THE NEGRO SPIRITUAL
AN AMERICAN ART FORM:
PERFORMANCE PRACTICES OF SELECTED
COMPOSITIONS AND COMPARISONS TO GOSPEL
Dr. Sonja Sepúlveda
AFRICAN MUSIC
TO THE
CONCERT SPIRITUAL
Dr. Sonja Sepúlveda
AFRICAN CHARACTERISTICS
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Complex rhythms
Percussion and movement
Harmony in open fifths and fourths
Call and Response
Beat emphasis that moves the melody forward
Singers need to move
Jesu Waca / African Chant
Praise the name of Jesus, for the name is high.
Ahuna Ya Tswanang Le Jesu
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Sotho tradition
There’s no one like Jesus. There’s no one
like Him. I looked around everywhere. I
turned around everywhere. I finally
found my Jesus. There’s no one like Him.
L=Z, H=silent, NG=nasal
Ezatele / Uyaimose
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Congo/ Zimbabwe Hymn Tune
Ezatele: Come here.
Uyaimose: Come all ye people, come
and praise the Most High. Come now
and worship the Lord.
CONCERT AFRICAN FOLK
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African song arranged into a European
traditional choral arrangement
Wana Baraka:
• Stacks African melodies
• Call and response
• Open 5ths
• Unbridled joy
• Latin vowels
• Word stress
Wana Baraka
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Kenyan religious tune
They have blessings, those who pray;
Jesus himself said so. Alleluia! They have
peace, joy and well-being.
Bawo Thixo Somandla
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South African song, in Xhosa dialect,
arranged into European choral style
Stacking melodies
Call and response
Open 5ths
Unbridled joy because of hope
Th=T, X=Click or K, S=Z, ND=spoken,
2nd consonant most important. Q=k
Bawo Thixo Somandla
Father God Almighty what are our sins?
What have we done that we kill each other
thus? This world is full of troubles. On this
earth we carry a heavy burden. I have a
continuous cry in my heart. Let this be over.
Let this cup pass from me.
Dubula, a Xhosa folk song
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Stacking of melodies
Secular
Polyrhythms
Energy
Movement
Added sounds
Dubula, Stephen Hatfield
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The honey bird carries sour milk. It is no
good for my child. Let us chase him
away with a big bang.
XH=click (K sound at back of throat
and click backwards like a “kuh” sound),
PH=f, TH=t, ND=like hand, NT=plant,
G=always hard, even before an “e”,
Latin vowels, percussive consonants.
Noel
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Kituba dialect, Congo
Call and answer
Movement
Drums
Polyrhythms
Added sounds
Passion
Noel
Noel, Jesus has come to live with us. If you want
to know the Child, you have to come kneel.
CONCERT SPIRITUAL
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Keeps African characteristics
Concert Spirituals are arranged in European
choral format retaining African characteristics
Combines African music with European hymn
tune
Africa
HOW TO SING
THE CONCERT
SPIRITUAL
Dr. Sonja Sepúlveda
Jester Hairston (1902-2000)
Performance Concerns in the Spiritual
According to Jester Hairston
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Dialect/ Style
• Use it. All people can do it, no matter their color
Tempo and Rhythm
• It is the rhythm that sells the songs
Spirituals bring people together
• Unity through purpose with song
Vocal Color
• Sing fully and beautifully…
• “Sing it with your heart”
Purposes of Slave Songs
According to Jester Hairston
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Religious Spirituals
• Images of King Jesus, the devil, judgment day, the Lord,
and Heaven
Freedom Spirituals
• Refers to Moses, the Hebrews, the people of Israel, and
earthly deliverance
Escape Spirituals
• Coded or telegraphed spirituals with messages of escape
The Shout and Hollers
• Instruction, hypnotic song and dance
Work Songs
• Passes time for people who worked in the fields
Spiritual Style Categories
According to John Work
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Call and Response
• Rapid in tempo and fiery spirit
Slow sustained, long-phrase melody
• Most beautiful
• Most popular as solos
Syncopated, segmented melody
• Segments of melody or rhythmic patterns
• Syncopated figures
• Repeated words or word phrases
• Fast tempo, usually
In Dat Great Gittin’ Up Mornin’
Soloist: Herbert Johnson
o Call and response
o Religious purpose style
o Some dialect, body percussion
o Improvisation at the end
o Rising keys represent going to heaven
o Phonetic decay adds buoyancy
o Terrace dynamics, driving energy
Angels Rolled De Stone Away
Soloist: Michael Loredo
o Easter Spiritual
o Very chordal
o Solo and choir accompaniment
o Improvisation at the end
o Accompanied concert spiritual-not
gospel
o Similar to the solo spiritual with piano
Birth of the Concert Spiritual
Original Fisk University Singers
Birth of the Concert Spiritual
George L. White
First Arranger
of the Concert Spiritual
Ella Sheppard
Fisk Jubilee Soprano,
Pianist, Choral Assistant
and Arranger
My Lord, What a Mourning
George L. White’s Original Score
My Lord, What a Mourning
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Hymn tune texture
This original text had the word “mourning”
which changes the meaning of the song
This was changed by oral tradition
This is the basis of the arrangement by
H.T. Burleigh
Harry Thacker Burleigh (1866-1949)
Performance Concerns of the Spiritual
According to H.T. Burleigh
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Sing with deep feeling
Rhythm is more important than the voice
Never make them funny…serious music
My Lord, What a Mornin’
by H.T. Burleigh
• Tempo changes
• Added parts
• Word stress
• Dialect for the word “my”
• Use of portato for lilt and energy
• Changing “mourning” to “mornin’”
We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace
arr. Moses Hogan
Religious spiritual that has a slow,
sustained melody. These are most
beautiful and used many times as solos.
