Tuesday, 8 January 2013

Negro Spirituals And The Meaning Behind Them

By Dorothea Garner


There is nothing like old Negro spirituals to get people thinking about the past and present. If you are one that likes to decipher the past, then listen one of these songs will help you uncover the feelings of those who were enslaved years ago. Many African American people still listen to the songs to try to understand the past. Other people just enjoy singing the old hymns because it makes them feel closer to their ancestors.

Times have changed dramatically since these songs were used in the church. Now you will not find a lot of churches use these songs in their choirs. Many who do still allow the songs have changed the tempo of them. There are some that like to be reminded of the past, but there are those who do all they can to forget it.

Songs were a big help to African Americans it got them through difficult times. Most songs were first heard while slaves where out in the fields picking cotton. These songs were often hymns that the older people in the black community would get together and compose. There were some people during those times who had a lot of musical talent. Although it could not be kept on paper they did a great job remembering the information.

Now generations later people are still listening to those songs and wondering what was going on in the minds of their ancestors as they were singing them. There is a lot to be learned by listening to each song. Even the melody to the music tells whether the spirituals were during better times or more difficult times.

Singing was away for people to escape and believe that a change would be coming. Most of the songs looked to a higher being to guide them in a better life or way of living. A lot of slaves actually communicated with one another through songs. If a slave wanted to relate a message to another person without their overseer knowing what they were talking about they would do it in a song.

No one really knows all the details about Negro spirituals. Most of those secrets have died out with the older generation. Those who remember hearing stories as a young child or lived during those times tried to share their understanding and beliefs to their children.

There is one thing certain about the songs and music it was a lot of feelings and heart put into them. It is as if whoever was writing or composing the songs wanted you to know something was going on or needed to be done. Most people believe there was definitely a meaning behind them all.

So, how things are really interpreted today could actually only be what is believed. Regardless of the circumstance, Negro spirituals remain to be some of the most interesting music during that time. It is nothing like the music that we hear and sing today. The music during those earlier times seems to have told a story of life that no one really understood but those who were living it.




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