Gospel music

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Gospel music
Stylistic origins:	Christian hymns, Negro spirituals
Cultural origins:	First quarter of twentieth century: US Template:Country data USA
Typical instruments:	Vocals, piano, Hammond organ, electric guitar, drums, and bass guitar
Mainstream popularity:	International <tr><th align="left" valign="top">Derivative forms:</th><td valign="top">Rhythm and Blues</td></tr><tr><th align="center" bgcolor="sienna" colspan=2 valign="top">Subgenres</th></tr><tr><td align=center colspan="2" valign="top">urban contemporary gospel, Southern gospel</td></tr><tr><th align="center" bgcolor="sienna" colspan=2 valign="top">Fusion genres</th></tr><tr><td align=center colspan="2" valign="top">Christian country music</td></tr>

Gospel music is a musical genre characterized by dominant vocals (often with strong use of harmony) referencing lyrics of a religious nature, particularly Christian. Subgenres include contemporary Gospel, urban contemporary Gospel (sometimes referred to as "black Gospel"), Southern Gospel, and modern Gospel music (now more commonly known as praise and worship music or Contemporary Christian music). Most forms of gospel music use piano and/or Hammond organ, drums, bass guitar and, increasingly, electric guitar.

1 History
- 1.1 Origins
- 1.2 Alternate theory of origin
2 Gospel music genres
3 Further reading
4 Professional organizations
5 Media outlets
6 See also
7 References

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

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Template:Gospel music articles

Gospel music varies in style and flavor. Scholars have argued and some believe that gospel music first came out of African-American churches in the first quarter of the 20th century. Some believe that it was sung by predominately white Southern Gospel artists. This argument is based more on geography than fact. Seeing that black gospel was a form of communications between slaves while in Africa and white gospel was originated in its European form before even making it to American soil make the argument valid for both sides. The sharp division between black and white America, particularly black and white churches, have kept the two apart. While those divisions have lessened slightly in the past fifty years, the two traditions are still distinct.

Some performers, such as Mahalia Jackson have limited themselves to appearing in religious contexts only, while others, such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe a pioneer for black mainstream gospel, ^[1] the Golden Gate Quartet and Clara Ward, have performed gospel music in secular settings, even night clubs. Other performers, such as The Jordanaires, The Blackwood Brothers, Al Green, and Solomon Burke have also performed both secular and religious music.

Though it is a common practice to include gospel songs in secular performances, it is considered taboo for Christian performances to contain secular musical pieces.

Although predominantly an American phenomenon, gospel music has spread throughout the world including to Australia with choirs such as The Elementals and Jonah & The Whalers and festivals such as the Australian Gospel Music Festival. Norway is home to the popular Ansgar Gospel Choir, the only true Norwegian Gospel choir. Gospel is also popular in the province of Quebec, Canada, where important gospel choirs such as Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir and Québec Celebration Gospel Choir are famous.

[edit] Alternate theory of origin

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It has been long thought by the wider African American community that American Gospel music originated in Africa and was brought to the Americas by slaves. However recent studies by Professor Willie Ruff, an Afro-American ethno-musicologist at Yale University concludes that African American Gospel singing was in fact was introduced and encouraged by Scottish Gaelic speaking settlers from North Uist^[2] His study also and concludes that the first foreign tongue spoken by slaves in America was not English but Scottish Gaelic taught to them by gaelic speakers who left the Western Isles because of religious persecution themselves.^[2] Traditional Scottish Gaelic psalm singing, or "precenting the line" as it is correctly known, in which the psalms are called out and the congregation sings a response, was the earliest form of congregational singing adopted by Africans in America. Professor Ruff, focuses on Scottish settler influences that pre-dates all other congregational singing by African Americans in America and found, in a North Carolina newspaper dated about 1740, an advertisement offering a generous reward for the capture and return of a runaway African slave who is described as being easy to identify because he only spoke Gaelic.^[3] There is no doubt the great influx of Scots Presbyterians into the Carolinas introduced the African slaves to Christianity and their way of worship and singing. Even today, psalm singing and gospel music are the backbone of African American churchgoers. The lasting legacy of Ruff’s research is an anthropological revelation which forces the re-evaluation of the history of two peoples.^[4]

[edit] Gospel music genres

[edit] Urban contemporary gospel

Urban contemporary gospel (sometimes marketed as "Black gospel" to help distinguish it from other forms of Christian music, such as contemporary Christian music or Christian rock and Southern gospel) is a subgenre of Gospel music.

[edit] Christian Country music

Christian country music, sometimes referred to as Country gospel music, is a subgenre of gospel music with a country flair, is also known as Inspirational Country.

[edit] Southern Gospel

Southern gospel, is sometimes called "quartet music" by fans due to the original all male, tenor-lead-baritone-bass quartet make-up.

[edit] Progressive Southern Gospel

Progressive Southern Gospel is an American music genre that has grown out of Southern Gospel over the past couple of decades.

[edit] Bluegrass Gospel

Bluegrass gospel music is rooted in American mountain music.

[edit] Gospel blues

Gospel blues is a blues-based form of gospel music (a combination of blues guitar and evangelistic lyrics).

[edit] Further reading

Boyer, Horace Clarence, How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel Elliott and Clark, 1995, ISBN 0-252-06877-7.
Broughton, Viv, Too Close To Heaven - The Illustrated History Of Gospel Music, Midnight Books, 1996, ISBN 1-900516-00-4
Albert E Brumley & Sons, The Best of Albert E Brumley, Gospel Songs, 1966, ISBN na-paperback Amazing Grace
Darden, Robert, People Get Ready: A New History of Black Gospel Music Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005, ISBN 0-8264-1752-3.
Heilbut, Tony, The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times Limelight Editions, 1997, ISBN 0-87910-034-6.
Zolten, Jerry, Great God A' Mighty!:The Dixie Hummingbirds - Celebrating The Rise Of Soul Gospel Music, Oxford University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-19-515272-7.