Eric Reece
February is Black History Month.
Over the years, I have had the privilege to worship in many African-American churches. As a brother in Christ, they always treated me with honor and respect. There, I first heard the “old lining-out” singing.
Line-singing is an a cappella hymn-singing where the song leader would sing each verse and everyone would repeat in response. This continued till all the verses were sung. This was a way to teach the hymns of the faith. It is still practiced in some Appalachian and African-American churches.
African-American spirituals have always been one of my favorite forms of sacred music. Developed by African-American slaves from stories of the Bible and the hymns of Dr. Issac Watts, the songs spoke of struggles, hope, freedom and deliverance. They were sung at worship, camp meetings, revivals and while at work. As African-Americans moved north, they took the spirituals with them and continued to sing them in churches.
In 1871, Fisk University, a Black institution in Nashville, formed the Fisk Jubilee Singers. They sang the traditional spirituals and held concerts in the states and Europe to raise funds for the school. One of their standards was,“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” which they brought to a larger audience and has become a well-loved song.
When Southern Gospel music became popular, there were those who continued to keep the traditional spirituals alive. The gifted bass-baritone Paul Robeson sang and recorded spirituals including “Steal Away” and “Were you There.” In the 1933 movie “The Emperor Jones,” he sang a number of spirituals, including “Didn’t my Lord Deliver Daniel.”
Some of my earliest fond memories are listening to spirituals. As a child, I attended my grandparents church during the Christmas season. The Christmas program was based on the spiritual, “Go, Tell It on the Mountain.” Here I was taught the songs “Dem Dry Bones” and “Do Lord.” Both songs bring a smile on my face and joy in my heart.
Around this time the movie, “Lilies of the Fields” appeared on television. Sidney Poitier played Homer Smith, who helped a group of nuns build a chapel. He taught them the spiritual “Amen, Amen.” The spiritual tells the whole story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. From the first verse – “O see the little baby lying in a manger on Christmas morning” – to the last – “Yes, Jesus died to save us, rose on Easter morning, and lives forever! Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen.”
There are so many well-loved hymns we sing in churches each Sunday we may not know are spirituals.
Some of the more famous are:
* “Were You There”
* “It’s Me, It’s Me, O Lord”
* “Every Time I Feel the Spirit”
* “This Little Light of Mine”
There is renewed interest in the spirituals. We recognize the unnamed creators for their songs of faith that bring joy and hope to people everywhere.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church and can be reached via email, ereece@wnccumc.net.