What Really Is The African American Spirituals

By Tamika Powell


The African American spirituals are nothing more but the religious songs that were composed and sang by the blacks before the abolition of slavery became legal. These racial groups were deeply rooted to Christianity during those times. The term is said to derive from the word spiritual song which is taken from the book of Ephesians in the bible.

There are several elements in the music that can be traced from the racial origins of the group. The music that comes out is basically specific and religious in the area. It is also among the things that people would have to consider in the area. It should be something that they need to do once and for all.

Music was the foremost manifestation of the faith that people once had. Some of the songs have served as a socio political protest which was then labeled as the assimilation of the white culture which was prevalent during the time. Slavery was the primary cause of the blacks turning to music for solace and comfort.

In the past, slavery was a common thing in the Western countries. Some people in Africa sold their own people to the foreigners in exchange for the money that they will be giving to the people. They were then made into servants which caused some people to live in some areas of the whole thing. They were not emancipated until the middle of eighteen hundreds.

During the period of slavery, the captives were introduced to the Western culture. Theyy were then forbidden to practice their own faith. The western culture and language were then forced down on the slaves who have made some contributions in the area. This has lead them to the Christian faith.

There were restrictions back then to the way they had to worship God. In some cases, there are many rules that oppose the jumping and dancing inside the church. The Jumping and the dancing are part of the culture of the African. Aside from the proper conduct, they were also forbidden to go back to paganism which was the primary culture in the area.

Slave composers then took the traditional songs and hymns and made it their own. They had infused their own culture into the songs making it more lively than before. This is not different from the Biblical version, it is a new and a much more creative presentation of the raw materials. This could be the cause why many people believe their music to be much brighter than before.

This marked the beginnings of other genres of music which are blues, jazz and the more recent hip hop. This phase in the musical history should make the person do the things that they need to do. The slaves have contributed a lot to the shaping and reformation of the culture of America.

The African American spirituals have been considered a classic in every way. There are people who are willing to make the necessary sacrifices in order to get the things that they need. There have been changes in the whole field recently.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment