Charlese Button wrote:
What is the meaning behind gospel music? Well to answer the question one has to know about the background to the term. Gospel music came about from African-American, European and American-like field hollers, spiritual jubilee songs and, of course, the blues. It developed out of hymns, with a black performance style and melody blended with elements of jazz and spirituals. This was classified as Black Gospel. It was a popular American Hymnody, which is defined as a hymn, or song that emerged about 1870. However, the meaning of gospel music goes back further. During the period of slavery, slave owners tried to demolish African American customs among the slaves and forced on them Western habits, one of which was Christian religion. Slaves also used this music to communicate with each other encoding messages about freedom and how to escape in a religious song.
Gospel music uses the idea that music can be a kind of prayer, and that singing is a great way to tell people about God. The word gospel comes from the word “‘good’ or ‘God’ mixed with the word ‘spell’ or ‘tell’.” The lyrics of gospel music tell a testimony or a revelation. This means telling Christians about ideas and beliefs on how to get to heaven or how God has helped you in your life. African Americans had field meeting; this is where they would come together and sing gospel songs, and the events were often highly emotional. When listening to a gospel song, one can really hear and feel the emotion about how that particular singer views their faith. At the time Gospel music was beginning, Africans did not own instruments, so they would use what they had to make instruments. Even in some churches that I attend today, they will get an old wash board, a bent up hanger, a wooden stick and a thick piece of board that will sit on the floor. They would use the hanger to scrape across the washboard back and forward; this would give them a little bit of sound. Using the wooden stick and a piece of board, they would beat the stick down on the board at the same time playing the washboard; this gives them their beats. Gospel Music can be divided into three main groups by tempo: fast, slow, and adlib that was called without rhythm.
Black Gospel is an American spiritual melody that is associated with the Holiness Church, which is called the Pentecostal churches. Since the gospel songs were born into the Holiness Churches, the churches would not allow their member to sing gospel songs to non-Holiness persons. So how did gospel music become known in the North? Former slaves began to move towards the northern part of the states and cities. Over the next 100 years, gospel music came out in portions at first and then it took full form. By the 1920s through the 1950s, gospel music had become very popular. The sound of Gospel music started popping up in “Detroit, Chicago and Milwaukee” . In the 1970s, people began to form gospel groups, taking it to another level by introducing real instruments into the songs. This was the music that the former slaves had created many years ago.
In the movie O Brother Where Art Thou? there are many scenes that had feature singing. Everett, the Odysseus character, is searching to be spiritually “affiliated,” but doesn’t know or believe in the faith. The gospel music provides the signs that Everett needs to follow for moral his fulfillments, but instead he ignores them. One of the signs that Everett missed because of his disbelief is the scene with the Old Man prophesies Everett, “I cannot say how long this road shall be. But fear not the obstacles in your path, for Fate has vouchsafed your reward. And though the road may wind, and yea, your hearts grow weary, still shall ye foller the way, even unto your salvation.” Gospel song works the same way because it is a testimony or a revelation about how to come to God. In another scene, Delmar gets baptized. There are people dressed in white clothing, singing “Let’s go down, come on down, don’t you want to come down to the river and pray?” Everett again ignores the signs but his colleagues didn’t. Pete and Delmar became affiliated. When they meet Tommy Johnson, who had sold his soul to the Devil, Everett, on the other hand says, “I’m the only one here who remains unaffiliated”. Everett finally believes or wants to belong, when he came face to face with the Devil. At that moment, the Devil even gives him a sign to “turn form your ways and take a moment for your prayers.” This is the moment that Everett (Odysseus) becomes affiliated, because he prayed and said “Lord look down and recognize us poor sinners”.
In The Odyssey, the Gods’ involvement with mortals is a normal everyday thing. This poem focuses on what is most important to the Gods and making them happy. If the Gods are happy, they will, in return help the characters. The Gods believe in hospitality; on how you should treat your guests even if you don’t know much about them. By opening up your home to a complete stranger and offering, those gifts, feasts, and no fixed amount of time to stay, the character, exhibit a form of honoring the Gods. The same goes in the meaning behind the gospel lyrics. Love thy neighbor. Follow the true meaning of the word. Gospel is putting your needs last to help someone else, regardless of the relationship.
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