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A Focus on Music in Worship

defines Black gospel music as “the twentieth-century Black community and its response to those conditions.
form of African American religious music that evolved Simply put, what Black people are singing religiously
in urban cities following the Great Migration of Blacks will provide a clue as to what is happening to them so-
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from the agrarian South in the period surrounding ciologically.” When Black gospel music emerged in the
World Wars I and II.” The religious folk songs of slav- first part of the twentieth century, Blacks were faced
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ery were sung in fields, cabins, and the hush harbors with several challenges, both sociological and econom-
of the invisible church. This new religious music (that ic. It is no wonder that songs like “The Lord Will Make
would later be called “gospel” music) evolved from the a Way Somehow” by Dorsey and “Trouble In My Way
spiritual and the blackenized Euro-American “hymns (Jesus Will Fix It)” by Clifton Jones resonate with the
of improvisation,” developing in urban centers such as struggles of the Black community.
Chicago and Detroit. Musically, one must recognize the evolution of gos-
Walker describes this music as “Euro-American pel music as having its roots in the spirituals tradition

hymns whose message of hope and inspiration spoke and hymnody, and later influenced by the blues. The
to Black Christians and whose original musical and po- music grew out of African and African American tradi-
etic forms lent themselves to Black ‘improvisation.’” 5 tions of call-and-response, adaptation, improvisation,
“It is these “Euro-American hymns” that were adapt- and communal engagement. As Walker points out, as
ed by the Black religious community by injecting Black early as the music of Negro Spirituals, Black sacred
cultural idioms such as changing the original, written song comments on the social condition of the Black
rhythms, use of syncopation, melodic embellishments, community. Even today, gospel music largely refl ects
harmonic substitutions, tempo adjustments (either the socioeconomic state of the Black community, as
faster or slower), and even the interjection of vocal af- evinced by Grammy Award-winning artist Kirk Frank-
firmations such as “yes” and “oh.” In the case of the lin’s 2016 hit “Wanna Be Happy?” While the song may

hymn “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” with text by be targeted primarily toward a secular audience, one
Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915), the prompting line (or cannot and should not ignore the themes of frustra-
call by a leader) of “I’m crying/I’m calling” appears tion, disappointment, and hopelessness present in the
before the refrain. lyrical content that the religious audience contend with
One cannot ignore the influence of the blues. Thom- as well.

as A. Dorsey (1899-1993), a blues musician whom Gospel music, too, serves to praise and honor God.
many acknowledge as the “Father of Gospel Music,” Scriptural text is foundational to good gospel music,
ushered in a new era of Black sacred song that was a and entreats God to save, heal, comfort, deliver, and
melding of the blues with religious hymns that resulted conquer that which oppresses and suppresses God’s
in this emergent sound. Dorsey’s impact on this new people. While this is certainly true, from its inception,
genre was so great that early on, all gospel songs were a universal theme that Black gospel music conveys is
referred to as “Dorsey songs.” hope: hope in the midst of despair, as the Black com-
During the period of the Great Depression, Black munity wrestles with financial, social, political, and

people were economically aff ected disproportionate- health challenges in the midst of a society that dis-
ly to whites. Thomas Dorsey famously said that this enfranchises and oppresses us perpetually. As did the
music should be called gospel, which means “good Negro Spiritual before it, Black gospel music serves to
news.” There certainly was a need for “good news” in encourage a community that faces daily struggles, and
the Black community at the time. Indeed, the subtitle from the music, the people gain strength and inspira-
of writer Anthony Helibut’s book The Gospel Sound is tion to face another day. To understand Black gospel
“good news and bad times.” Walker in his book Some- music, one must never overlook its cultural origins or
body’s Calling My Name states, “A survey of the musical its sociohistoric placement as music for those in need
content of the Black religious experience can serve as of hope in a time of great despair.
an accurate commentary of what was happening to the

CHORAL JOURNAL June/July 2021 Volume 61 Number 11 11