Lederrick Wesley
December 11, 2008
Special Projects
Dr. Karin Sehmann

The History and Evolution of Gospel Music

The culture of African Americans dates back to the beginning of times in Africa. So many things were carried across the world such as culture, art, music, and different cultural practices. The music of African Americans has transcended across different cultures. Gospel music is one of the sacred forms of music for African Americans. This is one of the hottest music genres currently out, and it is not only meant to relay a message to people but change their hearts in the process and help people endure positive out takes on life. Gospel music has a long rich tradition with great contributors such as Thomas Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Kirk Franklin. Things such as gospel music workshops and conventions exist today to educate individuals on this peculiar style of music. Recently, I held a gospel music workshop and many things were involved in putting it together. The following paper will discuss my research on the evolution of gospel music and elaborate more on why I decided to do a gospel music workshop.

African American gospel music has been implemented with secular and non-African American elements. This has caused many individuals to wonder “what is gospel music?” This musical phenomenon has moved beyond the walls of the “black church” and includes many aspects (Wise 1). Gospel music can be defined from a cultural, spiritual, or musical perspective. There are underlying theological and spiritual principles Gospel music was a sacred folk music that originated out of slave songs, field hollers, Baptist lining hymns, and Negro spirituals and standard Protest hymns and many composed songs.

The Center for Black Music Research in Chicago, IL classifies gospel music as African-American Protestant vocal music that celebrates Christian doctrine in emotive, often dramatic ways. Vocal soloists are the best-known exponents of gospel, but vocal and choral groups of widely varying sizes have also helped to define the style. In gospel, simple melodies are heavily ornamented by blue notes, glissandi, and a dramatic use of a wide vocal range; and the form conducts an ongoing dialogue of influence with blues, jazz, pop, rap, and folk styles. Major artists associated with gospel music include Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland, and the Soul Stirrers. Thomas A. Dorsey is counted among the major twentieth-century composers in the form. Bernice Johnson Reagon describes gospel music as:

“ a performer’s art and a method of delivering lyrics which is as demanding in vocal skills and technique as any feat in Western performance practice. Learning or acquiring the art takes time, practice, and education. The performing process is so intuitive as to be almost unteachable. The great gospel artists are usually those who were born nearest the source of the tradition (Johnson 32)