The use of word stress is still very
important. It also has a climax point that
changes the energy and that is stylistic of
most slow, melodic spirituals.
Deep River, arr. Norman Luboff
Soloist: Byron Barr
Like the last two spirituals, this is a slow
melodic style that is based on Psalm 23. It
is full of hope and also has a contrasting
center section. “My” is sung in a dialect
and word stress with contrasting dynamics
continues to be very important to the style.
This spiritual has a solo built into the
middle with the choir accompaniment.
William Dawson (1899-1990)
Performance Issues in the Spiritual
According to William Dawson
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Recreate Spiritual motivations
Dialect
Rhythms are highly syncopated
Keep the tempo
Spirituals are serious music
Observe markings of arranger
Seek the real music
Accents of William Dawson
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Legato or tenuto
Strong or marcato
Normal Accent
fz or forzando
Staccatissimo
Staccato
Normal and Staccato
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fz
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Portato Device
It achieves a kind of
pulsation or undulation,
rather than separating the
notes. It has been notated
in various ways. Not as
heavy as a fp. The pulse
of the meter is one of the
most important things in
performing the Spiritual.
Soon Ah Will Be Done Accents
Soon Ah Will Be Done
by William Dawson
Soloist: Carla Thomas
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Combining the two tempos that speak
of two different stories
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Terrance dynamics
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Accents for energy
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Unbridled enthusiasm at the climaxes
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Portato
Roland Carter (b.1942)
Performance Issues in the Spiritual
According to Roland Carter
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Dialect
• Don’t over do it
Tempo and Rhythm
• There is a direct correlation between the tempo and the
purpose of the song
• All strong beats are not equal
• Understand all the accents
• Don’t interrupt rhythmic flow
Vocal Color
• Use Italian vowels
• Be careful that dark sound does not hurt pitch
Dynamics are relative
Lilt must be flexible
Clipping should not be too harsh
In Bright Mansions by George L. White
Bright Mansions by Roland Carter
In Bright Mansions
by Roland Carter
• Thicker texture than White’s arrangement
• Use Italian vowels
• Lilt of phrases
• Combination of Madrigal style & dark tone
• Changing meter to accommodate the text
• Word stress
• Anthem style
Undine Moore (1904-1988)
Performance Issues in the Spiritual
According to Undine Moore
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Tempo and Rhythm are important
Vocal Color: timbres should be chosen carefully
Scales and their awareness are important
Harmonies with 4ths and 5ths prominent
Sing climax with unrestrained fullness
Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord
by Undine Moore
Soloists: Paul Nutter and David Simmons
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Accents on unusual parts of words
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Use of two soloists gives contrast in vocal
color
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Driving rhythms
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Parallel 4ths in soprano and 5ths in the bass
and alto
Hall Johnson (1888-1970)
Hall Johnson
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“The Negro spiritual is a distinct type of music
which resembles no other and therefore
requires special treatment in performance.”
“The singer who has not first-hand
acquaintance with the authentic racial style
should have, for the best results, either an
intelligent model or a coach who is thoroughly
familiar with this music at its source.”
Ain’t Got Time to Die
Soloists: Byron Barr and David Simmons
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Extreme syncopation
Sharp accents
Imploded consonants like the “t” in “ain’t”
Rest after “takes” so you can attack “all”
Clip the “s” on Jesus
Features “lining” by the soloist
Keep Your Lamps by George L. White
André Thomas (b.1952)
Performance Issues in the Spiritual
According to André Thomas
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Dialect:
• Use it but don’t over do it
Tempo and Rhythm:
• Drive and energy important
• Keep it vibrant and alive
• Energy comes from a rapport, “a joy”, built
between conductor and choir in rehearsal
Vocal Color:
• Rich and at the same time bright with focus
Performance Issues in the Spiritual
According to Anton Armstrong
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Use of dialect
• Phonetic decay
• Diphthongs
• Schwa
• Clipping
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Tempo and Rhythm
• Most important part of
the spiritual
• Make sure there are
accents and lilt
Appropriate Type of Vocal
Timbre/Color
• Darker hue is typical of
the Afro-American voice
Keep Your Lamps!
