Gospel+&+Spirituals

=Research Questions:=

__Top 10 Questions:__
Spirituals are mainly come from the slaves. Instead of focusing on Jesus, they would take stories from the bible to uplift their spirits. No one knows who really created the spirituals, while gospel has an identifiable composer. And gospel more wants to tell the story of Jesus, rather than taking stories and putting them into songs that don't focus directly on Jesus, who is mostly the main man in the Bible. Gospel music is a kind of music that is made up of mostly American music that is characterized by different vocals used with a lot of harmony. These vocals are drawn from Christian worship and they usually feature Christian evangelical lyrics. The two major types if gospel music has developed along the basically racial lines. These two types are Urban Gospel, which might be referred to by some as “Black Gospel”. The other kind is Southern Gospel, and it’s other names such as “praise music” and Contemporary Christian music. The importance of gospel varies according to culture and how the society views it. It is made and performed for many reasons that go from pleasure, religious and ceremonial purposes to entertainment for everyday places. But in all of these diverse stylings of the music, there is one theme that is not different in any of them, and that common theme is how they all praise God or Christ. Gospel, as of now, is an evolved form of the Negro Spirituals. Negro Spiritual were a way for the discouraged slaves to keep their hopes and personalities lifted through the hard times. In fact the Negro Spiritual was also a way for those utilizing the Underground Railroad to direct themselves on the right path to freedom. Slaves started singing spirituals in the 1800s. The lyrics of the songs both related to their life and to the Bible. They used different words in their lyrics to hide the song’s real meanings. For example, when they sung about freedom the land that they would be free from was referred to as “My home, sweet Canaan, and the Promised Land”. They also referred to the Underground Railroad. “//Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”// is one of these songs. After slavery was abolished African Americans did not sing spirituals anymore because it reminded them of there life of slavery. Later on in the 1890s churches started appearing that had African influence. These churches were filled with people clapping their hands and stomping their feet. During the Harlem Renaissance spirituals were being improved which started a new genre of music was created from spirituals. Gospel music is songs that are inspired by the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The gospels that the slaves sang could also refer and relate to their daily life. Just because gospel was created spirituals also thrived and many were sung during the Civil Rights rallies. Gospel as a genre hasn't entirely influenced any other musical genres. Although, many genres such hip-hop, rock, blues, and others incorporate many religious themes, such as the gospels into their song writing 5) What was gospel used for, and how did the people use it? Gospel is used to mainly tell the story of Jesus Christ. With these songs the people who sing it, use it to remind themselves to never give up, even when times are rough. 6) Why do people sing gospel?** The reason behind why people sing gospel is because they want to remind themselves of the good news, and they want to praise their Lord Jesus Christ. They also sing for salvation as a way to keep them happy. With the creation of sound studio, gospel is now recorded in albums by many artists, but more traditionally it sung in churches to tell sermons in a more lively manner. 8) Where did gospel start?** Gospel was created in the mid 1900s. The main type of people who sing gospel are those who are devout Christians and want other people to hear the story of their savior. 10) When was gospel at its height of popularity? Gospel was at the height of it's popularity around the time of the Harlem Renaissance when African-Americans sought guidance in their journey to the north. **
 * 1) What are gospels as opposed to spirituals?**
 * 2) What exactly is //gospel//?**
 * 3) How has gospel evolved?**
 * 4) What types of music were influenced by gospel?
 * 7) Where is gospel usually sung?
 * 9) What kind of people sing gospel?

media type="file" key="History.3gp" width="300" height="300" Song by: Green Day, Song Title: 21 Guns

=Research Design:=

Our own knowledge about the subject at hand was found at many different sites. If you visit the bottom of this page, you will be enlightened.



=Thesis/Theses:= Although, gospel is sung by both Caucasians and African-Americans, it's believe that gospel was much more influential to African-Americans. It's believe that gospel was one of those things that kept their spirits lifted when times were tough.

= = =Findings:=

Notable Artists: Thomas A. Dorsey - Widely considered the "Father of Gospel Music" Mahalia Jackson - Who's rich alto voice is a the basis and envy of many artists today. Mary Mary - a gospel duo, being one of the more popular gospel acts.



Gospel was created by Christians, who wanted a way to remind themselves of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Instead of seeking fame and fortune, gospel artists do it for the music, and more importantly themselves. Also my gospel artists, believe that their religion is a very crucial part of who they are as a person. = = =Samples:=

For Lyrics for any of these songs please visit: http://orange09-10.wikispaces.com/G%26S+Lyrics

//**"21 Guns" By Green Day**//
media type="file" key="16 21 Guns.mp3" width="240" height="20"

"Hallelujah" By Rufus Wainwright
media type="file" key="Hallelujah.mp3" width="240" height="20"

"What a Wonderful World" By Michael Buble
media type="file" key="WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD-Michael Buble-1.mp3" width="240" height="20" =Bibliography:=

"**gospel music**." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 20 May. 2010 <[]>. Petrie, Phil. "The History of Gospel Music." //afgen//. N.p., n.d. Web. May 2010. . [] "history." //negrospirituals//. N.p., n.d. Web. May 2010. . "Spirituals as Coded Communication." //Sweet Chariot//. The Spirituals Project at the University of Denver, 2004. Web. May 2010. . "Gospel music." //New World Encyclopedia//. N.p., 05 11 2008. Web. May 2010. .