Patrice E. Turner, doctoral candidate in music and music education at Columbia University, describes gospel as the “good news”, and gospel music is the good news of the message of Jesus of Nazareth in song. She notes that gospel music has borrowed musical ideas from the secular world to incorporate new sounds and strategies (Turner 62). Gospel music dates back to American slavery in which slaves would accompany their work in the fields and various duties with songs labeled as spirituals. There was an extraordinary collision of cultures that was taking place whereas the African slaves came in touch with English church hymns. Spirituals were an uncensored, unedited glance into the heats and minds of slaves. Composer James Weldon Johnson writes that only in spirituals was the literate slave given the freedom to dream their dreams. Through spirituals, slaves uttered their despair and prophesized their future. They contained a record and revelation of deep thoughts and experiences of African Americans in the country. Also, the spirituals were not just religious truth but information important to surviving in the middle of oppression. There were encoded messages in these songs, and individuals such as W.E.B Bu Bois and Harriet Tubman were hard at work (Darden 1-3). They lyrics provided freedom for even those who didn’t understand them yet. Slaves were forced to attend church and worship like their masters. White missionaries and slave owners wanted to convert the African slaves to the Christian faith with the intent of making them more submissive. While attending the White Protestant churches, they were exposed to European classical musical genres such as psalmody, lined or metered hymns, and shape note singing. Events such as the Second Great Awakening, a Christian revival movement that swept through American between 1780 and 1830, encouraged blacks to create new songs even in congregations where literacy was rare (Wise 12-14). As spirituals began to be more of an outlet for slaves, they began to identify with the message of Jesus and Christian principles that those who suffer here on earth have a special place in heaven with God. The slaves saw this as hope and related it to Christ. Not having the freedom to express them led to slaves having secret religious services. In many rural areas, the slaves stayed after regular worship services in churches or in plantation “praise houses” for singing and dancing. Meetings were held at secret places so they could meet together and share their joys, pains, and hopes (negrospirituals.com). African Americans expressed themselves through singing, dancing, playing games, and playing instruments. These activities went together in their eyes. African music characteristics include syncopation, cross rhythms, call and response, and improvisation. Percussion instruments are especially important in the music of Africa. Singing is mainly accompanied by clapping, stamping, playing drums, bells, and other instruments. The rhythms produced are often complex but are exciting and high spirited. One of the most important instruments is the body. Clapping was done often accompanied by slaps on the knees, thighs, chest, and stomps to the ground. Body percussion is persistent though the different forms of African American music. These styles and practices are heavy noted in gospel music (Hillsman 1). Syncopation was introduced by small groups or individuals singers, which shifted the accents by anticipating or delaying the expect note. Hand-clapping and ‘holy dancing’ marked the counter-rhythms. Spirituals frequently began with the chorus preceding the first verse followed by alternating verses and refrain lines. The unique qualities of the spiritual included responsorial singing and vocal timbre including a rasp and shrill falsetto that enriched the sound and made the spiritual more varied in performance than other music. (grovesmusic.com). These songs eventually made their way into worship services that slaves held in private locations on plantations which were known as “invisible churches” or “hush harbors”. These songs were passed down orally through many generations. As gospel continued to form, Charles Tindley, an African American composer and pastor of the East Bainbridge Street Church in Philadelphia, is suggested to have become the catalyst for the transition from Negros spirituals to gospel music. He incorporated the images, proverbs, and biblical texts into his music inspiring such as Thomas Dorsey, “Father of Gospel Music”. In his music, he used the verbal language of the poor, illiterate Black Christians. His compositional style required for heavy accents in the dotted-rhythm patterns, with little syncopation or none at all. Many of Tindley’s hymns were written in hymn form but incorporated the African American musical elements (Wise 31-33). The appearance of gospel music coincides with the early stages of ragtime, blues, and jazz at the end of the 19th century. Many black musicians were raised in the church but were training in the performance of blues and jazz. These musicians typically played in clubs on Saturday nights and then played in church on Sunday mornings. The elements from blues and jazz were brought into the church and applied to preaching and accompaniment of Black sacred songs. As many musicians were converted to the Christian faith, many of the elements continued to be carried into the church. Eventually, there was a publication of gospel music, and in 1921 Gospel Pearls was the first hymnal used for use of Black churches. This hymnal signifies the beginning for the publication of gospel songs. This hymnal played a critical role in exposing, spreading and the acceptant of gospel into black congregations (Wise 42-44).

An important pioneer who helped create gospel and gained great exposure was Thomas A. Dorsey. He was not known as a singer, but he knew a lot about the Black vocal style because of his background of being raised and trained in the Baptist church. He was a blues singer and a musician who led his own band. He was an excellent musician who accompanied many famous blues singers. He also wrote jazz and blue songs while serving a band leader and arranger. After attending an annual meeting of the National Baptist Convention, he heard the sounds of Charles A. Tindley and was moved to write gospel music on a full time basis. He was the musician who brought together various musical elements and performance practices of secular and sacred styles of the day to establish this new form of music called gospel. Elements of blues and jazz with gospel hymns and spiritual of the black church were combined. The term gospel was used for two reasons 1) he wanted to distinguish the music from other sacred forms of music in the black church and 2) he wanted to distinguish his songs from the “gospel songs” of the 19th century revivalist movement (Wise 44-46). Dorsey’s style was so captivating and inclusive that anyone who followed him would automatically borrow from and add to the concepts and practice he established. He was also one of the first to extensively use minor and seventh chords and incorporate them into gospel music. The church declared Dorsey’s style of gospel music as unworthy of hearing in sanctuaries and considered the “devil’s music and mixing musical style was just not the thing to do. Gospel music was formally adopted by the National Baptist Convention in 1921. Dorsey was skilled at writing songs that not only captured people’s hearts and aspirations of the poor misfortunate African American but also spoke to all people. His songs had very catchy titles which became part of the religious rhetoric of African American Christians, and the songs had simple and beautiful melodies, harmonies not overshadowing the texts, and space for improvisation that was a major component in gospel. Many songs in the 1940s were referred to as “Dorsey”. One of his most well known songs is Precious Lord and some of the words are as followed:

