“Who were the Fisk Jubilee Singers?”
In the 1870s, just five years after the founding of Fisk University, which is located in Nashville, Tennessee, the school was already in deep financial troubles. Then Fisk treasurer and music professor, George L. White, came up with the idea to earn money performing on tour with an ensemble. The orginial ensemble consisted of nine members and disbanded in 1878.
These two videos show two performances of the Negro spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” recorded over 100 years apart. The fact that this spiritual still holds such significance speaks to the importance of the jubilee genre, and the groundbreaking tradition launched by the original Fisk Jubilee Singers.
An article on the Fisk University Jubliee Quartet’s recording of this piece gives credit to the four Fiskites, John Wesley Work II, James Andrew Myers, Alfred Garfield King, and Noah Ryder, who contributed to the spread of this spiritual, as well as others, through the distribution by Victor recording label across America.
Today, much like original singers, the Fisk Jubilee Singers have had the opportunity to continue touring the world, singing the Negro spiritual. They received the National Medal of Arts in 2008, which is the highest national honor for artists, and was presented by President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush as the Whtie House.
What does “Jubilee” Mean?
-“freedom from hardship”
-“freedom from slavery”
– “Style of performing spirituals, particularly up-tempo ones”
One Response
This post is very organized and informational. It is good to talk about these important people that are not necessarily known to the world.