I got a message from Juicy_Fruit, a Park Ranger from Virginina who stumbled upon my blog. The comment was sent to me via email. I read it and was stumped at first. I had totally forgotten about my blog. As you can see, the last time I made a post was back in April of ’05.
Well, a lot has changed since then. My children are getting older/bigger and much more of a hand full.
But today’s topic is not to dwell on my family (I could go on for days with little anecdotes on their daily adventures – and yes I do include my wife in this as well) or my work (still in the military in case you are wondering). I will talk, very briefly about a program my group will be sponsering very soon.
February is Black History month and we are going to be hosting a gospel fest. I was responsible for coming up with a very brief history of gospel music, so I will put that here for everyone to read, critique or maybe even learn from.
Its kinda long, but well worth the read IMO.
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Today we will celebrate Gospel music. We have several groups of wonderful entertainers here with us today to celebrate this form of American music.
But before we jump into a performance, let us take a moment of reflection. Let’s take a gaze into the past and look at the roots of gospel music.
According to some researchers Gospel music is considered to have begun in the United States, during the 19th century, first appearing in print in 1874 with the publication of Gospel Songs by Philip Bliss. Since that time, the African-American community has literally transformed traditional gospel songs into a modern day phenomenon. Phil Petrie, a journalist, spoke of today’s gospel in these words.
“From the smooth sounds of Sam Cooke to the dancing, acrobatic vocals of Kirk Franklin, gospel music does more than just sound sweet--it literally moves its listeners. Whether it's swaying with the choirs or tappin' along with the quartets or simply raising hands to the rhythm of soul-stirring crooners, gospel is one genre of music that needs to be both seen and heard. Once narrowly defined as religious, gospel has transcended those limits to become a profound force in American music and popular culture.”
A long-established tradition among African-American worshippers helped to define the path gospel music was to eventually travel. In the early churches dating as far back as the 19th century, there was a continual dialogue between the pastor and the flock. This was an improvisation seen in the sermon and the music through musical patterns of call-and-response. But this did not lead to wide-spread recognition and accpetance because it was highly informal in nature. No written music or tangible commodity came of these early stylings.
In 1871 the first formal choir came on the stage. A group of black students who attended Fisk University in Tennessee got together for a fund raising tour, singing pre-abolition plantation songs across the US and even into Europe. However the music was sanitized by Eupopean-background choir directors to achieve and maintain an appeal to a wider Caucasian audience.
It wasn’t until the early ‘20s that gospel music as we know it today got the kick start it needed to develop and mature. As one pastor of a pentecostal church of that day put it
"The watch word is revelance. The congregation want to hear things relating to real-life situations. They want worship which is vibrant and exciting. If a church can get its message, its music, its good methods right, people will respond."
In walks Thomas Dorsey. With a successful background in publishing blues music, he was a pioneer for modern day gospel music as we know it now. All told, he printed about 500 of his songs under the banner of Gospel music, made recordings and also formed the first female gospel quartet. He discovered and promoted a new generation of singers to include the great Mahalia Jackson.
Today’s Gospel Music has come a long way. To illustrate the look and feel of today’s gospel music, we have…..
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And that’s all I have so far. The program isn’t until the first week in February. So I have plenty of time to add more info.
