spirituals
Sacred plantation music
Spirituals are religious folk songs that originated among enslaved African Americans, blending African musical traditions with Christian themes.
They often expressed longing for freedom, both spiritual and earthly: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Go Down, Moses.
Spirituals laid groundwork for gospel music and influenced blues and jazz.
Religious songs of worship
- anthemsOfficial ceremonial songs
- chantsRepeated rhythmic phrases
- psalmsReligious songs of praise
- choirOrganized group of singers
gospel · worship · praise · singing · vocal · acapella · harmony · call-and-response
Large-scale farming operation
- bondageInvoluntary subjugation to another
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
oppression · liberation · escape · sorrow · resilience · endurance · perseverance · survival
Deliverance from harm
- redemptionRecovery or moral restoration
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- faithTrust without proof
- heavenSky or bliss
deliverance · prayer · Jesus · Lord · glory · testimony · righteousness · baptism
Alternating musical exchange
- syncopationStressed unexpected beats
- pentatonicScale of five tones
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
- rhythmPatterned stress and silence
clapping · polyrhythm · repetition · verse-chorus · solo · unison · tempo · arrangement
hymns
Religious songs of worship
choir · gospel · worship · praise · singing · vocal · acapella · harmony · call-and-response · jubilee
plantation
Large-scale farming operation
- bondageInvoluntary subjugation to another
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- freedomAbsence of constraint
suffering · oppression · liberation · escape · sorrow · resilience · endurance · perseverance · survival · abolition
salvation
Deliverance from harm
- redemptionRecovery or moral restoration
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- faithTrust without proof
heaven · deliverance · prayer · Jesus · Lord · glory · testimony · righteousness · baptism · resurrection
call-and-response
Alternating musical exchange
- syncopationStressed unexpected beats
- pentatonicScale of five tones
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
rhythm · clapping · polyrhythm · repetition · verse-chorus · solo · unison · tempo · arrangement · performance
tradition
Custom passed through generations
- oral-historyRecorded firsthand accounts
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- legacyWhat's passed down
culture · roots · community · preservation · blues · jazz · influence · diaspora · identity · storytelling
- sacred musichymns, hymn, anthem, anthems, gospel
- Folk Hymnsfolk hymns, revival hymns, Amazing Grace, congregational singing
- sacred choralmotets, chapel choir, masses, requiems, motet
- sacred hymnshymn singing, psalm, hymnals, canticle, hymnbooks
- songssong, songs, tune, folk ballads, melody
- 1800s AmericaOregon Trail, Trail of Tears, transcontinental railroad, Civil War, Abraham Lincoln
spiritualsoratorios
Large-scale sacred vocal works
cantatas · Gregorian chant · anthems · motets
spiritualswork songs
Music accompanying manual labor
blues · ragtime · dance music · jazz · drinking songs
- spiritual enlightenmentProfound transcendent awareness
- spiritual counselingGuidance on matters of faith
- spiritual journeyPursuit of transcendent meaning
- spiritual traditionsEstablished systems of sacred practice
- spiritual redemptionSoul restored to grace
- spiritual textsReligious writings and teachings
spiritual, spirituality, spiritually, spiritualism, spiritualist, unspiritual, spiritualize, spiritualistic, nonspiritual