Precious Lord, Take My Hand Lead Me on, let Me Stand I am tired, I am weak, I am worn Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light Take my hand, precious Lord lead me on
The inspiration of this song came out of tragedy in which Dorsey’s wife became ill before childbirth and died after their son was born who in turn died two days later. There has been no imposing figure than Dorsey and his contribution to music; he was labeled as the “Father of Gospel Music” (Boyer 57-62). During the 1930s in Chicago, gospel music became firmly established as a new genre, and some scholars allude to the fact that factors such as the Depression, migration of Southern Blacks to the North, black denominations forming, along with the addition of many blues and jazz players to the church world. Since churches in Chicago permitted gospel choirs, the city was the center of the gospel movement, and more composers and singers were produced. The city of Chicago drew individuals from all over the country who were looking to religion an outlet for expression. Many individuals felt as though gospel music was providing that outlet. Urban centers such as Chicago accepted the popular music style that was emerging, but it noted that all Black church did not accept and appreciate the new music. Some of the churches resented gospel singing in their churches because it was too bluesy and the personal theology that came across. Also churches did not like gospel music because of the fact that the gospel choir is developing and it would replace congregational singing (Wise 55-57). The gospel choir organized as early as 1932 and could now be found in many Baptist and Pentecostal sanctuaries, with occasional performances in Methodist churches. By 1945, there were only a few people in the African American community who had not heard gospel music. Many of the singers, quartets, and smaller groups incorporated the techniques and wanted to continue with music that would stir people’s emotions. By this time, gospel music had evolved from the slave songs, field hollers, Baptist lining hymns, and Negro spirituals from the slave era and standard Protestant hymns and composed songs. These songs were rearranged and adapted into joyful expressions of thanks, praise, and supplication by the urban African American. Harmonies were simple as that of a hymn or the blues, but the rhythm in gospel was personalized by singers into accents and cross-pulses of their speech, walk, and laughter, which was very detailed and complex yet clear and precise enough to include corresponding movement. These practices defined the gospel style. The gospel style features as a primary driving force that has a large amount of improvisation. An important aspect of singing gospel is the many different timbres that help create the sound of gospel. Voices can be anywhere from a tense, almost shrill sound to a hoarse, strained voice or either a dirty baritone voice influenced by the blues (Boyer 49-50).

To go along with the voice of gospel music, another important aspect of the genre is the gospel piano style which was developed based upon the “rhythm section” concept, whereas the middle of the piano is supporting singers by doubling the vocal line harmonies. The left hand plays the bottom portion of the keyboard which serves as the bass line, and the right upper portion is acting as a solo trumpet or flute playing the “fill material at rhythmic breaks and the countermelodies (Boyer 50). The piano style of Roberta Martin was a major influence. Martin’s most significant contribution was integrating the male and female voice. With her combination of the voices, the Martin singers were one of the first groups to achieve a unique gospel sound and style. For the first time gospel music was not identified by a musical form but a certain sound. It had an enhanced piano accompaniment. Wise says that “Martin created a school, a way of playing, singing, and arranging the then-new music called gospel” (Wise 81). Martin added rhythmic and harmonic colorful chord progressions and used percussive octaves in the left hand and a less rigid but complex series of chords. The piano part was the basis of the vocal parts, underscoring the group’s rich harmonies. This is crucial because in later years of gospel musicians from playing the harmonies for the vocalists. The piano was beginning to be an integral and integrating force in the performance, supplying the accompaniment, rhythm, and effects. The piano players were able to add drama by adding tremolos in the bass line or by respond to a call from the singer (Wise 82).

New instruments were becoming standard accompany instruments. Pop Staples, founder of the Staple Singers, begin to use the electric guitar and Rosetta Tharp also sang and accompanied herself with the acoustic and electric guitar. Kenneth Morris used the Hammond organ with gospel music in the 1930s, and in the 1940s, the Hammond organ was commonly used to accompany music was dubbed “the gospel organ”. It provided so many tonal effects that were not possible with a traditional pipe organ.

