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James Cleveland (Continued)


After moving to Los Angeles and forming the James Cleveland Singers in 1962, Cleveland became a gospel industry kingmaker. The gospel audience expanded considerably in his new city starting in the 1940s. In 1967, Cleveland established the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA), which had the initial purpose of educating and training young gospel singers. However, GMWA evolved into a juggernaut through its annual conventions, which continue to this today. The GMWA organizational model followed the National Baptist Convention that made larger choirs the norm, and Cleveland trained them to sing as a single instrument. Indeed, the choral songs among his various recordings show that all voices sing in perfect time, regardless of harmonic construction, as if they are one voice.

Moreover, to engage the congregation/audience further, he regularly employed dramatic contrast, mainly through volume, which many contemporary gospel groups employ today. Take, for example, his recording titled " Peace Be Still ." The song begins with Cleveland performing solo accompanied by piano, organ, bass, and drums. At 02:01, the choir enters singing in harmony, yet are in perfect time as if one voice. The group achieves dramatic contrast by volume control: listen how at 04:00, the ensemble performs gradual crescendosA directive to a performer to smoothly increase the volume of a particular phrase or passage. ending in a fortissimoA directive to perform the indicated passage very loudly symbolized by "ff". Louder than forte "f". at 04:50. Then, the volume instantly drops to pianissimoA directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition very softly, even softer than piano (p), but not as soft as pianississimo (ppp). The abbreviation for pianissimo is pp. one second later. Sounds of excitement and emotional perceptions, as if caught off guard, are affirmed by congregants' handclaps and vocal expressions, such as "haha," "go ahead," and "sing it." Cleveland turned neighborhood singers into disciplined gospel groups such as the Southern California Community Choir in Los Angeles through these and other techniques.

Fortissimo dynamic marking

Fortissimo dynamic marking

Musical notation for pianissimo

Musical notation for pianissimo

Yolanda Adams

There is a sound that comes from gospel music that doesn't come from anything else. It is a sound of peace. It is a sound of, I'm going to make it through all of this.

Mahalia Jackson

Gospel music is nothing but singing of good tidings-spreading the good news. It will last as long as any music because it is sung straight from the human heart.