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WelcometoourfirstACTJAMBigSing!Thisfallwelookedatthehistoryofracisminourcountryfromdifferentperspectives.FourhundredyearsofhistoryinthebookStamped.AcloseupofthecivilrightsmovementandJimCrowsouthof1961inthemovieHiddenFigures.NowweturntoBlackmusicandthestoriestoldthroughsongaboutthestruggleforfreedomandofhope.Sincewecan’tbetogetherinperson,we’redoingthenextbestthing--ado-it-yourselfBIGSING.It’slikeado-it-yourselfwalkingtourofacity.There’samapandaroute.There’sadescriptiontoreadabouteachsight.Finally,there’satickettogetyouinside.AmywillbeourguidethroughthisBigSing.She’schosenthesongs,mappedourrouteandwrittenashortdescriptionofeachselection.Afteryou’vereadit,clickontheYouTubelink(s)tolistentotherecordingthatAmyselected.That’syourticket‘in’tothesong.Ifit’sfamiliar–singalong!

AmyHartsoughDir.ofMusic

HelloBethel!I’msohonoredtoleadthistourofBlackmusicanditsinfluenceonmusicandcultureintheU.S.First,abitofhistory.Whenslaveswerebroughttoourshoresstartingin1619,theybroughtwiththemtheirspiritualitiesandreligions.Oncehere,theymixedtheirAfricanmusicalinspirationswiththestoriesofJesusandhisJewishancestors,especiallythestoriesofIsrael’sstruggles,enslavementandfreedominthepromisedland.Spiritualsarethecodifiedcreationsofthesestories,atypeofreligioussong.Spiritualsproliferatedinthelastfewdecadesoftheeighteenthcenturyuptotheabolishmentoflegalizedslaveryinthe1860s.ThespiritualconstitutesoneofthelargestandmostsignificantformsofAmericanfolksong.We’regoingtolookatafewpopularones,thestoriesthatsurroundthem,andconcludewithtwosongsthatarepopularespeciallywithchildren.

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~ Spirituals ~

LISTEN

WadeInTheWater:https://youtu.be/7_euSS86dvESwingLow,SweetChariot:https://youtu.be/Thz1zDAytzU

StealAway:https://youtu.be/-O5hz5KnSdc

Wade in the Water - Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - Steal Away WadeintheWater,firstpublishedin1901,hasbeenattributedtoWallaceWillis,afreedmanwhosangwiththeFiskJubileeSingers,althoughthissonglikeSwingLowandStealAwayhasunknownorigins.AllthreesongswereassociatedwiththeUndergroundRailroad.HarrietTubmanusedspiritualstocommunicatewithslaveswhowantedtoescape.TubmanisthemostfamousoftheUndergroundRailroad's"conductors."BecausetheUndergroundRailroadofthemid-nineteenthcenturyusedrailroadterminologyasasecretlanguagetoassistslavestofreedom,it’sspeculatedthatsongslikeIgotmyTicketwereacodeforescape.AspiritualthatwascertainlycodeforescapewasGodown,Moses,usedbyHarrietTubmantoidentifyherselfasaMosesfiguretoslaveswhowantedtofleenorth.WadeintheWateralertedslavestogointowatertoavoidcapturebyslaveowners’dogs.Herearesomeexamplesofcodewordsinspirituals:

Heaven/lifeafterdeath=freedomintheNorthCanaan,thePromisedLand=freedom

TheDrinkingGourd=theBigDipper,starsthatpointNorthAchariotortrain=theUndergroundRailroad,ameanstoescapetofreedom

Stealaway=sneakawaysecretlyMoses=afreedomfighter,anUndergroundRailroadconductor,orHarrietTubmanTheJordanRiver=theOhioRiverorotherbodyofwatertocrosstogettofreedom

SwingLow,SweetChariotwasoneofTubman’sfavoritesongs.Ifaslaveheardthissong,he/shewouldknowtheyhadtobereadytoescape.Duringaten-yearspanHarrietTubmanmade19tripsintotheSouthandescortedover300slavestofreedom.AssheonceproudlypointedouttoFrederickDouglass,inallofherjourneysshe"neverlostasinglepassenger.”

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LISTENLetUsBreakBreadTogetherhttps://youtu.be/ZFQqOWh2aOY Michael,RowtheBoatAshore

https://youtu.be/q2rjtH-5D6I

LISTEN

He’sGottheWholeWorldhttps://youtu.be/YZ0crxOVEEQ

LetUsBreakBreadTogether-MichaelRowtheBoatAshoreLetUsBreakBreadTogetherisaspiritualattributedtotheWestAfricanGullah/GeecheeslaveculturesthatdevelopedinthecoastalareasaroundStHelenaIsland,Beaufort,andCharleston,SouthCarolina.Michael,Row…isaBlackspiritualfirstnotedduringtheAmericanCivilWaratSt.HelenaIsland,oneoftheSeaIslandsofSouthCarolina.ItwassungbyformerslaveswhoseownershadabandonedtheislandbeforetheUnionnavyarrivedtoenforceablockade.CharlesPickardWarewasanabolitionistandHarvardgraduatewhohadcometosupervisetheplantationsonSt.HelenaIslandfrom1862to1865,andhewrotedownthesonginmusicnotationasheheardthefreedmensingit.Ware'scousinWilliamFrancisAllenreportedin1863thattheformerslavessangthesongastheyrowedhiminaboatacrossStationCreek.Thesongwasfirstpublishedin1867inSlaveSongsoftheUnitedStatesbyAllen,Ware,andLucyMcKimGarrison.

