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  1. Library of Congress
    https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197495

    African American Spirituals - Library of Congress

    • A spiritual is a type of religious folksong that is most closely associated with the enslavement of African people in the American South. The songs proliferated in the last few decades of the eighteenth century le… See more

    Origin

    Famous spirituals include \"Swing low, sweet chariot,\" composed by a Wallis Willis, and \"Deep down in my heart.\" The term \"spiritual\" is derived from the King James Bibl… See more

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    Musical style

    Spirituals are typically sung in a call and response form, with a leader improvising a line … See more

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    Songs

    Spirituals are also sometimes regarded as codified protest songs, with songs such as \"Steal away to Jesus,\" composed by Wallis Willis, being seen by some commentat… See more

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    Quotes

    As Frederick Douglass, a nineteenth century abolitionist author and former slave, wrote in his book My Bondage and My Freedom (1855) of singing spirituals during his years in bondage: … See more

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    Influence

    The publication of collections of spirituals in the 1860s started to arouse a broader interested in spirituals. In the 1870s, the creation of the Jubilee Singers, a chorus consisting o… See more

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    Table of Contents
    Origin
    Musical style
    Songs
    Quotes
    Influence
     
  1. African American spirituals are religious folksongs most closely associated with the enslavement of African people in the American South1. These songs emerged during the slavery years and incorporated English language and Christian religious faith2. They reflect a mix of the brutal institution of slavery, Christian influences, and African culture3. Some spirituals refer to the Underground Railroad, which helped slaves escape, and harmonized versions were developed after the American Civil War4.
    Learn more:
    A spiritual is a type of religious folksong that is most closely associated with the enslavement of African people in the American South. The songs proliferated in the last few decades of the eighteenth century leading up to the abolishment of legalized slavery in the 1860s.

    African American Spirituals | Library of C…

    www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197495/
    From 1619 to 1865, enslaved African Americans created their own unique form of expression known today as African American Spirituals. As African Americans were not allowed to speak their native languages or play African instruments, African American Spirituals incorporated into the English language and the Christian religious faith.

    Study the history of Africa and African A…

    www.africanamericanspirituals.com/African-Ameri…
    Songs originating during the slavery years in the United States, 1600 through 1870, are generally categorized as plantation, sorrow and jubilee songs; however, the use of these melodies goes beyond those labels. African-American spirituals emerged from a mix of the brutal institution of slavery, Christian influences and African culture.

    Part of history, African-American spiritual…

    www.umc.org/en/content/part-of-history-african-am…
    Some Negro spirituals refer to the Underground Railroad, an organization that helped slaves run away. After the American Civil War, Black spirituals were "discovered" by Northerners, and harmonized versions were developed. Often sung by trained choirs, the older traditional style was preserved, especially in rural areas and certain sects.

    The 'Black Spiritual' In America, a story - …

    aaregistry.org/story/coming-home-the-black-spiritual/
     
  2. People also ask
    What is the earliest form of African American religious music?
    The earliest form of African American religious music, the spiritual, also called Negro spiritual, comprises two forms—folk and concert. The folk spiritual is a form of improvised music, spontaneously created by individuals and groups.

    History of Folk Spiritual - Timeline of African American Music

    timeline.carnegiehall.org
    What is an African American spiritual?
    The African American spiritual (also called the Negro Spiritual) constitutes one of the largest and most significant forms of American folksong. Famous spirituals include " Swing low, sweet chariot," composed by a Wallis Willis, and " Deep down in my heart."

    African American Spirituals - Library of Congress

    loc.gov
    Did African Americans have spiritual music?
    If the folk spiritual, the earliest form of African American religious music, was the music of the enslaved, then the arranged spiritual of post-Civil War African Americans was its offspring. Since the 1800s, spirituals have been central to the lives of African Americans.

    Concert Spiritual - Timeline of African American Music

    timeline.carnegiehall.org
    What is African American spiritual sung?
    The African American spiritual (also called the Negro Spiritual) constitutes one of the largest and most significant forms of American folksong. Sung by Florida Hampton, recorded in Alabama by John and Ruby Lomax, 1939. An example of a spiritual sung in traditional fashion.

    Spirituals | Ritual and Worship | Musical Styles | Articles and Essays

    loc.gov
    Why do enslaved people sing spirituals?
    Initially passed down orally, spirituals of the enslaved have been central in the lives of African Americans for over three centuries, serving religious, cultural, social, political, and historical functions. By engaging in the singing of spirituals, the participant experienced a form of freedom.

    History of Folk Spiritual - Timeline of African American Music

    timeline.carnegiehall.org
    How were Spirituals created?
    Spirituals were created by a "circumscribed community of people in bondage", over time they became known as the first "signature" music of the United States. [ 14 ] Forbidden to speak their native languages, they generally converted to Christianity.

    Spirituals - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org
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  3. Ballad of America
    https://balladofamerica.org/spirituals

    Spirituals: About the Genre - Ballad of America

     
  4. Carnegie Hall
    https://timeline.carnegiehall.org/genres/folk-spiritual

    History of Folk Spiritual — Timeline of African American Music

  5. Wikipedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituals

    Spirituals - Wikipedia

  6. Library of Congress
    https://www.loc.gov/.../ritual-and-worship/spirituals

    Spirituals | Ritual and Worship | Musical Styles | Articles and …

  7. New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/t-magazine/...

    Black Spirituals as Poetry and Resistance - The New York Times

  8. Carnegie Hall
    https://timeline.carnegiehall.org/genres…

    History of Concert Spiritual - Timeline of African …

    Since the 1800s, spirituals have been central to the lives of African Americans. The folk spiritual served various functions—religious, cultural, social, political, and historical—but was largely sung in a non-public, somewhat sequestered …

  9. Library Guides at University of Denver
    https://libguides.du.edu/spirituals

    African American Spirituals: Cultural, Historical, and Musical ...