Spiritual (music)

A spiritual is an African American song, usually with a Christian religious text. Originally monophonic and a cappella, these songs are antecedents of the blues. The terms Negro spiritual, Black spiritual, and African-American spiritual are all synonyms; in the 19th century the term jubilee was more common (at least among African-Americans; whites often called them slave songs). Some musicologists call them African-American folk songs.

The evolution of the spiritual

With the advent of Harry Burleigh (1866-1949), the spiritual began to develop into a sophisticated art form. Burleigh attended the conservatory in New York City that was founded by Jeannette Thurber. Seeking to attract a prestigious faculty, Thurber had asked Czech composer Antonín Dvořák to head her conservatory; Dvořák agreed to do so, on the condition that talented Native American or African American composers be allowed to attend without paying tuition. Burleigh was accepted as a student, and became Dvořák's protegé, during which time he sang the traditional spirituals for Dvořák. With Dvořák's encouragement, Burleigh began to compose classical song and choral arrangements of spirituals, which were later made famous by artists such as the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Marian Anderson, Robert McFerrin Sr., and ]. Another notable artist who had a successful career singing classical music and spirituals was Roland Hayes. In fact he made history by coming to Boston from Georgia to study voice, but was faced with obstacles all along the way. He never gave up and became the first African-American singer to sing in Boston's Symphony Hall. He went on to sing to great acclaim in Europe and throughout the United States. Today, the Roland Hayes School of Music, Boston's only and oldest high school of music, stands as a testament to his contribution to music and his people. Another great composer of classical settings of spirituals was Hall Johnson (1887-1970).

Related Topics:
Harry Burleigh - 1866 - 1949 - New York City - Jeannette Thurber - Antonín Dvořák - Native American - Fisk Jubilee Singers - Marian Anderson - Hall Johnson - 1887 - 1970

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some examples of spirituals which were set in this way are "Ride On King Jesus," "Ain't Got Time to Die," and "Hold On."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~