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african american religious music. ... The goal of this paper is to answer three main
questions. What are the origins of African American religious music? ...
... influential and significant foundations of jazz were rooted in African American
culture. Some of these foundations include blues, ragtime, and religious music. ...
... religious practices or languages. Within the African American culture, most scholars
define syncretism as the merging of black and white styles of music. ...
... Blues is also important for African American culture. ... It was a mixture of African
music, field hollers, work songs, religious music, and ragtime. ...
... style to move away from religious themes and ... the first solely secular form of American
based music ... flourished across the country as African Americans migrated ...
Submitted by rcour4487 on May 4, 2005
Category: Religion
Words: 2399 | Pages: 10
Views: 575
Popularity Rank: 10,825
Average Member Grade: N/A (Add a Comment / Grade this Paper)
African American religious music is the foundation of all contemporary forms of so called “black music.” African American religious music has been a fundamental part of the black experience in this country. This common staple of the African American experience can be traced back to the cruel system of slavery. It then evolved into what we refer to today as gospel music. The goal of this paper is to answer three main questions. What are the origins of African American religious music? How did this musical expression develop into a secular form of music? What is the future of African American religious music? These questions will be answered through factual research of African American traditions, artists, and various other sources.
The origins of African American religious music are directly linked to the Negro spirituals of enslaved Africans. One cannot research religious music of blacks in this country without first exploring these spirituals. The spirituals were part of a religious expression that enslaved people used to transcend the narrow limits and dehumanizing effects of slavery. It was through the performance of the spirituals that the individual and the community experienced their God, a God who affirmed their humanity in ways whites did not and a God who could set them free both spiritually and physically. These “sacred songs” were also used as secret communication. That is not to say that all spirituals functioned as coded protest songs or as some sort of secret language. The structure of the spirituals and the way in which they were created and performed allowed for flexibility in their function and meaning.
The primary function of the Negro spirituals was to serve as communal song in a religious gathering, performed in a call and response pattern reminiscent of West African traditional religious practices. During these ceremonies, one person would begin to create a song by singing about his or her own sorrow or joy....
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