What are the 4 styles of gospel music?
There are four styles of gospel music. They include: the traditional gospel, contemporary gospel, quartet gospel, and the praise and worship gospel.
Why is gospel music important?
The enslaved people initially sang gospel music to express their suffering and hope of emancipation from slavery. Today, gospel music forms a crucial part of worship among Christians. It allows them to express and connect with the Supreme Being.
What is traditional gospel music?
Traditional gospel music comprises various forms, including the rural gospel style, gospel hymns, and the Holiness-Pentecostal style. It was common in churches of the blacks in the United States.
What is the difference between gospel and spiritual music?
The difference between gospel and spiritual music is that gospel music is the African-American Christian songs comprised of hymns and other oral traditions. On the other hand, spiritual were songs of hope sung by the enslaved people in the U.S before their emancipation.
Where did gospel music develop?
Gospel music developed in the United States during the slavery era and American Protestantism. The hymns sung by the white settlers and the spirituals sung by the blacks evolved through the centuries to what is known as gospel music.
What is Gospel Music?
Initially, the term gospel music was used to refer to the religious songs sung by the Caucasian and the African-American Christians. The mode of worship in these two groups was similar; however, some differences began to creep in as time went by. Therefore, gospel music can be defined as African-American Christian music. Gospel music comprised the hymns and other songs borrowed from the oral traditions of the African-American culture. This type of music was sung by the enslaved people (during the slavery era in the U.S) while working on the plantations to raise their morale and also seek solace from the pain and suffering of slavery. The term gospel music was familiar and widely used by the end of the 19th century
The History of Gospel Music
The history of gospel music in the United States date back over one hundred years ago. The term ‘gospel’ was coined by Thomas Dorsey in 1921 during the National Baptist Convention. He is known as the father of gospel music and the songwriter of many songs, including ‘Precious Lord.’ The 17th century was dominated by psalm-singing; the hymns were introduced in the 18th century, while the rise of denominational hymns occurred in the 19th century.
The Origin of Gospel Music
Gospel music was born from the traditional hymns and spiritual songs the Africans sang during the slave era. The spirituals were songs of hope sung by the enslaved people before freedom/emancipation. The traditional hymns were introduced in the United States by the Europeans who had settled in North America.
These hymns were composed in a book, and the white Americans sang them during their worship, mostly on Sundays. The singing of these hymns was audible to the enslaved people while on the plantations, and thus they modified them to a call-and-response format. An individual would sing one line of the hymn, and then the entire group would harmoniously repeat it. This gave rise to the Negros spirituals, which later influenced the development of gospel music.
The ‘lining out’ singing style in Scotland also influenced gospel music. This style was employed in singing hymns, especially by the early black Christians who attended churches of the whites. The song leader would sing a portion of the hymn and then be joined in unison by the members who sang in their natural voices. The black Christians later adopted this singing style after establishing their churches.
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