Along with new instruments, new composers such as Herbert Brewster were writing music for gospel music. Brewster favored the Baptist lining-hymn and gospel blues traditions. One style was the gospel ballad which was a slow song, with a regular beat, in which one literally expresses his inner thoughts out loud. The tempo is slow and is organized around a verse and chorus. He is also known for the gospel recitative and aria. One of his most popular song types was the vamp or cumulative song. It is an old technique used throughout the African American culture to express through song, dance, drumming, and storytelling; repetition occurs to get the message across and to gain intensity. He also is a forerunner in establishing the 12/8 as a gospel rhythm. Even though he excelled in writing various gospel styles, his lyrics strengthened his compositions. He knew a large amount on the Bible, on which he gained most of his lyrics. So much of what gospel music lovers know about the Old Testament might very well come from Brewster’s compositions (Wise 83-86). The text of other gospel songs from many individuals speak about many different aspects of life including thanks and offering to God, lamentations, blessings, Trinity, and the way the text is delivered is far more important that the melodies and harmonies to which they are sung. The singers used the community to express themselves and their feelings about being a Christian. Many singers were singing through their problems, and it was not uncommon for congregations to become so involved that they would forget about their current problems while rose above the problems of the world through the music (Boyer 50)

To continue with the evolution of gospel music, there are different eras that have researched and labeled by Dr. Raymond Wise professor at Denison University and Ohio State University. Some of the eras coincide with each because of many things overlapping. They are as followed: Congregation Era (Pre-Gospel Era) 1900s-1920s; Traditional Era 1920-1960s; Contemporary Era 1960s-170s; Ministry Era 1980s-1990s; Crossover Era 1990s-2000. Even though gospel did not begin until around the 1920s-30s, the years preceding it were crucial in preparing the way. Scholars suggest that black churches were focused on congregation signing rather than selected groups or choirs. Their worship styles spanned extremely from the European style to the African style in their expressions. Holiness and Pentecostal music that performed congregational music helped provide a new model and foundation for gospel music. Instrumental accompaniment made its way into the church (Wise 246-253).

The traditional era is where the basis of gospel music dates back to. During this era, the National Baptist Convention indorsed gospel music, and so shortly after gospel choirs, vocal groups, and conventions were forming. The gospel soloist techniques began to be perfected. Roberta Martin’s vocal styles and piano accompaniments were visible as well. Martin’s mixed group format of the gospel choir was further reformed by James Cleveland and Mattie Moss-Clark. They paved the way and perfected the “gospel choir”. This era basically developed the gospel art form and established a network throughout the African American community. The contemporary Era began with the release of Edwin Hawkin’s song “Oh Happy Day” in 1969. Major elements in the contemporary era were new musical progressions, vocal harmonies, and performance techniques. The effect of gospel music was spreading to college campuses across the country, and Howard University started the first gospel choir in 1965. Students wanted to be able to bring the musical styles from their home churches and in gospel music realm of music to their campus (254-260). One can begin to hear the use of new chordal progression, mainly the use of sevenths, seconds, dissonance and resolution. White folk groups began to influence gospel artists to incorporate new styles in gospel. Also in this era, the gospel choir was the predominate performing group. The Hawkins Family became leaders in reference to the instrumental aspect of gospel music. They added the bass and drums as a standard part of they gospel rhythm section.

The next ear is the ministry era in which new hybrids of gospel music began to form. Just as the song “Oh Happy Day” combined many music genres from gospel, jazz, and rhythm and blues in the 1960s, many composers and performers experimented with other styles in the 1980s such as rap, R&B, soul and pop. The important factor in this era was the fact that the “words” or “text” became the identifying factor for gospel music. Many artists began to clarify and express the gospel message in a way that would give listeners not only an emotional response but a spiritual transformation. Andrae Crouch was a key player in for this style. The musical style of “Praise and Worship” emerged within Black and White megachurches. This style combined elements from the African American style of worship with the style of worship in White churches. More African American musicians recognized the differences and similarities between the purpose of Praise and Worship Music in the 90s and the Congregation or Devotional music performed by African Americans in the Pentecostal church in the early 1900s. African American musicians transformed the Euro American style back into the African American form, mainly by applying the typical African American musical elements to Psalms and praise and worship texts. African Americans adapted some of the songs as well as created new songs to implement in services. Judith Christie McAllister was one of the first to be successful in combining praise and worship texts with traditional and contemporary African American elements (Wise 265-271).