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Jamey Johnson, Percussion
Demonstration of how the tempo of a song
changes the meaning
Coded spiritual
Clipped consonances
Missing word: “Christian journey soon be
over” has missing “will”
Rosephanye Powell (b.1970)
Performance Issues in the Spiritual
According to Rosephanye Powell
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Prepare history of the song
Study the text like a foreign language
Use the dialect
Stress accents and words
Learn melody without text
“Feel the music”
Use good diction to be understood
I’m Gonna Let It Shine
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Jazz chords peppered throughout the song
Song has thick texture
Rhythm can not drag
Vamp at the end that allows improvisation
Vocal color is lighter in places to allow the
tune to come out of the texture
Moses Hogan (1957-2003)
Performance Issues in the Spiritual
According to Moses Hogan
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Crescendo through long notes
Terrace dynamics
Emphasis on wrong syllable
Clipped vowels
Sing “Off the Voice” for buoyancy
“Embody” the feeling and rhythm
Loss of energy in piano sections
Use correct diction for percussiveness
Walk Together Children
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Clipped vowels going straight to the
consonant
Syncopation
Easy tempo that grooves
Improvisation at the end
Repeated chorus
Terrace dynamics
Other Performance Issues
According to Moses Hogan
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Dialect: Don’t over do
Tempo and Rhythm: Most important
• Use consonants for percussiveness
Vocal Color: Full rich singing
Thick texture of voicing can add richness and
power
Hear My Prayer
by Moses Hogan
• Slow, long phrase melody
• Personal to Moses: reflected his own life
and death struggle
• Dedicated to Jester Hairston
• Word stress
My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord by Moses Hogan
center section repres
My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord
Moses Hogan
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Call and answer
Altar call at the end
Unbridled enthusiasm
Solo sections
Lilt
“Anchored” means to be saved in the
Lord
• Clipping and accents
Summary of Performance Issues & Practices
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Burleigh: feeling, rhythm, serious
Dawson: know motives, keep tempo, observe
markings, syncopation, dialect
Hairston: listen to others, use dialect, rhythm
most important, sing fully
Thomas: don’t over do dialect, drive and
energy important, rapport, rich and focused
vocal color.
Summary of Performance Issues & Practices
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Moses: crescendo long notes for life, terrace
dynamics, wrong syllable is accented for sake
of rhythm, off the voice, use diction, clip voice,
full singing
Powell: Prepare history of the song, study the
text like a foreign language
Moore: Sing climax with unrestrained fullness,
scales and their awareness are important
Carter: Use Italian vowels, the lilt must be
flexible
Why keep the Spiritual Alive?
“The spiritual is our American
Heritage and will bring all of us
closer together through the sharing of
this music.”
- Nathaniel Dett
The Concert Spiritual
GOSPEL
Dr. Sonja Sepúlveda
Gospel Style
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1933-Thomas A. Dorsey
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Precious Lord Take My Hand.
Influence of Jazz and the Blues
It adds instruments such as organ, drums, piano,
guitar or sax and adds a driving beat.
Gospel was a direct outgrowth of the Spiritual.
The Gospel song is accompanied. The Concert
Spiritual is almost always a cappella unless it is
a solo arrangement.
Gospel Characteristics
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Call & Answer
Fast syncopated melody or slow syncopated
long phrased melody
Melodies that are more ornamented
Many polyrhythms
Instrumental accompaniment: tambourine, drums
and piano
Ostinato melodies and rhythms
Driving beat
Chicago was the cradle of the Gospel
Leaning On the Everlasting Arms
• Hymn tune
• Dareion Malone, piano
God’s Gonna Set This World On Fire
with I’m Gonna View That Holy City
arr. Moses Hogan
Soloist: David Simmons
Hallelujah
from “The Cry of Jeremiah”
Rosephanye Powell
‘Til I Die
arr. by Herbert Johnson
Soloist: David Simmons
The Storm Is Passing Over
Arr. by Barbara Baker
All Right by Robert Winder
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Soloists: David Simmons and Beth Tuten
• Clipping
• Solos in contrast with the chorus
He Never Failed Me Yet
by Robert Ray
Soloists: Beth Tuten and David Simmons
The Spiritual and Gospel:
Our American Heritage
“It is our American heritage and will bring all of
us closer together through the sharing of this
music.”
Nathaniel Dett