The Gospel Truth about the Negro Spiritual

Written by Randye Jones


What isrepparttar difference between Negro spirituals and gospel music?

It seemed like a simple question, but it was immediately apparent thatrepparttar 109923 answer was far from simple. First, it is complicated byrepparttar 109924 fact that both exist because of a deep-seated need to express faith in song.

Secondly, one genre has usedrepparttar 109925 other for source material. Also,repparttar 109926 history of one genre blends intorepparttar 109927 other.

The times and environment in whichrepparttar 109928 spiritual was nurtured were starkly different than that of black gospel music. Gospel music is clearly rooted inrepparttar 109929 spiritual, and Gospel musicians have drawn onrepparttar 109930 spiritual for source material. But are gospel songs simply “jazzed-up” spirituals? What isrepparttar 109931 “gospel truth?”

The Negro Spiritual: From Cotton Field to Concert Hall

Negro spirituals are songs created byrepparttar 109932 Africans who were captured and brought torepparttar 109933 United States to be sold into slavery. This stolen race was deprived of their languages, families, and cultures; yet, their masters could not take away their music.

Overrepparttar 109934 years, these slaves and their descendents adopted Christianity,repparttar 109935 religion of their masters. They re-shaped it into a deeply personal way of dealing withrepparttar 109936 oppression of their enslavement. Their songs, which were to become known as spirituals, reflectedrepparttar 109937 slaves’ need to express their new faith.

The songs were also used for secret communication withoutrepparttar 109938 knowledge of their masters. This was particularlyrepparttar 109939 case when a slave planned to escape bondage viarepparttar 109940 Underground Railroad.

Spirituals were created extemporaneously and were passed orally from person to person. They were improvised as suitedrepparttar 109941 singers. There are approximately 6,000 spirituals; however,repparttar 109942 oral tradition ofrepparttar 109943 slaves’ ancestors—andrepparttar 109944 prohibition against slaves learning to read or write—meant thatrepparttar 109945 actual number of songs is unknown.

Withrepparttar 109946 end ofrepparttar 109947 American Civil War in 1865, most former slaves distanced themselves fromrepparttar 109948 music of their captivity. The spiritual seemed destined to be relegated to slave narratives or to a handful of historical accounts by whites who had tried to notaterepparttar 109949 songs they heard.

The performance of spirituals was reborn when a group of students from newly founded Fisk University of Nashville, Tennessee, began to tour to raise money forrepparttar 109950 financially strapped school. The Fisk Jubilee Singers carried spirituals to parts ofrepparttar 109951 U.S. that had never heard Negro folksongs, and they performed before royalty during tours of Europe inrepparttar 109952 1870’s. Their success encouraged other Black colleges and professional singers to form touring groups. Collections of plantation songs were published to meetrepparttar 109953 public demand.

While studying atrepparttar 109954 National Conservatory of Music, singer and composer Harry T. Burleigh came underrepparttar 109955 influence ofrepparttar 109956 Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. Dvořák visitedrepparttar 109957 United States in 1892 to serve asrepparttar 109958 conservatory's new director and to encourage Americans to develop their own national music. Dvořák learned ofrepparttar 109959 spiritual from Burleigh and later recommended that American composers draw uponrepparttar 109960 spiritual for their inspiration.

In 1916, Burleigh wrote "Deep River,” for voice and piano. His setting is considered to berepparttar 109961 first work of its kind to be written specifically for performance by a trained singer.

"Deep River" and other spiritual settings became very popular with concert performers and recording artists, both black and white. It was soon common for recitals to end with a group of spirituals. Composers published numerous settings of Negro spirituals specifically for performance onrepparttar 109962 concert stage, and solo and choral singers successfully recorded them for commercial release.

Additionally,repparttar 109963 spiritual has given birth to a number of other American music genres, including Blues, Jazz and gospel. Spirituals played a major role of buoyingrepparttar 109964 spirits of protesters duringrepparttar 109965 Civil Rights Era ofrepparttar 109966 1950’s and 1960’s.

The Music

Spirituals fall into three basic categories:

Call and response – A “leader” begins a line, which is then followed by a choral response; often sung to a fast, rhythmic tempo (“Ain’t That Good News,” “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”)

Slow and melodic – Songs with sustained, expressive phrasing, generally slower tempo (“Balm in Gilead,” “Calvary”)

Fast and rhythmic – Songs that often tell a story in a faster, syncopated rhythm (“Ev’ry Time I Feelrepparttar 109967 Spirit,” “Joshua Fitrepparttar 109968 Battle of Jericho”)

The lyrics dealt with characters fromrepparttar 109969 Old Testament (Daniel, Moses, David) who had to overcome great tribulations and with whomrepparttar 109970 slaves could easily identify. Fromrepparttar 109971 New Testament,repparttar 109972 slaves most closely identified with Jesus Christ, who they knew would help them.