The Crossover Era is the latest of the eras and is responsible for the continual change and diversity in gospel music. Some individuals adopted gospel music for ministry reasons other for musical purposes or for money. Many gospel musicians and singers strive to create new styles that will reach the urban youth. A lot of the styles currently are blending in with secular music by adding catching beats and rhythms and catchy lyrics. By the 1990s, artists followed Crouch’s lead and created new forms such as rap, hip-hop, fun, house, reggae, and R&B within gospel music. Artists such as Kirk Franklin, John P. Kee, Hezekiah Walker ,Be Be and Ce Ce Winans are just some of the latest artists that popular in gospel music. During this era, secular musical styles and elements became the primary foundation for many gospel songs. This era will continue to develop and we will see more of gospel mixing with contemporary elements in music (Wise 271-275).

Out of these eras, new musical elements, performance practices and performances environments were distinct to each. Composers began to adapt the new elements of gospel music and combine them with old compositional and performance traditions and set way for the new trends in gospel. As each era progress, one can realize that there was an ongoing interaction between the secular and sacred world. There was an ongoing borrowing of elements, a pattern of rejection, acceptance, and promotion of the new styles. Even if the church did not accept a song, many people outside of the church accepted the music and promoted it which led more artists to crossing over to mainstream secular music (Wise 261-267). The basis for this era was to diversify gospel music by adapting and blending music with non-African American settings and reach new audiences.

Gospel music today is accelerating and soaring to new heights. It is an important genre in music, and many individuals do not know about the rich history of the musical form. It is reaching outside of the church walls and into mainstream America. New artists are continuing to rise on a daily basis and reinforce the new styles of music forming. The purpose for me doing a gospel music worship was to inform and educate others about this uprising and important form of music. I feel like it is important for a campus such as Eastern to have important and diverse events such as this. Most of the time in schools of music, gospel music is ignored and may slightly be touched on in a class or two. This style of music is particularly dear to my heart because it was what I was born and raised on. It is apart of my culture and has so much to offer. This is the second gospel music workshop that I have put on the first being in a church setting and now the second in academic setting. There are some major differences and advantages in both. It has been a learning experience in doing this in a public university. My undergraduate degree is from a private Christian institution, so there are many different rules and regulations that vary from a public university. I had to become accustomed to the many rules of what can be done and cannot be done. In the church setting, one can get away with many things.

In order to do this gospel music workshop, I had to receive help and support from many departments on campus. I had to explain to them what this project is for and what was my goals for this project. Four different departments on campus which include Student Government Association, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, African & African American Studies Department, and the Music Department supported me in my efforts and gave monetary support so I can go on with my project. The money received for this project went towards advertising, musicians to play at the workshop and concert, clinicians, food, and decorations. There was a lot of planning to go into this workshop. I started with the idea the first week of September and began to plan. I originally wanted to do another workshop at home so I could attract more individuals. Through careful consideration with my advisor, I decided to do it on campus and promote it throughout the EKU campus and throughout the Richmond community. Through the tedious planning, the event finally occurred on November 22nd. The morning and afternoon session of the workshop included sessions on vocal techniques, history of African American music, tips and pointers for being a Music Director in a church setting, and singing sessions. The day concluded with a concert from the participants including songs that were taught during the day. Presenters of during this workshop included Pastor Sarah Krage of Eastern Michigan University, Jessica Slaton, Emmanuel Stokes, Demetrius Russell, Kathy Bullock, Rashawn Fleming, and me. The finished product turned out to be amazing. There were many individuals present at the concert, and many different departments on campus were represented. It was a great learning experience and a great way to bring things typically in a church setting onto a public university.

Bibliography

Darden, Robert. People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group inc, 2006.

Wise, Raymond. Defining African American gospel music by tracing its historical and music development from 1900 to 2000. Ann Arbor, MI. 2006. UMI Dissertation Services.

Jackson, Jerma A. Singing in my Soul: Black Gospel Music in a Secular Age. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004.

Boyer, Horace Clarence. How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel. Washington: Elliott & Clark Publishing, 1995.

Boyer, Horace Clarence & Lloyd Yearwood. The Golden Age of Gospel. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000.

Broughton, Viv. Black Gospel: An Illustrated History of the Gospel Sound. Poole: Blandford Press, 1985

Reagon, Bernice Johnson. If You Don’t Go, Don’t Hinder Me: The African American Sacred Song Tradition. The Abraham Lincoln Lecture Series. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2001.

“Spirituals.” Groves Online Music Dictionary. http://www.grovesmusic.com. 2007.