African American Music
As an African, In spirit and in truth: the music of African American worship answered many questions I had concerning the value of music in African Traditional religions. Traditional music and dance are two of the most cherished elements of the Ghanaian culture, and it is refreshing to know that there is a deep significance behind the music, instruments, and rhythmic movements of African people. When a traveler spends a day in Ghana, he or she would experience a variety of avenues where music and dance dominate. At the market place, in schools, in restaurants, and during weddings, or naming ceremonies, people play music and dance their hearts out. Costen states that Africans express their life experiences through music and dance, and I can agree with the claim. Furthermore, one thing that makes African music and dance even more exciting is the communal aspect of it. You would never find one African dancing alone; once a person starts playing music and dancing, there is a ripple effect that is felt among …show more content…
It grasps the complex and deep essence of African American music and relays it to readers in a very simple and understandable way. As a reader, this helped me to gain a new perspective about African American music. It also helped me to eliminate certain stereotypes I knew about their style of worship. Costen states the hymnody was designed to express the attitude of believers about God.(51). This is a clear example of the expressive form of worship. By singing the hymns, African Americans are able to express their joy, lament, and adoration to God. Costen also argues that spirituals are spontaneous testimonials and documentation of existential experiences, theological beliefs, and attitudes. When African Americans sing spirituals, they somehow commemorate their past experiences. They savor the significance of God’s love which resulted in their freedom from slavery. Singing spirituals is a type of zikaron, in my
How Did Lawrence W. Levine Impact On American Culture
752 Words | 4 PagesWhite American always try to race over black and white even in tall dark, lotion, oils and all other basic stuff. Levine spend little time with Afro people, they separated them sleeve with other culture. “This was especially the case in slavery times, thus accounting for the abundance of antebellum black song and story, religious and secular. The origin of the spirituals (a long-disputed matter) is given due attention by Levine, followed by a descriptive analysis of their role in the thought world of the slaves. The spirituals were not without their escapist overtones, their narcotic pull.
Julian Mitchell
455 Words | 2 PagesIs It Time to Reconsider the Bible's Role in Black America? Julian Mitchell is a content marketer who worked with Sean "Diddy" Combs to launch REVOLT Media & TV. Mitchell says that he shaped the network's voice as its Editorial Director. Now, he wants to reshape your beliefs about Christianity, the Bible, and the church.
How Did Gospel Music Affect African American Culture
1927 Words | 8 PagesWhen African Americans sing Gospel music, it comes from deep within. It comes from the soul and from experience. It is thus, this experience of Gospel music by African Americans that I will discuss
African American Music
777 Words | 4 PagesMost African American songs can be best represented as when all the Africans would get together, and make songs that made them happy, and the audience would be able to sing along or dance to the beat. African American musical traditions represented in early spiritual practices were viewed in a good way because before singing the leader would sing a line and the others would follow and repeat the leader. Or they would also use the call- and response technique. Although, many of the European Americans liked the music from the African Americans some of them were threatened by it or opposed it, they decided or come up with new ideas for music of their own. When there was a performance happening there would be hand-clapping, yelling, dancing, and singing, people would start joining into the music.
Song Of Deborah And Az Yashir
779 Words | 4 PagesMusic can affect us in a variety of ways, one of the most common being inspiring us. Biblical songs were mostly made to praise G-d, however, some also inspire us to understand the capabilities of the Jewish people. The songs, “Song of Deborah”, and “Az Yashir”, tell the tales of the Jewish people overcoming a powerful foe through the assistance of G-d and individual representations of bravery. These songs inspire us to act and do what we believe is the righteous and important.
African American Gospel Music
992 Words | 4 PagesSlave owners forbid African Americans from using their traditional ancestral instruments and music, and this produced the new African American style of music, gospel. Before gospel became the black mainstream music of the 20th century, black churches were the only safe place for African Americans to praise God as a congregation without the fear of white intrusion. Slaves shared stories of their horrible living conditions through gospel songs. They believed that by enduring the struggles of everyday life, they will be rewarded with life after death in heaven with God. Slavery’s deleterious effect on African Americans fueled the creation of gospel music, which became an effective and resourceful medium for slaves to spread God’s good news throughout
Rhetorical Analysis On Just Mercy
1272 Words | 6 PagesMusical hymns have a long past of being something dear to African Americans as during slavery's most prominent years vocal iteration was the only way they could communicate as they were illiterate and could not simply write them down this also served as a form of hope to them. Stevenson uses this at the beginning of the novel when he is first introduced to a death row inmate as stated in the following quote “He began to sing. He had a tremendous baritone voice that was strong and clear. It startled me and the guard, who stopped his pushing. I’m pressing on, the upward way New Heights I’m gaining, everyday Still praying as I’m onward bound Lord, plant my feet on Higher Ground.
