Spiritual in Social and Musical context

• In Event: Exploring Embedded Wisdom in the Songs of the African Diaspora

Abstract

This presentation provides a brief summary of the history of the African American plantation song or spiritual. Such music arose during the antebellum era and developed organically in response to the activities of daily living. Bereavement, harsh discipline, longing for freedom, work, and other aspects of daily life found expression in plantation songs. Thus, the genre, like much 19th century Protestant hymnody, focused on the individual’s experience.

Most spirituals are anonymous. Most likely, numerous individuals contributed to the composition process. Call/response format occurs frequently, and, while many refrains appear to have achieved standardized forms, most verses seem improvised. Travel during the antebellum era and also the frequent sale of the enslaved contributed to the dispersal of the spirituals and to the development of numerous variants. Many melodies were mixed or multi-modal. Some Caucasian arrangers noted the difficulty of transcribing spirituals accurately.

Many of the slaves imported from Africa were of BaKongo background. Thus, the spirituality of this ethnic group provided an intellectual foundation for some spirituals. BaKongo dualism presumed the existence of this world and the mpemba, a sort of heaven. Rest/relief, freedom, and death found their culminations in mpemba. Water served as both a passageway and a barrier between the two worlds; in this respect, BaKongo cosmogony resembled its traditional Greek, Mayan, and Christian counterparts. Thus, compatible BaKongo and Protestant imagery gave some spirituals a dual or triple frame of reference.

Both African American and Caucasian musicians arranged spirituals into the formats of the hymn and the art song so familiar among Caucasian concertgoers. Eventually, spirituals were absorbed into mainstream entertainment, including musical theater, opera, rock music, and even sporting events. As the spirituals and their usage continue to evolve, let us remain vigilant regarding the distinctions among admiration, collaboration, and cultural appropriation.

Author

• Randall C. Webber, Wayside Christian Mission