OT: Black Gospel Church Music

[Dorothea]

Does anyone feel totally moved to nearly tears when listening to gospel music? There's such an emotional and spiritual aura to them, I think. Anybody else?

[rainbowbright]

I like it a lot, you can't say they're not full of love for God. I get more choked up when I listen to 16th century polyphonic music.

[Matrona]

Of course. I love listening to "Go Down, Moses".

[Dorothea]

Of course. I love listening to "Go Down, Moses".
I'll have to write that title down and listen to it on the net. Do you know of any other good gospel music to listen to?

[Akathist]

I don't like gospel music because it is so emotionally manipulative in my opinion.

I used to go to huge contemporary Christian churches that use "Praise and Worship" music with large projectors. Some of that music was gospel, some contemporary Christian (there is some difference between them but imo not much.) I used to love it. The only music I ever listened to was Contemporary Christian music. I liked the emotional pull of the music. So I can understand why you like it.

But, over time, I began to see how this emotional pull was effecting my theological beliefs in a negative way. If I didn't "feel" a certain way I was not really "worshiping". And there is a lot of theology in much of that music that I no longer agree with.

There are few contemporary Christian performers that I can listen to any more. But, there are still a few out there whose music does not teach false beliefs (imo). I like those songs very much. But I don't like the emotional pull of some of them even.

I don't think I could ever completely give up on the hymn "Amazing Grace" though.

[Dorothea]

I just like listening to gospel once and a while (get into a mood for it once in a blue moon) for some moving musc. To be honest, I don't care for contemporary Christian music. It does nothing for me. The only "Christian" music I can listen to on a regular basis is Ancient Faith radio.

[ClementofRome]

My former Protestant mentor once said that, "contemporary Christian music is a theological wasteland." :)

However, I do love the African-American phenomenon of the "mass choir." The theology can be questioned, of course, but it does drive a certain something within me.

Now, let me be clear.....it has no place in D/L, but as a para-church expression ... it is very moving.

[Matrona]

I'll have to write that title down and listen to it on the net. Do you know of any other good gospel music to listen to?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at1DJH7YOIg

Youtube is a great place to look up music and listen to it. I've found it really difficult to find a good version of "Go Down, Moses" though - a lot of them are bad high-school choirs. They had the Harlem Gospel Choir on The Colbert Report during the WGA strike and they sang this song and it was wonderful. I just wish I could find a recording of them singing it.

[Shubunkin]

The old spirituals that were sung during the slavery era are very emotionally moving to me. I am not one to listen to modern gospel music, but I still like Amazing Grace, and all that.

[choirfiend]

Authentic Gospel is GREAT. What passes for Gospel in a lot of places isn't really Gospel. I sang in one of the only choirs in the country that focuses on music of the African American music and there is a lot of wonderful stuff there. Some of it is repetitious like our litanies/tropars so it sinks into your head, some of it is psalm verses, and some of it is not good, too. I generally approve.

[Dorothea]

Matrona: Thanks, I'll listen to it. Youtube is where I listen to all my music too.

I like the old gospel too, such as Amazing Grace sung by Aretha Franklin.

[Dorothea]

My former Protestant mentor once said that, "contemporary Christian music is a theological wasteland." :)

However, I do love the African-American phenomenon of the "mass choir." The theology can be questioned, of course, but it does drive a certain something within me.

Now, let me be clear.....it has no place in D/L, but as a para-church expression ... it is very moving.
I feel exactly the same way.

[cobweb]

My weakness is the old hymns. Growing up, Mama, my sister, and I used to sing them in a capella 3 part harmony all the time. I can remember washing dishes together as a kid and all of us singing I Am Bound for the Promised Land.

I miss that.

[Dorothea]

My weakness is the old hymns. Growing up, Mama, my sister, and I used to sing them in a capella 3 part harmony all the time. I can remember washing dishes together as a kid and all of us singing I Am Bound for the Promised Land.

