Outline

Introduction

Discussion and Analysis

Gospel Music

Background

The situation after the American Civil War (1861-1865)

Gospel Music African American History and Culture

Style

Changes in Gospel Music

The Current State of Gospel Music

Genres

Conclusion

African Music Tradition: Gospel Music

Introduction

Africa is a heterogeneous, with great ethnic and cultural diversity, made ??up of 52 independent nations, a thousand languages ??and at least five major cultural groups. Although it is 15 km. Europe, never have so few kilometers created such a distance, there is great ignorance of the different peoples, cultures, art forms found on this continent. Its recent history is marked by such important events as the involuntary mass exodus of citizens as slaves to Europe and America and Western colonization of much of its territory is recovering gradually "independence" throughout the twentieth century.

According to Warrick, African music has been led by musicians all over the world, especially Europe and America, emerging from these contacts, styles as relevant to contemporary music such as blues, jazz, reggae, country, Cuban music and America in general, etc.

If Western music began to colonize Africa in the first half of the nineteenth century will be primarily in the second half of the s. XX, in the postcolonial era arises the consciousness of African identity, equal valuing African traditions and outsiders, getting a real inter-cultureless arising from the large current music scene, rich both in traditional less westernized cultural events, such as those arising from the merger and exchange, the latter being very popular in the West (Warrick, pp 78-90).

Discussion and Analysis

African-American religious music grew out of the spirituals sung by slaves. Gospel singers expand on the original melodies of their songs with screams, moans, and shouts, in addition to regular interjected comments such as "Lord, have mercy." The music is also accompanied by clapping, dancing, and stomping. Early gospel songwriters include Charles Tindley, whose composition "I'll Overcome Someday" may have been the foundation for "We Shall Overcome," the anthem of the Civil Rights movement. Tindley also wrote "Stand by me." In the 1930s, a blues pianist named Thomas A. Dorsey wrote what he called "Gospel Songs," in which he linked hymns and spirituals to blues and jazz. He also established the first gospel choir. Dorsey's work became extremely popular thanks in part to singers like Mahalia Jackson, who toured with him. Another singer, Rev. James Cleveland, who is known as the "Godfather of Gospel," founded the annual Gospel Music Workshop of America, which helped trigger the popularity of the gospel mass and community choirs.

Gospel quartets, another critical element in gospel music, developed out of the male jubilee groups of the late 1800s, and gained enormous popularity with the availability o phonograph records. Many major recording artists got their start in gospel music, and many more have been influenced by it. Singers like Sam Cooke and Wilson Pickett began in gospel quartets. Famous Gospel performers include The Staple Singers, The Sensational Nightingales, Aretha Franklin, Shirley Caesar, Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, Blind Willie Johnson, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Al Green, ...