Who are The Fisk Jubilee Singers?
The Fisk Jubilee singers started out as a nine-member vocal group at Fisk University in Nashville Tennessee. These signers gained a reputation by expanding their audience and singing “slave songs” known as negro spirituals to non-black audience. The singers made the negro spiritual a globally respected form of music through touring the world, performing, and raising money for Fisk University.
The Negro Spiritual
Negro spirituals, originally known as a “slave songs”, were song by slaves to bring their spirits up and to give them power from their white oppressors. Most of these spirituals told stories from the bible. The three forms of spirituals are ballads, jubilees, and shouts. The shout uses call and response to show emotion. The jubilee uses fast rhythms and syncopations to tell happier stores. The ballad uses slow and melodic rhythms to tell sad stories.
In conclusion....
In conclusion, The Fisk Jubilee singers have made a continuous impact on the importance of the negro spiritual. After many years, The Fisk Jubilee singer are still vocally impacting the musical world and keep this part of black history alive. The group has received the 2008 National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artists and patrons of the arts. Also, have been asked to preform in Ghana through a personal invitation of the U.S Embassy. Thus, the preservation of the Negro Spiritual through this vocal group shows the significance of their impact.
