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Session Description
The second plenary address given on the first day of the conference.
What today's gospel music is, and what it is becoming, is part of the continuing evolution of African American music. Robert Darden calls it "religion with rhythm." I will attempt to illustrate the evolution of a musical style that only occasionally slows its evolution enough to be classified before it evolves once again. In historical terms, Black gospel music originated in the slave songs, field hollers, and Negro spirituals in the early 19th century that sustained the slaves and perpetuated an African American culture. At the end of the 19th century, this music had incorporated Protestant hymns, sung on Southern plantations, and later at camp meetings and churches. By the 20th century, gospel music had become and is becoming the most dominant music. The singing and instrumental styles across the American popular culture are all represented.
Conference Title
2008 Calvin Symposium on Worship
Event Date
1-24-2008
Event Type
Workshop/Seminar
Type (recording/text)
Recording
Subject Area
Music
Topic
Culturally-Contextual Worship
Keywords:
gospel, African American, worship music
Recommended Citation
Abbington, James, "One Hundred Years of Gospel in One Hour" (2008). Symposium on Worship Archive. 35.
https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/uni-cicw-symposium/2008/allitems/35
One Hundred Years of Gospel in One Hour
The second plenary address given on the first day of the conference.
What today's gospel music is, and what it is becoming, is part of the continuing evolution of African American music. Robert Darden calls it "religion with rhythm." I will attempt to illustrate the evolution of a musical style that only occasionally slows its evolution enough to be classified before it evolves once again. In historical terms, Black gospel music originated in the slave songs, field hollers, and Negro spirituals in the early 19th century that sustained the slaves and perpetuated an African American culture. At the end of the 19th century, this music had incorporated Protestant hymns, sung on Southern plantations, and later at camp meetings and churches. By the 20th century, gospel music had become and is becoming the most dominant music. The singing and instrumental styles across the American popular culture are all represented.