Histroy Of Gospel Music

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The Origin of Gospel Music

Gospel music is a derivative of Negro spirituals. Gospel music is considered to have begun in the United States, sometimes in the 19th century, first appearing in print in 1874 with the publication of “Gospel Songs” by Philip Bliss. The word Gospel is derived from of “God” and “spell.” The meaning of Gospel is “good news.” Gospel music is sacred music. The genre is distinguished primarily by spontaneity and informality. It is folk music which suggests that it and its secular counterparts are greatly influenced by each other. Just as much of the contemporary gospel music of today sounds like R & B and Hip-Hop, so did most of the early gospel music sound like the Blues.
In order to reach the widest possible audience, there are no "style" restrictions on gospel music; only the thematic content remains constant. Coming out of an oral tradition, gospel music typically utilizes a great deal of repetition. This is a carryover from the time when many post-Reconstruction blacks were unable to read. The repetition of the words allowed those who could not read the opportunity to participate in worship.
Gospel of that time produced no written music, no marketable qualities like a concert. To introduce this music to an audience was to change it, potentially out of all recognition. The emergence of Gospel was a time of extraordinary Christian revival. “While impassioned sermons were being preached to vast meetings in the burgeoning new cities of North America, the Pentecostal black communities multiplied. Alongside the nationally organized institutions, the black ghettos nurtured independent churches.” (Petrie) Here the African-American worshippers enjoyed the long-established traditions of improvisation in sermon and music, the continual dialogue between pastor and congregation formalized in musical patterns of call-and-response, and at some point the "shout" inducing music and danc...