SpiritualsMMUUSSEEUUMM CCOONNNNEECCTTIIOONN:: FAMILY and COMMUNITY
PPuurrppoossee:: In this lesson students will be introduced to spirituals and the “secret codes” embed-ded within them that helped slaves escape. Students will examine several spirituals and decodetheir hidden messages. As an individual assessment, they will create their own spiritual thatcould have helped a slave escape to freedom.
GGrraaddee LLeevveell aanndd CCoonntteenntt AArreeaa:: Elementary, Music
TTiimmee FFrraammee:: 2-3 class periods
FFiinnee AArrttss MMuussiicc EELLOO:: I.B.4 Sing a variety of songs in tune, at a proper tempo, with appropriate
timbre, diction, and posture, using appropriate expression
II.B.2 Perform songs and dances from a variety of historical periods and cultures
FFiinnee AArrttss MMuussiicc VVSSCC::
1.2.b (Grade 4) Sing and play a variety of music with accurate intonation and characteristic timbre
1.2.b (Grade 5) Sing and play a varied repertoire of music representing diverse genres, styles, and world cultures, adhering to given expression marking
2.2.b (Grades 4 and 5) Perform songs and dances from a variety of historical periods and world cultures, including some connected to general classroom studies
3.A.6 (Grades 4 and 5) Determine important ideas and messages in literary texts
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Students will explain the codes used in slave spirituals.
VVOOCCAABBUULLAARRYY AANNDD CCOONNCCEEPPTTSS
CCaallll--aanndd--rreessppoonnssee – Call-and-response is a song form in which a phrase sung by a sololeader is followed by a phrase sung by a group. The response is usually a repeated phraseor pattern.
CCooddee – A system of words, letters, figures, or symbols used to represent others is called acode. Codes are used to ensure secrecy when transmitting messages.
RReevviivvaall – The word revival refers to a reawakening of religious interest. A revival is oftenone or a series of meetings of enthusiastic evangelism and personal testimonials.
SSaaccrreedd – Any objects, rites, and practices of religious importance, or traditions worthy ofrespect or worship, are considered to be sacred.
SSeeccuullaarr – Secular issues are those issues and conditions not associated with religion orreligious belief. They are not spiritual or sacred but are concerned with the affairs of thisworld.
SSppiirriittuuaallss – Religious songs derived from the musical traditions of African American peo-ple in the southern region of the United States are called spirituals.
SSyynnccooppaattiioonn – Syncopation is achieved by accenting a weak beat instead of a strong one,by putting rests on strong beats, by holding on over strong beats, and by introducing asudden change of time-signature.
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FFOORR TTHHEE TTEEAACCHHEERR::
The following recordings may be accessible through your school library media center:
Lyrics, Notation, and Recording of “Wade In the Water”
• Making Music, Grade 4. Morristown, New Jersey: Silver Burdett Ginn, 2002.
When slave traders packed enslaved Africans onto their ships, they mixed the tribes together.Because the tribes spoke different languages, the Africans onboard could not speak to oneanother. This helped the slave traders ensure that the slaves could not unite and stage a mutiny.But the enslaved Africans did communicate with one another through music, which wouldbecome an integral part of their lives. In fact, they communicated with each other by usingunique African rhythms, which slave traders and white slave owners did not understand.
Once in the colonies, slaves combined these rhythms with the traditional English hymnssung by American Protestants into new songs called spirituals. Although they were notwritten down, spirituals—which have also been called slave songs, plantation songs, orjubilee songs—survived because they were passed down by word of mouth from generationto generation. The original words sometimes changed because of this oral tradition, buttheir meanings remained clear. Considered sacred by the slaves who created them, spiritu-als expressed the slaves’ faith and devotion to God. Spirituals have also been called sorrowsongs because they spoke of suffering and the slaves’ hope for a peaceful kingdom in heav-en. Most of all, spirituals are folk songs about the American experience.
Some spirituals had codes or secret messages embedded within them that informed otherslaves about meetings or plans for escape. Some also used codes in order to keep the hopefor freedom alive. “Deep River” is a good example of a spiritual with a code:
Deep riverMy home is over JordanDeep River, LordI want to cross over into camp ground.
The hidden message in this song told other slaves of a meeting by the river. The word“home” could stand for heaven, Africa, or a new home up North.
