THE
FISK JUBILEE SINGERS
Other
Articles
THE
FIRST SINGERS OF THE NEGRO SPIRITUAL IN CONCERT
Adapted
from the writings of John W. Work, III
The
story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers is one of America's great
epics. The achievements of this history-making group have
been chronicled several times by some of the country's leading
magazines and publishers.
Their
story begins October 6, in the year 1871. Fisk University
had been founded five years prior to this date in Nashville,
Tennessee, in the most humble of circumstances but in high
hopes of making a significant cultural contribution to that
area of the country. Very early after its founding serious
financial problems began to plague the young university
and the administration became fearful for its further continuance.
Greatly increased financial aid, more friends, and a wider
sphere of influence were critical needs.
The
treasurer of the institution, George L. White, a sensitive
amateur musician had listened to the informal singing of
the students and had been strongly impressed by the beauty
of their voices and the pathos of the songs they sang. He
saw promising artistic results in the proper combination
of these. White gave an inspired fusion to these beautiful
voices and songs. He selected eleven of the best voices,
which he molded into a fine choral ensemble. He made plans
for a concert tour for this group, which was first named
The Fisk Christian Singers.
The
little group of singers left Nashville on October 6, 1871
to begin an adventure that is without precedent in American
musical or educational annals. The first concerts were given
in Ohio cities. The reports of the response of the first
curiosity, and some expected hostility characterized this
early audience response. However repeated concerts by the
Singers saw the undesired reactions replaced by tremendously
enthusiastic audience response, which finally reached the
stage of ovations.
Very
shortly the Singers found themselves in great demand throughout
the North and East. Huge audiences greeted them everywhere.
The newspapers showered them with unqualified praise. And
what was most significant, important and devoted friends
were created by the hundreds. Financial returns exceeded
their highest hopes. The tour, which began with such uncertainty
and precariousness, now emerged as a tremendous triumph.
A New York minister wrote after a concert "I never
saw a cultivated assemblage so moved and melted under the
magnetism of music before." The Singers found that
in New Haven the greatest minister in America, Henry Ward
Beecher was scheduled for a public lecture on the same night
as their concert. A large overflow audience greeted them
there which was early added to by Reverend Beecher himself
who had found only a handful of people at his lecture, whom
he quickly dismissed.
Early
on their tour George L. White received the inspiration to
change the name of the group from Fisk Christian Singers
to Fisk Jubilee Singers and their folk songs to Jubilee
songs. These names have lasted.
Selections
from the Fisk Jubilee Singers Songbook
A great
Camp meeting in the promised land
A Happy
New Year
A little
more faith in Jesus
Anchor
in the Lord
Angels
waiting at the door
Been
a listening
Children,
we all shall be free
Chilly
Water
come,
all of God's children
Come
down, angels
Come,
let us all go down
Deep
River
Did
not old Pharaoh get lost?
Didn't
my Lord deliver Daniel
Don't
you grieve after me
Down
by the River
Farewell,
my brother
From
every Grave-yard
Gabriel's
Trumpet's going to blow
Getting
read to die
'Gideon's
Band
Give
me Jesus Go down, Moses
Go,
chain the Lion down
Good-bye,
Brothers
Good
news, the chariot's coming
Good
old Chariot
Grace
Gwine
to ride up in the Chariot
Hard
Trials
He Arose
He's
the lily of the Valley
I ain't
got weary yet
I know
that my redeemer lives
I'm
a rolling I'm a travelling to the grave I'm so glad
I'm
troubled in mind
I want
to be ready; or, walk in Jerusalem just like John
In Bright
Mansions above
In the
River of Jordan
In that
great getting-up morning
I've
been in the storm so long
I've
just come from the Fountain
Keep
me from sinking down
Keep
your lamps trimmed and burning
Listen
to the Angels
Lord's
Prayer
Mary
and Martha
My good
Lord's been here
My Lord,
what a mourning
My way's
cloudy
Nobody
knows the trouble I see
Oh,
give me the wings
Oh,
wasn't that a wide river
Old
ship of Zion
O Redeemed
O! Sinner
Man
Peter,
go ring them bells
Ride
on, King Jesus
Rise
and Shine
Rise,
Mourners
Rise,
shine, for thy light is a-coming
Roll,
Jordan, roll
Run
to Jesus
Shine,
shine
Sweet
Canaan
Show
me the way
Some
of these mornings
Steal
away
Swing
low, sweet Chariot
The
Gospel train
The
Rocks and the Mountains
The
Angels changed my Name
There's
a meeting here to-night
They
led my Lord away
This
Old Time Religion
Wait
a little while
Way
over Jordan
We are
climbing the hills of Zion
We'll
stand the storm
We shall
walk thro' the valley
What
kind of shoes are you going to wear
When
Moses smote the water
When
shall I get there
Wrestling
Jacob
Zion's
Children
The
WINGS OVER JORDAN CHOIR (WOJC), a prominent African American
choir during the late 1930s and early 1940s, made broadcast
history with the first independently produced national and
international radio programs created by AFRICAN AMERICANS.
The group made contributions to choral music and the improvement
of race relations. The choir was founded in 1935 by the
Rev. GLENN T. SETTLE , pastor of Gethsemane Baptist Church
on E. 30th and Scovill Ave. in Cleveland. Rev. Settle believed
in using Negro spirituals to spread Christianity. He promoted
establishing a radio program to address the Negro community
and introduce the non-Negro to the Negro experience. In
1937, the ensemble performed weekly on the "Negro Hour"
over RADIO station WGAR, a CBS affiliate. It soon became
a hit.
On 9
Jan. 1938 the group adopted the [Image][Image] name Wings
Over Jordan Choir and The Wings Over Jordan national broadcasting
began. WOJC Choir, ca. 1940s. WRHS. performed a decade long
series of weekly, sometimes daily, programs for CBS and
WGAR exclusively. WOJC was the first full-time professional
black choir in America. At its height, the choir performed
before sold-out, non-segregated audiences in over 40 states,
5 European countries, Canada, and Mexico. During WORLD WAR
II, under USO sponsorship, WOJC toured Army camps in Europe.
WOJC's fame resulted in the publication of a songbook and
record album, a movie contract, performances with major
symphony orchestras, and an invitation to sing at the White
House. The choir received numerous honors, including radio's
prestigious Peabody Award. It was instrumental in preserving
authentic Negro spirituals and became the universal voice.
SONGS
Over
My Head
Trying
To Get Ready
I've
Been 'buked
I'm
going to sit at the welcome table
I cried
and I cried
Amen
Where
shall I be when the first trumpet sounds
Rock-A-ma-soul
African-American
Recordings of Sprituals