Sincerepparttar 109973 rhythm—once established—was key to their songs,repparttar 109974 singers would add or delete syllables in words to make them fitrepparttar 109975 song. Pioneers of spiritual art songs often chose to use dialect,repparttar 109976 manner slaves pronounced words, in their settings. Early vocal settings reflectedrepparttar 109977 goals of pioneering composers to retain as much ofrepparttar 109978 “feel” ofrepparttar 109979 original spiritual as was possible. Choral settings were ideally performed a cappella, and solo vocal pieces allowedrepparttar 109980 use piano accompaniment for support ofrepparttar 109981 singer. They mainly composed in a steady 2/4 or 4/4 meter.

Overrepparttar 109982 years, however, settings have become more tonally and rhythmically complex inrepparttar 109983 vocal line and accompaniment. This approach presents more technical challenges torepparttar 109984 performers, and it places greater responsibility uponrepparttar 109985 performers to be sensitive torepparttar 109986 original intent ofrepparttar 109987 music.

Gospel Music: “Good News” inrepparttar 109988 City

The gospel music ofrepparttar 109989 African American had its beginnings duringrepparttar 109990 years followingrepparttar 109991 Civil War. Many newly freed slaves began seeking a new life away fromrepparttar 109992 rural setting ofrepparttar 109993 Southern plantation. They sought opportunities for better education and employment torepparttar 109994 north and west.

From a religious standpoint,repparttar 109995 freedmen took two very distinct paths. Some formed churches affiliated with established white denominations and usedrepparttar 109996 same formal, structured liturgies. They rejectedrepparttar 109997 spiritual in its original form becauserepparttar 109998 songs not only reminded them of their former conditions, butrepparttar 109999 songs did not fit well intorepparttar 110000 service. They chose to sing hymns by Dr. Isaac Watt, John Wesley and Richard Allen, though they sang them with a favor that hinted at their African roots.

Predominately inrepparttar 110001 South,repparttar 110002 second path led poorer, less well-educated African Americans to form their own Pentecostal churches. From around 1870 untilrepparttar 110003 turn ofrepparttar 110004 century, hymns began to appear that combinedrepparttar 110005 syncopation, call-and-response, and improvisation of Black music withrepparttar 110006 formal structure ofrepparttar 110007 white hymn. These “gospel hymns” addressedrepparttar 110008 desires of African Americans who wanted songs that more profoundly expressed their belief inrepparttar 110009 “Good News” found inrepparttar 110010 four Gospels ofrepparttar 110011 New Testament. Best known of these composers was Charles A. Tindley, a Methodist minister who wrote such hymns as “I’ll Overcome Someday” and “We’ll Understand It Better By and By.”

Hyaluronic Acid – Newest Celebrity Beauty Secret?

Written by Jana Willinger


We can always count on celebrities to serve as guinea pigs forrepparttar latest cosmetic and beauty treatments. Duringrepparttar 109922 Botox ™ craze, even director Martin Scorsese commented that he couldn’t find actresses who could frown anymore! Perhaps actors, politicians, musicians andrepparttar 109923 like all grew tired of looking like Stepford wives becauserepparttar 109924 latest cosmetic craze involves Hyaluronic acid, a key component of human tissue, providingrepparttar 109925 body with essential moisture and a viable way to erase wrinkles withoutrepparttar 109926 loss of facial expression. Hyaluronic acid is available in facial injections reportedly favored by celebrities like Charlie Sheen, Tommy Lee Jones and Oprah Winfrey who have chosen Restylane, a Hyaluronic acid wrinkle-filler that works to liftrepparttar 109927 lip, wrinkle or fold and create volume. Hyaluronic acid injections do not relax muscles but instead “fill in” areas most affected by wrinkles and fine lines.

There are also several new, non-invasive beauty products that contain Hylauronic acid or work to stimulaterepparttar 109928 body’s own Hyaluronic acid production. Apparently full lips a la Angelina Jolie are a must-have because celebrities of all ages are going gaga for City Lips, a cutting edge product developed by City Lips Cosmetics. The City Lips product stimulates lips to produce their own collagen and Hyaluronic acid, painlessly increasingrepparttar 109929 size of lips. According to Karen Rauen, Good Housekeeping Institute’s chemistry director, "The City Lips lip plumper, we found, plumps people's lips an average of three millimeters.” Celebrities like Teri Hatcher, Nicolette Sheridan, Jamie Lynn Discala, Virginia Madsen, Melissa Rivers, Angela Bassett, Lacy Chabert, Lake Bell, Eliza Dushku, Bijou Phillips, Haylie Duff, Kathy Griffin, Tracy Ross, Marlee Matlin, Shannon Elizabeth, Michelle Rodriguez, Faith Evans, Giuliana Depandi, Debbie Matenopoulos and Princess Ann Claire, are reportedly huge fans of City Lip Cosmetics.

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