About
the Negro spiritual ...
A
very real part of the worship of Black people is the sound of a song.
In the afro-centric experience singing is as close to worship as breathing
is to life. This truth is reflected in a saying that is still proverbial
on the African continent: “The Spirit will not descend without song.”
The overarching Spirit of holiness has descended often when slaves, ex-slaves
and the progeny of this lineage have gathered in worship and sung the
Negro spirituals: a musical form bred during slavery to reflect the myriad
concerns of those trapped therein. Combining rhythmic patterns and melodic
tunes brought from Africa with images and stories found in Hebrew and
Christian scriptures, these songs reveal the rich cultural instinct lodged
in the souls of Black folk. Negro spirituals speak of life and death,
suffering and sorrow, love and judgment, grace and hope, justice and mercy.
As songs of an unhappy people, many tell of exile, trouble, and strife.
Astonishingly, other spirituals lean towards joy in a most defiant way.
Biased to a particular point of view, they oppose the injustice of racism,
and lobby for a harmonious society where human equality under the sovereignty
of God is achieved. In truth, Negro spirituals transcend the role of the
ordinary hymn by speaking less of God than for God. They preach one principle
with great purpose: that God is on the side of the oppressed. As pictures
from our sacred past they tell the story of the African presence in America,
and remind us of a God who helped us overcome adversity, thrive amidst
hardship, and rise to prominence despite the perils of life. From this
religious backdrop emerges the arranged Negro spiritual, characterized
by great sophistication in pitch, harmonization, cadence and modulation.
Presented often with accompaniment on the piano, this genre has risen
to the level of a high art form favored by operatic voices and very well
suited to the concert hall or recital stage. So, from its roots in slavery
the Negro spiritual has carved itself a home in the hearts and minds of
music lovers everywhere. We do well to keep these songs alive!