Comparative Essay Things Fall Apart
1384 Words | 6 PagesThe central idea of music and dance in Igbo culture becomes very apparent when it talks about how, "the drums were still beating, persistent and unchanging. Their sound was no longer a separate thing from the living village. It was like the pulsation of its heart. It throbbed in the air, in the sunshine, and even in the trees, and filled the village with excitement" (34). This is how the community's celebrations bring the Igbo people together in their culture.
Mississippi Goddam Protest Song
2439 Words | 10 PagesHowever, it is also possible that much of the song’s controversy can be attributed to its lack of double meaning in its lyrics, which speak clearly and angrily about the racist ideologies of the post-war South. The use of double meaning in African American music, particularly spirituals, was very common. For example, many spirituals speak of finding freedom and being liberated from sin. To white listeners, these lyrics represent salvation in heaven and freedom from sin .
Creolization In African American Music
215 Words | 1 PagesCreolization is the blending of language or music from two or more separate groups and as a result, what was once two separate cultures becomes an entirely new one. In music specifically, this occurs when the people start using the language or music from the other culture, in small bits, until over time, they create a new music style completely different from the two earlier ones. Much of today’s African-American music is a result of this blending of cultures from one country to another over time. Creole cultures, although modern, are uniquely connected to the past and the traditions of previous generations but can be considered a “hybrid” of what once was. Another form of creolization occurs when a lower-class music form begins to be adopted
Analysis Of It's A Long John
1180 Words | 5 PagesThe history of people of African descent within the United States is long with many highs and lows. In the early times of American history, thousands of Africans were bought to work on plantations in southeastern America. While the slaves were taken from their homes in Africa, their culture, especially their music, remained within them and was passed on from generation to generation. These people eventually created a specific type of music that helped many carry on with their work efficiently, helped them relieve the monotony of their job either while out in the cotton fields or working on the railroads, and allowed them to communicate with other slaves and express their emotions. This great form of music eventually would lead to the creation
The Role Of Music In The Civil Rights Movement
875 Words | 4 PagesMusic is not only used to capture peoples hearing but it is used to power peoples minds through the power of an individuals voice. Music served a critical role in the African American’s lives, as it was used to uplift their spirits as well as providing them with hope and strength to fight for civil rights and overcome segregation between white superiority and the unfair treatment of the inferior black. Music was defined as the voice of the people that lived through the oppression of the civil rights movement. During the civil rights movement, there were many different types of music genres sung, dependent on the culture, this included spiritual music; gospel and even folk music, which was performed by musicians, singers and even people of any musical talents. Through this, it brought about the uniting of people to join together and sing songs that helped them go through the oppression of the civil rights movement.
Essay On Gospel Music
661 Words | 3 PagesI did not understand the meaning of the lyrics being sung, or better yet screamed. The rhythms and melodies’ did not come across as pleasing as Disney songs, and they definitely did not carry my imagination to an enchanted world. During my youth, Gospel music was something I became a fan of, only because of the fact that I looked up to my grandma; I wanted to be just like my grandma and becoming a fan of Gospel music made me feel as if I was closer to being just like her. I was a big fan of the music my mom listened to: country and pop. It was something that brought my mother and I together.
The Globalization Of Popular Music Analysis
1706 Words | 7 PagesDifferent types of music have shaped how people in different areas can use it to fit their own needs. As the world continues
Contribution Of Art In Understanding Society
752 Words | 4 PagesRhythmic music from tribes in Africa and Native America can definitely show us the energetic and vibrant lifestyles of the people living there. The change in musical styles throughout the years can also show changes in society and values embedded in people’s lives at that time. Take China as an example. During the Great Leap Forward, under the control of the Chairman of the Communist Party, Mao Zedong, numerous songs about the glory of People’s Republic of China and Mao’s achievements were published. These songs promoted socialism and nationalism to the less cultured Chinese at that time, and successfully changed their mindset.
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