So a udience participation or communal participation, which is conceptually a very African thing, was something that was important to them in their services and that became a part of what they did.” It’s important to remember that a lot of the folks who attended these services could read. “One of the things that eventually evolved out of this is the use of refrain lines. On the African Methodist Episcopal Church and its role in the development of gospel [Youtube" allowfullscreen frameborder="0"> One of the primary surrogates to create rhythms were hand-clapping and foot-stamping.”Īustin Coleman, Joe Washington Brown and group, “Good Lord (Run Old Jeremiah)” recorded by Alan Lomax, 1934 But although the drums were banned, there were surrogates. And that played a critical role in how rhythm developed among African-Americans in the United States. There was this fear that instruments could be used to communicate and inspire uprisings. There are some other factors, too, that I think are important and one of the things that was not looked upon with great favor during the period of enslavement was the use of instruments. Much of it is based on the New Testament. The gospel, on the other hand, is about the good news, about Christ coming again. And so that possibly may be one of the reasons. There was a strong identification with Moses leading his people out of Egypt, out of bondage. “One of the distinguishing features between the two is that most of the spirituals’ text are based on the Old Testament.
As Easter and Passover approach, University of Connecticut music professor Robert Stephens joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss the evolution of gospel music, from African rhythms to the Hammond organ that characterizes the popular “Brooklyn sound” in churches today.
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