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The Negro Spiritual AN AMERICAN ART FORM:
PERFORMANCE PRACTICES OF SELECTED COMPOSITIONS AND COMPARISONS TO GOSPEL Dr. Sonja Sepúlveda
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African Music to the Concert Spiritual
Dr. Sonja Sepúlveda
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AFRICAN CHARACTERISTICS
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
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Jesu Waca / African Chant
Praise the name of Jesus, for the name is high.
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Ahuna Ya Tswanang Le Jesu
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
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Ezatele / Uyaimose Congo/ Zimbabwe Hymn Tune Ezatele: Come here.
Uyaimose: Come all ye people, come and praise the Most High. Come now and worship the Lord.
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CONCERT AFRICAN FOLK 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
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Wana Baraka Kenyan religious tune
They have blessings, those who pray; Jesus himself said so. Alleluia! They have peace, joy and well-being.
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Bawo Thixo Somandla 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
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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.
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Dubula, a Xhosa folk song
Stacking of melodies Secular Polyrhythms Energy Movement Added sounds
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Dubula, Stephen Hatfield
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.
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Noel Kituba dialect, Congo Call and answer Movement Drums Polyrhythms
Added sounds Passion Vowels like Latin
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Noel Noel, Jesus has come to live with us. If you want to know the Child, you have to come kneel.
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CONCERT SPIRITUAL Keeps African characteristics
Concert Spirituals are arranged in European choral format retaining African characteristics Combines African music with European hymn tune
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Africa
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How to Sing the Concert Spiritual
Dr. Sonja Sepúlveda
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Jester Hairston ( )
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Performance Concerns in the Spiritual According to Jester Hairston
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”
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Purposes of Slave Songs According to Jester Hairston
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
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Spiritual Style Categories According to John Work
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
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In Dat Great Gittin’ Up Mornin’ Soloist: Herbert Johnson
Call and response Religious purpose style Some dialect, body percussion Improvisation at the end Rising keys represent going to heaven Phonetic decay adds buoyancy Terrace dynamics, driving energy
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Angels Rolled De Stone Away Soloist: Michael Loredo
Easter Spiritual Very chordal Solo and choir accompaniment Improvisation at the end Accompanied concert spiritual-not gospel Similar to the solo spiritual with piano
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Birth of the Concert Spiritual
Original Fisk University Singers
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Birth of the Concert Spiritual
George L. White First Arranger of the Concert Spiritual Ella Sheppard Fisk Jubilee Soprano, Pianist, Choral Assistant and Arranger
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My Lord, What a Mourning George L. White’s Original Score
Mourning changed to Morning Many times words that were passed on by the oral tradition were changed This would change the meaning of the song
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My Lord, What a Mourning 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
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Harry Thacker Burleigh (1866-1949)
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Performance Concerns of the Spiritual According to H.T. Burleigh
Sing with deep feeling Rhythm is more important than the voice Never make them funny…serious music
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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’”
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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.
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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.
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William Dawson ( )
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Performance Issues in the Spiritual According to William Dawson
Recreate Spiritual motivations Dialect Rhythms are highly syncopated Keep the tempo Spirituals are serious music Observe markings of arranger Seek the real music
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Accents of William Dawson
Legato or tenuto - Strong or marcato ۸ Normal Accent ﺤ fz or forzando fz Staccatissimo ▼ Staccato • Normal and Staccato ﺤ •
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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.
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Soon Ah Will Be Done Accents
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Soon Ah Will Be Done by William Dawson
Soloist: Carla Thomas Combining the two tempos that speak of two different stories Terrance dynamics Accents for energy Unbridled enthusiasm at the climaxes Portato
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Roland Carter (b.1942)
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Performance Issues in the Spiritual According to Roland Carter
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
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In Bright Mansions by George L. White
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In Bright Mansions by Roland Carter
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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
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Undine Moore ( )
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Performance Issues in the Spiritual According to Undine Moore
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
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Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord by Undine Moore
Soloists: Paul Nutter and David Simmons Accents on unusual parts of words Use of two soloists gives contrast in vocal color Driving rhythms Parallel 4ths in soprano and 5ths in the bass and alto
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Hall Johnson ( ) This is where we stopped
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Hall Johnson “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.”
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Ain’t Got Time to Die Soloists: Byron Barr and David Simmons
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
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Keep Your Lamps by George L. White
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André Thomas (b.1952)
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Performance Issues in the Spiritual According to André Thomas
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
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Performance Issues in the Spiritual According to Anton Armstrong
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 Use of dialect Phonetic decay Diphthongs Schwa Clipping
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Keep Your Lamps! 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”
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Rosephanye Powell (b.1970)
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Performance Issues in the Spiritual According to Rosephanye Powell
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
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I’m Gonna Let It Shine 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
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Moses Hogan ( )
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Performance Issues in the Spiritual According to Moses Hogan
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
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Walk Together Children
Clipped vowels going straight to the consonant Syncopation Easy tempo that grooves Improvisation at the end Repeated chorus Terrace dynamics
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Other Performance Issues According to Moses Hogan
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
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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
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My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord by Moses Hogan center section repres
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My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord Moses Hogan
Call and answer Altar call at the end Unbridled enthusiasm Solo sections Lilt “Anchored” means to be saved in the Lord Clipping and accents
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Summary of Performance Issues & Practices
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.
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Summary of Performance Issues & Practices
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
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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
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The Concert Spiritual
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Gospel Dr. Sonja Sepúlveda
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Gospel Style 1933-Thomas A. Dorsey Influence of Jazz and the Blues
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.
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Gospel Characteristics
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
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Leaning On the Everlasting Arms
Hymn tune Dareion Malone, piano
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God’s Gonna Set This World On Fire with I’m Gonna View That Holy City
arr. Moses Hogan Soloist: David Simmons
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Hallelujah from “The Cry of Jeremiah”
Rosephanye Powell
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‘Til I Die arr. by Herbert Johnson Soloist: David Simmons
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The Storm Is Passing Over
Arr. by Barbara Baker
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All Right by Robert Winder
Soloists: David Simmons and Beth Tuten Clipping Solos in contrast with the chorus
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He Never Failed Me Yet by Robert Ray Soloists: Beth Tuten and David Simmons
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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
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