind of music and result in a gospel sound
Examples
Introduction – A Partial History
You can hear the music move from Africa through the music on the plantations to contemporary r&b, soul and other American popular music forms.
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Gospel Music
Oral transmission – written score is skeleton
Sacred text separates it from secular counterpart
Uses call and response
Percussive element is important
Expressive range is preferred over tonal purity
Individual creativity highlighted through improvisation/spontaneous creation
Musicians seek to reach listeners on an immediate emotional level – use of stories
Gospel singers close gap between performers and listeners
Essence of the music is participation
Horace Boyer ‘A gospel composition only begins to have real life when it enters the performance medium.’
Dorsey profoundly impacted by works of Charles Tindley who was the first to compose and publish ‘gospel’ songs (1916)
Tindley gained wide recognition with songs published in Gospel Pearls 1921
Term ‘gospel’ coined by Thomas A. Dorsey in early 20s
Dorsey’s most popular song: Precious Lord
Gospel Instrumentation
Drums
Organ (Hammond B3 – Kenneth Morris 1940s)
Keyboards
Piano
Bass
Guitar
Tambourine
Handclaps, foot stomping etc
3 aspects of gospel music
Musical
Cultural
Religious
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Musical Aspects
Timbre –
‘ebonics’
purposeful distortion of words, coloring tone
Instrumentation
Improvisation
Textual
Melodic
rhythmic
Form - Verse, chorus, vamp, tag
Rhythm – syncopation, gospel waltz
Voicing – typically SAT Roberta Martin Singers
Rhythm
Precision in gospel music or African musical forms is not the most important priority
Tempo – free style, slow, moderate, fast
Phrasing – articulation, dynamics, words
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Cultural Aspects
Audience participation
Full body participation
African retentions