He’sGottheWholeWorldInHisHandsHe’sGottheWholeWorld…isatraditionalAfricanAmericanspiritual,firstpublishedin1927.Thereisnotmuchknownaboutthisbelovedspiritual,exceptthatitwasborninthefieldsoftheenslavedsouth.

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LISTEN

GoTellItOntheMountain

https://youtu.be/0CGSB8HzdpA

~ Gospel & Freedom Songs ~

LISTEN

ThisLittleLightofMinehttps://youtu.be/Xx3nTsFJEQE

GoTellitOntheMountainJohnWesleyWorkJr.(August6,1871–September7,1925)wasthefirstAfrican-Americancollectoroffolksongsandspirituals,andalsoachoraldirector,educator,andsongwriter.Withhiswifeandhisbrother,FrederickJeromeWork,JohnWorkJr.begancollectingslavesongsandspirituals,publishingthemasNewJubileeSongsasSungbytheFiskJubileeSingers(1901)andNewJubileeSongsandFolkSongsoftheAmericanNegro(1907).ThelatterbookincludedthefirstpublicationofGoTellItontheMountain,whichhemayhavehadahandincomposing,althoughthisisnotconfirmed.Thespiritualitselfdatesbacktoatleast1865.TheearliestversionofthespiritualappearedininReligiousFolkSongsofTheNegro,asSungonThePlantations,newedition(1909)withtheheading“ChristmasPlantationSong.“

ThisLittleLightofMineWearenowmovingontogospelsongsandfreedomsongs.ThisLittleLightisaverypopulargospelsongfromperhaps1920sclaimedbythecivilrightsmovementthroughZilphiaHortonandtheHighlanderFolkSchool.Ms.Hortonwasawhitewoman,adaughterofacoalmineowner,andatrainedclassicalmusicianwhowasdeterminedtousehertalentstobringaboutradicalchangeandsocialjusticeforall.Shemadesurethissongwasusedduringthecivilrightsmovement(1954-1968).

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LISTEN

WeShallOvercome

https://youtu.be/4gmTxc2wGTI

LISTEN

Ain’tGonnaLetNobodyTurnMe‘Roundhttps://youtu.be/uJ6mhRZ8LjM

WeShallOvercomeThissongwasintroducedtotheHighlanderFolkSchoolasthespiritualI’llOvercomeSomeday,byBlackcomposerCharlesAlbertTindley.ZilphiaHortonthenchangedthishymntothesongweknownow,taughtittoPeteSeeger,andtherestishistory.HereinMadison,wesingitattheMartinLutherKingJr.celebrationseveryyear.ThisistheCivilRightsMovement’s“torchsong”.

Ain’tGonnaLetNobodyTurnMeAroundThisisoneofthefreedomsongsfromtheCivilRightsMovementbasedonthespiritualDon'tLetNobodyTurnMeRound.Aversionofthatsongwasincludedinthe1940bookNegroFolkSongseditedbyJohnW.Work.In1961theFreedomRiderssetouttoprotestsegregationininterstatetravel,leavingfromWashington,D.C.,andtravelingintotheDeepSouth.Theirbuseswereambushedandburned;theirbodiesbeatenbymobs,theKlanandSouthernpolice.ManyofthemendedupinMississippi’sParchmanPenitentiary,chargedwithtrespassing.Voicesroseoutofthecells,expressingtheirdetermination,oftensingingAin’tGonnaletNobodyTurnMeRound.Mymother,Alice,aCreolewomanwhogrewupinthesegregatedSouth,andmarchedwithDr.King,taughtmethissongwhenIwasbeingbulliedasachild.AsIlearnedmoreabouttheoriginofthissonggrowingup,itbecamemyanthemofsorts-howifIremainsteadfasttomyownintegrity,withGodatmyside,noonehadthepowertotakeawaymyhumanity.

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LISTENLeanOnMe-BillWithers

https://youtu.be/Jrlhn1H1EWw(ClubNouveauversion)

https://youtu.be/kbyjaUJWWmk Thankyouforyourtime,andIhopethistourofBlackmusicwhetsyourappetitetolearnmore,listenmore,andfeelthemusicofourBlackbrothersandsisterswithanew,freshunderstanding!

Beforewegoontoourlastsong,afewwordsaboutBlackslavemusicinfluencingeverforward.Spiritualsplayedasignificantroleasvehiclesforprotestatintermittentpointsduringthetwentiethandearlytwenty-firstcenturies.Manyofthefreedomsongsoftheperiod,suchasOh,Freedom!andEyesonthePrize,wereadaptedfromoldspirituals.BothofthesesongsareperformedbythegroupReverbinavideooftheirconcertattheLibraryofCongressin2007.FreedomsongsbasedonspiritualshavealsohelpedtodefinestrugglesfordemocracyinmanyothercountriesaroundtheworldincludingRussia,EasternEurope,ChinaandSouthAfrica.Someoftoday'swell-knownpopartistscontinuetodrawonthespirituals’traditioninthecreationofnewprotestsongs.ExamplesincludeBobMarley'sRedemptionSongandBillyBragg'sSingTheirSoulsBackHome.

LeanonMeThisbeautifulsongwrittenbyBillWithersin1972,hasgospelroots,andonecanheartheinfluence.Inaninterview,BillWithersexplainstheinspirationforLeanonMe,whichhewroteafterhehadmovedtoLosAngeles,andfoundhimselfmissingthestrongcommunityofhishometownofSlabFork,WestVirginia.Withersrecalled:"IboughtalittlepianoandIwassittingtherejustrunningmyfingersupanddownthepiano.Inthecourseofdoingthemusic,thatphrasecrossedmymind,sothenyougobackandsay,'OK,Ilikethewaythatphrase,LeanOnMe,soundswiththissong.”’