Of Spirituals

Obviously, the spirituals in Du Bois's book are fairly important, so I'd like to share some information that I learned in MUSIC 26AC (I think there are a couple more of you guys in the class too, so add/correct this as you wish).

Old African American religious music (spirituals) usually consisted of ring shouts, foot-stomping, clapping, drumming, etc. These kinds of expression have a fair amount of connections with the true African way of dancing and singing. However, these were thought to be profane among the white Christians, so Thomas White, the white Fisk University treasurer created the arranged spirituals sang by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which we heard in class today. The arranged spirituals transferred the African American spirituals onto the concert stage to appeal to white audiences (which is kind of interesting when reading Du Bois) and this made the spirituals more reserved to a degree - excessive physical expressions and emotional outbursts ceased and singing became definite and refined. Basically, what we heard in class today is like a "westernization" of old spirituals, and they differ quite a lot from what the rural folks actually sang. Nevertheless, they remain a huge part of African American culture largely due to its popularity among all audiences.