Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Strength Within The Negro Spirituals

By Bridgette Conway


There are numerous kinds of music that emerged from the Black neighborhoods of America. The ones that are, however, of most importance are the Negro spirituals. It created the inspiration for the variety music types that exists these days.

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.

What makes these so brilliant is the fact that, stories from the Bible was taken and woven into the music. It expressed how they felt in terms of their hope, freedom, faith and salvation. However, it covered their pain and sorrow at being enslaved as well.

At any time when these tunes were sung, several people misunderstood its true meaning. To those singing them, though, it had true and complete meaning. The meaning was based in the profound need to be freed from the chains of slavery.

The outcomes of music from the slave era have remained an essential part of people of African-American descent. The rap scene continues to emulate their distress and dissatisfaction through their statements. Its profoundly speaking of the modern "slavery" and continues in the vein of being set free.

Certain people have the perceived idea that these tunes was an expression of fulfillment and happiness. Individuals who do not have a deeper knowledge would view these songs as such. It does not, however, diminish the incredible beauty of the melodies.

These musical performances have been and have become an integral part of African-American people and their heritage. Most of the rhythms and the tunes have an African root as these people have been brought across from this continent as slaves. The reason also for this fact is that the words had Biblical content, in that most of the English words were taken from the Bible.

The music was not only meant for certain places, time and spaces. The places wherever renditions of the songs were sung were cotton fields, community halls, recital halls, work camps and also churches. This was later expanded to include bars and clubs where these songs were sung.

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 adding of Negro spirituals to the music world cannot be excluded. It has influences that cover a large variety of genres. What makes it even additionally influential is that it brings out the need to grasp a history that some may wish to disregard.




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