Few forms of music bring such a sense of nostalgia as the Negro spiritual. More than being merely Gospel music, this art form has a history that goes all the way back to colorful origins of people carried across the planet as slaves. Some of these roots are African, but just as often they hail from locations such as Jamaica, Haiti, and other island nations.
Traditionally these songs have been performed without instrument accompaniment. Basically, the words are the message, although steel drums and the Reggae sound did bring much of this music into the main stream consciousness. Many of these old songs were recreated during the sixties and the civil rights movement, as it brought a sense of cohesion to those in the trenches of that social change.
Blues music sprang quite directly from these old songs, although Blues was more secular in nature. The old songs were almost always Christian on their face, but they contained within them codes that were known among the slaves. Some of these codes dated back to old Pagan belief systems, while others were direct connections to individuals or directions on the underground railroad, which was a system of travel that brought people from the slave states into the north.
Probably the best known song in this genre is Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. The song was first recorded in 1909, but the origin goes back to at least the 1860s. Some believe the chariot was a reference to the underground railroad, others attribute it to Biblical scripture, while others say it goes back to the notion that the gods carried spirits from the human realm on a chariot.
The chariot is an archetype that was found not only in north Africa and Egypt, but can be seen in myths from Rome and Greece as well. Most all people, of all races, have ancestors who carried a belief that souls were carried from the world of humans to the other-world on a chariot. With this archetype, this song speaks to all people regardless of race.
The song itself made a direct reference to the river Jordan, but many claim that it was a code for either the Mississippi River or the Ohio River. They say that one could hear this sung out in the dead of night, letting escaping slaves know that it was safe to cross. It is possible that all these references are correct, as it is known that many codes were utilized 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.
Not matter race, the history of Negro spiritual songs is a fascinating aspect of the human experience which is worthy of study. The way that these songs were utilized to educate and inform one another speaks to an amazing will to thrive. Even in the most desperate of circumstances, people will always come together to fight an oppressor.
Traditionally these songs have been performed without instrument accompaniment. Basically, the words are the message, although steel drums and the Reggae sound did bring much of this music into the main stream consciousness. Many of these old songs were recreated during the sixties and the civil rights movement, as it brought a sense of cohesion to those in the trenches of that social change.
Blues music sprang quite directly from these old songs, although Blues was more secular in nature. The old songs were almost always Christian on their face, but they contained within them codes that were known among the slaves. Some of these codes dated back to old Pagan belief systems, while others were direct connections to individuals or directions on the underground railroad, which was a system of travel that brought people from the slave states into the north.
Probably the best known song in this genre is Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. The song was first recorded in 1909, but the origin goes back to at least the 1860s. Some believe the chariot was a reference to the underground railroad, others attribute it to Biblical scripture, while others say it goes back to the notion that the gods carried spirits from the human realm on a chariot.
The chariot is an archetype that was found not only in north Africa and Egypt, but can be seen in myths from Rome and Greece as well. Most all people, of all races, have ancestors who carried a belief that souls were carried from the world of humans to the other-world on a chariot. With this archetype, this song speaks to all people regardless of race.
The song itself made a direct reference to the river Jordan, but many claim that it was a code for either the Mississippi River or the Ohio River. They say that one could hear this sung out in the dead of night, letting escaping slaves know that it was safe to cross. It is possible that all these references are correct, as it is known that many codes were utilized 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.
Not matter race, the history of Negro spiritual songs is a fascinating aspect of the human experience which is worthy of study. The way that these songs were utilized to educate and inform one another speaks to an amazing will to thrive. Even in the most desperate of circumstances, people will always come together to fight an oppressor.
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