Gospel music

"Gospel (genre)" redirects here. For the literary genre, see Gospel. For the African–American musical genre, see Black Gospel music.

Gospel music
The Dartmouth Gospel Choir
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsEarly 17th century, Scotland
Derivative forms
Subgenres
Black gospel
Fusion genres
Christian country music
Regional scenes
Southern gospel

Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is composed and performed for many purposes, including aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, and as an entertainment product for the marketplace. Gospel music is characterized by dominant vocals and strong use of harmony with Christian lyrics. Gospel music can be traced to the early 17th century.[1]

Hymns and sacred songs were often performed in a call and response fashion, heavily influenced by ancestral African music. Most of the churches relied on hand–clapping and foot–stomping as rhythmic accompaniment. Most of the singing was done a cappella.[2] The first published use of the term "gospel song" appeared in 1874.

The original gospel songs were written and composed by authors such as George F. Root, Philip Bliss, Charles H. Gabriel, William Howard Doane, and Fanny Crosby.[3] Gospel music publishing houses emerged. The advent of radio in the 1920s greatly increased the audience for gospel music. Following World War II, gospel music moved into major auditoriums, and gospel music concerts became quite elaborate.[4]

Black and Southern gospel music are largely responsible for gospel's continued presence in contemporary Christian music, with soul music by far the best–known popular music variant.[5] The styles emerged from the African-American music and American folk music traditions and have evolved in various ways over the years, continuing to form the basis of Black church worship even today. It has also come to be used in churches of various other cultural traditions (especially within Pentecostalism) and, via the gospel choir phenomenon spearheaded by Thomas Dorsey, has become a form of musical devotion worldwide.[6] Southern afroamerican gospel groups used all–male, tenor–lead–baritone–bass quartets. Sensational Nightingales, the Soul Stirrers, Swan Silvertones and the Dixie Hummingbirds were famous gospel groups.[7] Christian country music, sometimes referred to as country gospel music, is a subgenre of gospel music with a country flair. Celtic gospel music infuses gospel music with a Celtic flair, and is popular in countries such as Ireland. British black gospel refers to Gospel music of the African diaspora produced in the United Kingdom.

  1. ^ "Gospel History Timeline". University of Southern California. Archived from the original on September 21, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  2. ^ Jackson, Joyce Marie. "The changing nature of gospel music: A southern case study." African American Review 29.2 (1995): 185. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. October 5, 2010.
  3. ^ Malone (1984), p. 520
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Malone_523 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ McGuinness, Paul (August 26, 2022). "A Change Is Gonna Come: How Gospel Gave Birth To Soul". uDiscover Music. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Burnim, Mellonee (1980). "Gospel Music Research". Black Music Research Journal. 1: 63–70. doi:10.2307/779294. ISSN 0276-3605. JSTOR 779294.
  7. ^ Gospel allmusic Retrieved 20 November 2024