![]() ![]() 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. Department of State and on NBC’s Today.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. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Michele Fowlin, the Children of the Gospel Choir have been featured at the White House (with Sara Bareilles at the Canadian State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) the Inaugural Prayer Services for President Barack Obama and the National Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela, both at The Washington National Cathedral the Washington Performing Arts Gala with Broadway star Matthew Morrison the historic Howard Theatre the U.S. The COTG program provides opportunities for youth in grades four through 12 and promotes an environment of self-confidence, teamwork, and respect. ![]() Chosen through a competitive audition process, choir members from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia commit to participating in a year of choral training, intensive workshops, and a variety of performances on Washington Performing Arts’s main stage and through community events. COTG has become a destination choir for local students who look to develop excellence in artistry and technique as a performance ensemble. Formed in 1993, Washington Performing Arts Children of the Gospel Choir (COTG) is one of Washington Performing Arts’s resident ensembles. ![]()
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