Msgr. Charles Pope: Celebrating African American History Month Through the Spirituals

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By Msgr. Charles Pope, Feb. 20, 2022

This is part one of a four part Series I am doing on the Spirituals

The Spirituals of the African-American tradition, sometimes called the “Negro spirituals” are songs created by enslaved Africans in the decades prior to the Civil War. They do not have individual composers, but emerged from the whole community. They were passed orally from person to person and improvised as suited the singers. They were crafted in the fields where the slaves would sing to pass the day and ease the often tedious work of planting, tending and harvesting the crops. Some were simple work songs in a call response style. Here is an example:

RefrainHoe Emma Hoe! You turn around dig a hole in the ground.

CallO Emma help me to pull these weeds!

ResponseHoe Emma Hoe! You turn around dig a hole in the ground.

CallO Emma worked harder than two strong men!

Response: Hoe Emma Hoe! You turn around dig a hole in the ground. …

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