The Negro spiritual is a form of musical art that is nostalgic to many Americans. These are more than just Gospel songs, as the historical context goes to the origins of those brought to the Americas on slave ships. Many of them were Africans, but they were also Jamaican, Haitian, Mexican, and South American in origin.
Many of these songs are performed without instrumentation, the words being more important than anything else. Steel drums were sometimes used as an accompaniment, this being the traditional sound of the Caribbean. Some performers brought this form of gospel into the main stream with the popular Reggae sound, while still others were recorded during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
After the days of the American civil war, these songs began to be shared across racial and cultural lines. The Blues became a powerful force for change in the music world, and this sprang literally from the ashes of these old songs. While Blues songs were not always religious, their predecessors nearly always carried a Christian message. Buried within that message were layers of other meanings.
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot is a song most people are familiar with. While it was recorded for the first time in 1909, the song itself can solidly be dated back to the mid 1800s. While most people will refer this song to Biblical scriptures and references to the underground railroad, ancient cultures often spoke of human souls being taken to the other side on a chariot.
Not only African tribes spoke of other-world beings on chariots, but the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans also had similar beliefs. This could be why this song resonates with people across all races and cultures. Somewhere in human history, we all had ancestors who associated chariots with the final journey of our souls.
There were definite scriptural references in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, especially to the river Jordan. However, it is widely understood that this was code for either the Mississippi or the Ohio Rivers, either of which could be crossed into freedom. It is probable that all histories are true, considering the frequency with which codes were used on the underground railroad.
Many lesser known spirituals referred to either the Mississippi or Ohio Rivers. In fact, there was a song called Follow The Drinking Gourd which instructed people on how to find the Big Dipper, and follow it northward. With literacy being something forbidden to slaves, these songs served to educate not only other adults, but their children whom they might not be able to raise to adulthood.
Negro spiritual songs are a rich and pertinent part of the American heritage and history. This aspect of the American story cannot be ignored by anyone, of any race, as it is the story of everyone. The fact is, in the most desperate of situations, all people have a history of coming together and overcoming the oppressiveness of a system that has enslaved them.
Many of these songs are performed without instrumentation, the words being more important than anything else. Steel drums were sometimes used as an accompaniment, this being the traditional sound of the Caribbean. Some performers brought this form of gospel into the main stream with the popular Reggae sound, while still others were recorded during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
After the days of the American civil war, these songs began to be shared across racial and cultural lines. The Blues became a powerful force for change in the music world, and this sprang literally from the ashes of these old songs. While Blues songs were not always religious, their predecessors nearly always carried a Christian message. Buried within that message were layers of other meanings.
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot is a song most people are familiar with. While it was recorded for the first time in 1909, the song itself can solidly be dated back to the mid 1800s. While most people will refer this song to Biblical scriptures and references to the underground railroad, ancient cultures often spoke of human souls being taken to the other side on a chariot.
Not only African tribes spoke of other-world beings on chariots, but the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans also had similar beliefs. This could be why this song resonates with people across all races and cultures. Somewhere in human history, we all had ancestors who associated chariots with the final journey of our souls.
There were definite scriptural references in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, especially to the river Jordan. However, it is widely understood that this was code for either the Mississippi or the Ohio Rivers, either of which could be crossed into freedom. It is probable that all histories are true, considering the frequency with which codes were used on the underground railroad.
Many lesser known spirituals referred to either the Mississippi or Ohio Rivers. In fact, there was a song called Follow The Drinking Gourd which instructed people on how to find the Big Dipper, and follow it northward. With literacy being something forbidden to slaves, these songs served to educate not only other adults, but their children whom they might not be able to raise to adulthood.
Negro spiritual songs are a rich and pertinent part of the American heritage and history. This aspect of the American story cannot be ignored by anyone, of any race, as it is the story of everyone. The fact is, in the most desperate of situations, all people have a history of coming together and overcoming the oppressiveness of a system that has enslaved them.
About the Author:
If you are a fan of the old negro spiritual music, click this link to www.calvinearl.com. Additional details on Calvin Earl's important work can be found at http://www.calvinearl.com now.
No comments:
Post a Comment