THYG 592 African-American Spirituals: Context & Analysis
Spirituals are religious folksongs created in the 19th century by African peoples who were enslaved on plantations in the American South. Over the years, composers have found inspiration from these songs, writing arrangements for chorus, for voice and piano, and instrumental works based on the Spirituals. Others have incorporated spirituals in larger works, or composed in a manner consistent with the character of the Spirituals.
In this course, we will explore the historical context for this music and music-making. We will engage works from a number of composers, in particular: John W. Work III, Harry T. Burleigh, J. Rosamond Johnson, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, R. Nathaniel Dett, Hall Johnson, William Dawson, Moses Hogan and William Grant Still. Activities will include reading, analysis, writing and model composition. The point of composition activities is not to “use” the model as a launching pad for our own creativity, but rather as a means for a deeper understanding of the creativity of those studied. The greatest compliment will be for our work to be recognized by an informed listener as being resonant with the artists emulated. Work of African American musicologists and theorists will be centered.
Because this music is intercultural—an amalgamation of forms common to plantation life such as the “ring shout,” features of African musics, and the hymn and praise songs of the American white church–we will draw on analytical tools tied to these repertoires. Guest speakers steeped in the performance practice of the African American Spiritual will give participants the opportunity to consider how performance affects analysis.
Notes
General Education (GE) Eligible