In the years before the Civil War, the Underground Railroad—a group of anti-slavery north-erners, mostly Blacks—illegally helped slaves escape safely to free states or to Canada.Maryland was an important location for this network of houses and other sites used by thesepeople. One of the most instrumental people who worked with the Underground Railroadwas Harriet Tubman, an enslaved woman from Dorchester County, Maryland, who escapedfrom slavery and helped guide more than 300 runaway slaves to freedom in the North.
In order to help slaves escape, the Underground Railroad hid messages within the lyrics of
spirituals and folk songs (such as “Steal Away” and “Follow the Drinking Gourd”). If themaster on a plantation discovered that one of his slaves had escaped, the other slaves wouldsing the spiritual “Wade in the Water.” When slaves on other plantations heard the singing,they would begin singing too. This was a signal to the runaway that it was time to head forthe river in order to throw the bloodhounds off his or her scent.
Slaves sang spirituals in two churches: the visible and the invisible. The visible church was thechurch of the white denominations. It also included some mixed congregations where bothBlacks and Whites worshipped together. The invisible church included the places whereenslaved people met secretly, in praise houses and cabins known as “hush harbors.” Hereslaves muffled their voices with wet quilts and rags; an iron pot or kettle could also act as asound barrier.
The revival songs, camp meeting songs, and hymns sung in American Protestant churchesduring the mid-1800s all used the call-and-response style. Sung to a familiar melody, the musicwas “lined out” from the words of the psalm text, one line at a time, for the people in the con-gregation. This was especially important to the members of the church who could not read.The members of the church would sing back the words from the psalm text, one line at a time.
Many spirituals were also sung using the musical style of call-and-response: the leaderwould sing the call and the group would sing back the response. The leader also made upthe words for new verses, which the group would then answer. Since only a few peoplewere able to read the hymnal, this style was helpful. One example of a call-and-responsespiritual is “Ezekiel Saw De Wheel”:
Ezekiel saw de wheel,‘Way up in the mid’l of de air,Ezekiel saw de wheel,‘Way up in de mid’l of de air.De big wheel run by faith,An’ de lit’l’ wheel run by the grace of God, A wheel in a wheel‘Way in the mid’l of de air.
Spirituals were an integral part of the enslaved people’s prayer meeting, and they are stillcherished today for their religious sentiments. Spirituals speak of going to a happier placeand of having a better life after death. They are also rhythmic and fun to sing, and they arepart of the past that African Americans want to continue to preserve.
LLEESSSSOONN DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT
11.. MMoottiivvaattiioonn:: Distribute SSttuuddeenntt RReessoouurrccee SShheeeett 11, Secret Messages – 1, and SSttuuddeennttRReessoouurrccee SShheeeett 22, Secret Messages – 2. Half of the class should receive SSttuuddeenntt RReessoouurrcceeSShheeeett 11, and the other half should receive SSttuuddeenntt RReessoouurrccee SShheeeett 22. Distribute SSttuuddeenntt
RReessoouurrccee SShheeeett 44, Secret Codes and “Oh, Won’t You Sit Down.” Give students time tounscramble the message. (See TTeeaacchheerr RReessoouurrccee SShheeeettss 11 aanndd 22 for the answers.)
Ask students: What are secret codes? Why are they used?
22.. Sing “Wade In The Water.” Tell the students that there is a secret code in this spiritual, andask them if they can guess what the code is telling the slaves.
33.. Explain to the students that spirituals were songs with coded messages that were used tohelp slaves escape to freedom. The secret code in “Wade In The Water” told slaves thatthey could keep the bloodhounds from following their scent by walking in the stream or river.
44.. TTeeaacchheerr RReessoouurrccee SShheeeett 33, Spirituals, is to be used at this point. Hand out a copy of thegraph to each student, and have individuals read the circles aloud. Or fill out the graphwith the class using prior knowledge. Discuss with the class, and pass out SSttuuddeennttRReessoouurrccee SShheeeett 33, Spiritual Worksheet, for each student to complete, offering individualhelp when needed.
55.. Read or sing the spiritual, “Oh, Won’t You Sit Down.” Discuss how some words may havemore than one meaning (e.g., “Moses” meant “Harriet Tubman,” “hypocrite” referred toslave owners, who would be kind to one another yet treat slaves unfairly and harshly).
66.. Explain the use of call-and-response, syncopation, and a cappella in music and particularly in spirituals.
77.. Have students identify the call-and-response, syncopation, and a cappella elements in thesong ”Good News,” “Ezekiel Saw de [the] Wheel,” or another spiritual.
