Music of the Spirituals 3
It is dangerous to make sweeping generalizations about spirituals. It appears, however, that instead of singing in unison, slaves used heterophonyThe practice of two or more musicians simultaneously performing slightly different versions of the same melody. Each version would be characterized as improvised or ornamented versions of the melody as opposed to harmonized versions of a melody as in polyphonic music. The term heterophony was coined by Plato and is practiced in many areas of the world today including China, Japan, and Java.. According to Southern, they ‘‘followed the lead melody for the most part but allowed themselves to wander away from it when its tones were too high, or when the text called for special emphasis, or simply when their whims indicated the need for more variety” (Southern 1997, 197).
Furthermore, some agree that spirituals focus on rhythmThe subdivision of a space of time into a defined, repeated pattern. Rhythm is the controlled movement of music in time. It may be defined as the division of music into regular metric portions; the regular pulsation of music. or beatThe regular pulse of music which may be dictated by the rise or fall of the hand or baton of the conductor, by a metronome, or by the accents in music. compared to other forms of folk music. The spirituals show a preference for simple duple metersA rhythmic pattern with the measure being divisible by two. This includes simple double rhythm such as 2/2, 4/4, but also such compound rhythms as 6/8. , with the time kept by the patting of a hand or a tapping of a foot (Southern 1997, 194). That pronounced ‘‘beat’’ is one of the [eight] basic characteristics of a true spiritual, according to Wyatt Tee Walker (Walker 1979, 52-58). The key characteristics, which range from lyrics to melody, are:
Albert Raboteau would add polyrhythms, syncopationDeliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse of a composition by means of a temporary shifting of the accent to a weak beat or an off-beat., and ornamentation Decorative notes of short duration added to compositions to emphasize certain notes and to add flavor to the composition. Ornamentation has been used through all periods of music in Western tradition, but are particularly prominent in the late Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical eras. Ornamentation is not limited to specific instruments, but may be performed on almost any instrument, including the voice. (Raboteau 1978, 74) to those identifying characteristics.
Former slave Robert Anderson's memoirs provide intriguing insights into the music-making process of spirituals. He claimed that virtually all slaves had musical talent and were capable of creating music appropriate to the task at hand-be it lullabies, marching songs, work songs, and new melodies for spirituals:
The slaves knew nothing about music from the standpoint of a musician, but all of them could sing and keep time to music, improvise extra little parts to a melody already known, or make up melodies of their own. They liked the weird and mysterious in religion and wove this feeling into the melodies that were improvised as a means of expressing their feelings.
(Leonard 1967, 25-26)
The spiritual compositions of the slave took on many varied nuances-textually, melodically, and rhythmically-and has become a social commentary about their desperation and a commentary about their faith of living in a better world.