I miss that.
Awww, what a wonderful childhood experience. :)

[Julina]

My weakness is the old hymns. Growing up, Mama, my sister, and I used to sing them in a capella 3 part harmony all the time. I can remember washing dishes together as a kid and all of us singing I Am Bound for the Promised Land.

that's one of my favorites! have you heard it sung by the Anonymous Four? or by Jars of Clay? both those groups have very good American hymn CDs.
needless to say, i love early American hymns. i really like the tune "Beach Spring" but i can never find it in any hymnal.
early African American spirituals are good too. last year my school choir sang "John the Revelator." that was a fun piece! my favorite gospel composer is Moses Hogan.
i must admit, some Christian rock is pretty cheesy, but others are prety good. a few songs get me really teary eyed, namely "God Bless the Broken Road", "Letters of War", and "Christmas Shoes"

[Orthocat]

Let me throw in a wild card.

"Ich habe genug" by Bach. Simeon's song upon seeing the infant Christ at the presentation in the temple.

Translate:

I have enough,
I have taken the Savior, the hope of the righteous,
into my eager arms;
I have enough!
I have beheld Him,
my faith has pressed Jesus to my heart;
now I wish, even today with joy
to depart from here.

Very few songs have ever moved me to tears as this one did, and something about it pierces my heart.

but I'm growing soft in my old age :)

[Dorothea]

Let me throw in a wild card.

"Ich habe genug" by Bach. Simeon's song upon seeing the infant Christ at the presentation in the temple.

Translate:

I have enough,
I have taken the Savior, the hope of the righteous,
into my eager arms;
I have enough!
I have beheld Him,
my faith has pressed Jesus to my heart;
now I wish, even today with joy
to depart from here.

Very few songs have ever moved me to tears as this one did, and something about it pierces my heart.

but I'm growing soft in my old age :)
Wow, I didn't know Bach did songs like that. The lyrics are beautiful, Ortho.

[SpyridonOCA]

I believe that adapting Orthodox liturgy to accommodate Gospel music would be a good idea. In every country where there is Orthodoxy, it accommodates the native music.

[Barky]

I've been singing in choir for 8 years now (high school for 4, college for 4) and have had the great privilege of singing a lot of Gospel during my time. Anything arranged by Moses Hogan and sung correctly is a powerful example of good Gospel music. We also sang an arrangement of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" that moved me almost to tears every time I sung it.

[Julina]

I believe that adapting Orthodox liturgy to accommodate Gospel music would be a good idea. In every country where there is Orthodoxy, it accommodates the native music.
not in the US though, of course. would that even be possible here? aren't the hymn and tones already set? and don't they mean something?

[MamaBug]

I love the old-style bluegrass and early African-American gospel. I don't even mind the theologically sketchy ones. I like the latter because they are basically sung Bible verses and stories (main reason they are so popular with Sunday schools). I like the former because they are just wonderful folk expressions of people reaching out to God.

humming 'just a few more weary days and then, I'll fly away'...

[Akathist]

not in the US though, of course. would that even be possible here? aren't the hymn and tones already set? and don't they mean something?

The tones are mostly "set" but new music is still made all the time. This year we had a new version of the Pascha hymn from Holy Cross that was definately western in influence. The words are still the same words, only the melody is different. Perhaps this is only a russian style thing. I honestly don't know much about what changes if any occur in other styles.

[All4Christ]

not in the US though, of course. would that even be possible here? aren't the hymn and tones already set? and don't they mean something?

In past threads - we've spoken of other countries accommodating to cultures due to years of building up of culture. In the south - there is a deep culture to it - not just a fad culture...so why is it wrong to do something in the style of Southern Gospel? Not the same songs - granted - but have you heard the podcasts (or book) from OrthoDixie? It's an interesting phenomenon. Maybe this is a latent Protestant thing (so forgive me if it isn't Orthodox - I'm still learning) - but it would make sense that one should go with the deep established culture - if it is available. In the North - I don't really know of something like that. But - the south definitely has a culture to it...

[tlduker]

I will never part with some Good ol' fashioned Gospel music, that was what I was raised with. I don't like the new stuff, it has been rapped up in the industry too much and has become more entertaining than spiritual. And for ya'll who said that Gospel music is too emotional, ain't nothing wrong with crying out to God out of pain and sorrow or out of joy and happiness, ever read the psalms? I guess not.