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It is almost impossible to identify the author of a spiritual or to pinpoint its original form. Typically, spirituals are created by nonprofessional musicians, changed by other singers and passed along from one generation to the next. As the song is passed along it starts to change. The changes that take place become a part of the original song and eventually the music takes on a different form. Over the span of years the authors' names are forgotten. The composer who wishes to create a new spiritual has three main choices in creating it.
Consciously or unconsciously, he or she may, (1) improvise upon a song already in existence; (2) combine material from several old songs to make the new one; or (3) compose the song entirely of new materials. The African tradition favours the first process. Improvisation is a big factor in this tradition that changes are made with each new performance. The melody of a song often serves as ever changing structure for the text. Slave spirituals were included in the African tradition of improvisation.
Much of the evidence indicates that a large number of the slave songs represent "variations upon a theme." Many spirituals are all combinations and variations of other songs. No doubt many of these songs were brought over from Africa and passed down from parents to children. Almost every contemporary source contains references to slaves born in Africa who helped to keep African traditions alive in their communities. Moreover, the fact that new slaves were continuously being brought over into the 1860 s helped to revive traditions that were in danger of dying out. To return to the choices available to the spiritual composer, it seems that the black composer might often used the first technique in producing the spirituals. Which consisted of taking a spiritual and improvising to create a new spiritual.
When the Africans were brought over into slavery they were forced to take on their masters religion. The Africans used many the hymns that were sung in church and integrated them into their songs. The following hymn was popular among black slaves as far back as 1801, when it was published in Richard Allen's hymnal, and through the years of slavery it was cited several times as a favorite among black singers. The falling stars their orbits leave, After singing this hymn, the slave composer realizes the significance of the events that will take place on Judgment Day according to the text, and has a personal response, "My Lord, what a morning! The slave composer then uses motives from the hymn but rephrased the slave's own words.
The result is an entirely new song with its own form and music. To wake the nations underground, Looking to my Gods right hand, When the stars begin to fall. To wake the nations underground, Looking to my Gods right hand, When the stars begin to fall. A good example of changing an existing song and improvising to make a new one is Jacobs Ladder. This is the main theme behind Jacobs ladder: It is a straight forward piece of music written in the key of C major and in Common Time.
Each restatement of the phrase We are climbing Jacobs ladder, steps up a certain increments to give the feeling that there is actually a climbing action. The basic pattern of notes stays somewhat the same. In each statement the tonic note is played for 1, 3, 1 beats, then moves down a major 3 rd for 3 beats and the moves up a perfect fifth for 1, 3, 1 beats. The next statement starts a major 2 nd above the tonic note. In the last statement begins a major 6 th above the tonic and stays there formats then move down a major 2 nd for 1 beat and then down a major 2 nd for 3 beats. Each verse is ended with the same phrase that brings together the whole song.
The Staple Singers on the CD Freedom Highway (which you will find on the tape provided) sing their own version of Jacobs Ladder. One of the first differences that is noticed is the addition of new words. "Rise and shine, give God the glory are added as a first verse to the song, but the following two verses are found in the original. The fourth verse is variation of the ending phrase soldiers of the cross. They have improvised on the words to add their own feeling to the spiritual. The song is also sung in a call and response method. This was very traditional of the slaves working in the fields.
Not only did it help keep the workers going, but it helped to pass time. The instrumentation of this song would have likely been heard in the 1800 s as the guitar was not often found on plantations. Slaves could communicate with each other through the use of drums, and the slave owners did not like this so drums were outlawed. The hand clapping, and foot stomping substituted for the drums, which keep the beat of the African drum going.
In the Staple Singers version of Jacobs Ladder the time signature is changed to 2 / 4, which keeps the song up beat and fun. The song is still played with most of the same stepping pattern that the original had. This is only one rendition of Jacobs ladder, many other groups have preformed this song. Each groups song will sound different and this is a major part of spirituals. Spirituals were ever changing to fit the needs of the people singing the song. Swing Low Sweet Chariot is a good example of a song that would change to fit the needs of the people singing it.
In todays society this song is usually played at a funeral, or the like. In the 1800 s the tempo of this song was slowed down for the purpose of singing at a funeral. The tempo was also sped up to sing as a song in the fields or to sing at a gathering to boost the spirits of the slaves. Sometimes a spiritual will use more than one hymn in making a new spiritual.
In the following example, the hymn In that Great Getting Up Morning serves as a source for all the lines except line 7. 1 When every star refuses to shine, 2 Rocks and mountains don't fall on me; 3 I know that King Jesus will-a be mine, 4 Rocks and mountains don't fall on me. 5 The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall rise, 6 Rocks and mountains don't fall on me; 7 And go to the mansions in-a the skies, 8 Rocks and mountains don't fall on me. The seventh line points to a hymn written by Isaac Watts, and is still a favorite of black congregations today. This is the first verse: These two hymns are pieced together to create a new song. Old spirituals and hymns are pieced together to make new spirituals. In both cases an entirely new song is created. A spiritual is a refashioning of verses and motives from the parent hymn or hymns and not a different version of the hymn.
The spiritual is another type of song with its own text, music, and stylistic features. However, as song collector Thomas W. Higginson pointed out, As they learn...
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