What is a Jubilee Quartet?
A Jubilee Quartet is a group of singers (typically African Americans) who harmonize and use a :flatfoot” technique within their music. For most quartets, the music was derived from “Western Ideas”.
The name Jubilee Quartet comes from the Fisk Jubilee Singers from Fisk University. This purpose of this quartet was to sing Negro Spirituals . The members were Alfred King, James Myers, Noah Ryder, and John Work. Respectively, their parts for the quartet were first bass, second tenor, second bass, and first tenor.
Because of them, Hampton University, Tuskegee University, and Wilberforce University began to form their own jubilee quartets.
As time progressed, these quartets began to take on the attributes of black gospel. For example, Golden Gate Quartet had a combination of Jubilee Quartet attributes as well as attributes from gospel music. The Golden Gate Quartet also included aspects of jazz and blues .
Other famous quartets that were inspired by the original Fisk Jubilee Players were the Happyland Jubilee Singers, and the Dixie Hummingbirds.
