Newsletter - Past Articles
The American Spiritual
by Janet Tevlin, MDC member
February, 2004. Half Notes Newsletter
Fans of John Rutter will be delighted to hear that the Chorale will perform his wonderful arrangement of American Negro spirituals, Feel the Spirit, at the Masterworks Concert on May 16. It is aptly named, for the American Negro sprituals represented in the collection speak to the uncommon strength of the Negro spirit in the years of slavery. A major source of this strength was the spiritual.
Spirituals are the product of a particular time and place and, however updated, remain the story of Negroes in the Western Hemisphere. They are the oral tradition of Negro people in the United States.
The material of spirituals is varied. There are traces of African beliefs and customs. Some of the tunes are remeniscent of Scotish and Irish songs. Hymn writers of the Civil War period influenced spirituals in arrangement, meter, ryhthm, vocabulary and tune. Secular "white" songs of North America possibly influenced spirituals, and great spiritual events of American history were frequent subjects.
Scholars interpret spirituals in a variety of ways. It is evident that the Negro spiritual speaks to the wretched condition of the slaves and their daily lives on the plantation. These songs were often work songs and they were sung in order to relieve long hours of back-breaking work. They also testify to the fact that the slaves were diligent workers and possessed a strong sense of duty.
Another interpretation is a comparison of the slaves of the South with those held in bondage in the Old Testament. It is a safe assumption that all Negro religious songs were understood by the slaves in light of their own condition of servitude. An example is the Israelites' flight to freedom or heavenly salvation. A third interpretation is that the slaves were sending coded messages in a language unknown to whites. Indeed, most scholars believe that the spirituals were a combination of all of these.
One of the spirituals from the Rutter arrangement, “Steal Away”, was much more than a work song. It was a coded message which could be sung across the fields without attracting the critical attention of white overlords. The song was saying "steal away" to a secret meeting place. The meeting place was also described in the coded words. Messages were often sent in this fashion.
Having looked back at the history and charm of the spiritual, the Chorale looks forward to performing Feel the Spirit on May 16. The Rutter arrangement, which includes seven spirituals, is a beautiful tribute to a truly American treasure. Soloist Peggy Dwyer, well known to fans and friends of the Chorale, will join the Chorale in this Masterworks presentation accompanied by the Chorale orchestra of nearly forty instrumentalists.
