The Power Of The Negro Spirituals

By Bridgette Conway


There are many different forms of music, which came out of Black communities of the USA. The most significant though is the Negro spirituals. This is so, as these are the backbone of most of current music genre, which exists.

These categories that were affected by the spirituals range from rock and roll, soul, jazz, rap, ragtime, rhythm and blues and gospel as a main outflow of it. Long before the Civil War, the music was a prominent feature in the daily lives of slaves.

Slaves created these for the purposes of, for example, making work lighter as well as in assisting slave escapes. These tunes were extremely similar to church songs. Thus, it became easier to integrate them when they later accepted the Christian faith.

The music was integrated with imagery from the Bible and thus became an intricate part of it. It communicated their salvation, freedom, hope and faith. Even so, it gave expression to their torment and distress at being in chains of slavery.

When these songs were sung, it sounded as though it had no meaning to the rest of our world. The truth is that it was meant as a personal expression and had profound meaning to those who sang it. It had to do with the deep desire to be set free from the slavery they were in.

For individuals of African-American descent, the products of this kind of music have remained a vital a part. The continued rap scene emulates the discontentment and distress through their lyrics. It speaks deeply of the current "slavery".

Some people have the misconception that these songs were of satisfaction and joy. Only those who do not have an intimate knowledge for the reasons for people singing these tunes could say this. Even so, it does not take away from the absolute beauty of its renditions.

The musical exhibitions is a vital part of African-American people and their legacy. The vast majority of tunes and rhythms have African roots as the people were removed and enslaved from the African mainland. The English wording used, have been taken from the Bible and this is also the reason for the Biblical content.

These tunes had no boundaries, especially in term of place and space. They were sung in all sorts of places, which included churches, meeting rooms, cotton fields, recital halls and work camps. They later found their way into bars and nightclubs as well.

An additional field into where the tunes were integrated, were the social battles and especially into the civil rights movement. The tunes were thus a very serious section of history. Out of this entire profound development, numerous singers, bands and groups evolved. It was an extremely powerful way in which the music was utilized.

The contribution of Negro spirituals to the world of music is undeniable. It does not matter what its background, its influence is wide. What makes it even more powerful is that it evokes the desire to know a history that many would like to forget.




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