Odessa Settles on Spiritual Music

And the rocks cried out there’s no hiding place…

The centuries old struggle for freedom by Africans in America continues today as a shining example of the power and dignity of the human spirit. The essence of the spirit is embodied in the music that was part of the experience. From a scholarly standpoint, we have learned that Spirituals rose out of Slavery and are the music of an unhappy people, the children of disappointment; they tell of death, and suffering and longing toward a truer world. It was the music of the pre-civil war and was the “invisible church.” It was fed by oral traditions since this was the preliterate era of slavery. About 6,000 spirituals exist. They are broken down into jubilee, folk, shout songs, sorrow songs, slave songs, slave melodies, minstrel songs, and religious songs. Melodies are handed down from generation to generation. Although they spoke of a harsh life, spirituals are the most beautiful expression of human experience born this side of the seas. Many composers like Antoine Dvorak and George Gershwin were influenced by the beauty of these melodies.

The spirituals are songs of hope and the quest for freedom. I remember my grandmother singing "swing low sweet chariot coming for to carry me home… " Her son, my father sang Oh Noah; in church we sang when Israel was in Egypt land, let my people go. As children, growing up during the civil rights movement, we were exposed to these songs. How well I remember the songs as playing an important role in community, and family life. My siblings and I sat around the fireplace or the kitchen table and accompanied our parents as they taught us the songs their parents taught them. Although my family is generations away from the spirituals’ 17th Century period of origin, my grandparents were descendents of slaves. These songs of suffering and longing for a better world were passed down to us. My great grandparents sang the songs that were the galvanizing force in the struggle against what must have seemed impossible odds. Every generation has linked the spiritual with the current day experiences as evident by stage performances, church services, and scholarly reports.

Spiritual music is the body of music relating the Black American experience covering the time periods between the 17th and late 19th centuries – Africa through today. Spirituals examine how people survive difficult times and experiences and how music and words are still used to unite and strengthen the spirit of all people. Spirituals are about perseverance; they describe the important role music plays in our communities and our social lives.