88.. Have students identify the possible code words of the song “Good News” and discussthese. (See TTeeaacchheerr RReessoouurrccee SShheeeett 44 for possible interpretations of “Good News” or“This Train.”)
99.. Distribute SSttuuddeenntt RReessoouurrccee SShheeeett 44, Code Words, and discuss how codes were used inslave spirituals. Direct students to look at the lyrics to “Good News” again. Ask them toexplain the hidden message in “Good News.” (You may also wish to decode “This Train.”)
1100.. Divide students into five groups. Using SSttuuddeenntt RReessoouurrccee SShheeeett 66, Spirituals – Songs,each group should decode a different spiritual. After all groups have finished, discusstranslations as a class.
1111.. Sing “Oh, Won’t You Sit Down,” with half of the class singing the call and the other halfsinging the response. An optional part of this step is to have one group sing the call whileanother group plays the response as noted on SSttuuddeenntt RReessoouurrccee SShheeeett 44 (OptionalMelody Instrument Part). Instruments such as melody bells and recorders are suggested.
1122.. AAsssseessssmmeenntt: Have groups compose lyrics to a spiritual that uses code words to convey a secret message. The message should help a slave escape or have hope during the time of slavery.
1133.. CClloossuurree: Have groups share their spirituals with the class. As each group shares, theremaining students should determine the secret message in the spiritual.
TTHHOOUUGGHHTTFFUULL AAPPPPLLIICCAATTIIOONNSS
• Contemporary spirituals are still sung today. How are they used today? (gospel music, hymns, concert solos, suites in orchestral music)
• What does music, such as spirituals, do for people? (unifies, gives a group identity, teaches,inspires, expresses emotion, creates connections to other cultures)
LLEESSSSOONN EEXXTTEENNSSIIOONNSS
• The music heard in the exhibits of the “Things Hold, Lines Connect” installation speak to the spiritual needs as much as to the earthly concerns of African Americans throughout their history. Students should look and listen elsewhere in the exhibitions of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum for instances where spirituals and hymns have informed, inspired, or celebrated freedom and/or resistance in the American experience.
• Dramatize one of the spirituals and perform it for the class.
• Listen to authentic performances of spirituals, such as those on a Fisk Jubilee Singers’ CD.
• A secular coded song (best known for its use in the passages of the Underground Railroad), “Follow The Drinking Gourd,” may be introduced, performed, and decoded.
• Perform arrangements of various spirituals. An excellent resource for spirituals using Orff instruments is Expressions of Freedom (Hal Leonard: 09970235).
Good news!Chariot’s a comin’And I don’t want it to leave me behind.
IInntteerrpprreettaattiioonn::
Chariot – the Underground Railroad or wagons for traveling to freedom; usually came out at night to take the slaves to the North
Good news – happy news, great news
From the liner notes of African American Music: A Demonstration Recording by Dr. Willis James (ASCH Records, 1970).
““TThhiiss TTrraaiinn””
VERSE 1: This train is bound for glory, this train (Repeat)
This train is bound for glory, I’m not telling you a story
This train is leaving, get on board.
VERSE 2: This train don’t carry sleepers, this train. (Repeat)
This train don’t carry sleepers, its got none but righteous people,
This train is leaving, get on board.
IInntteerrpprreettaattiioonn::
“Train” stands for Underground Railroad and for traveling to freedom. “Sleepers” is a name for a sleeping car; however, in this song it can mean someone who wants to escape yet is afraid of all the danger and difficulties in trying to gain freedom.
“Righteous peoples” are people who do what is right no matter how difficult.
Study the graphic organizer about spirituals and sing a spiritual in class. Work independently or in a group to answer the following questions about this unique African American music.
1. Spirituals are religious folk songs. (Circle the correct letter)
a. True b. False
2. Spirituals were created in Africa. (Circle the correct letter)
a. True b. False
3. Africans were taken from their country to come to America as slaves. Their lives were sodifficult, yet when they came into contact with the Christian religion, the Bible stories theylearned made a great impression. They began to create and sing spirituals because;
(Circle the letter with the best answer)
a. they liked the way they were being treated
b. they could express their religious feelings through music
c. they wanted to entertain themselves and their listeners
4. How were spirituals used to help slaves escape to freedom?(Write your answer below)
5. If the African American slaves had not created their own specialmusic, perhaps Americans would not have the hip hop, rock, jazz,blues, and popular music they enjoy today.
