SOPRANO I 

SOPRANO II

Anita Bell**
Rae Brown****
Cynthia Gilbert*
La Keitha Johnson****
Sandra Jones****
Jeanette Roper*
Merin Singleton***
Sharon Talbert*

ALTO I

Laura Bracken***
Kathryn Kramer***
Alisa Johnson****
Bonnie Lane*
LaRita Smith****
Noelle Warford***

ALTO II

Andrea Adams****
Brenda Bowman****
Arianna Howard**
Olivia Nathan****
Paula Sellers*
Leslie Williams**

TENOR I

Roderick Aldrige****
Vincent Briley***
Frank Cleveland****
Kevin Holland*
John Nathan*
Jared Roper***
Tracey Sumner*
Vickie White-Callender*

TENOR II

Karen Alsbrooks*
Fran Banks*
Frank Bassett****
Cindy Chabot**
Cynthia Gowens*
Anthony Hayward*
Adam Maynard**
Curtis Plowgian***
Kyle Stevens**
Roy Sutton*

BARITONE

Tim Cooper***
Andrew Horton****
Saidue Karmo****
Michael Rowland*
Dwight Ware* 

BASS

Chris Cowie***
Brett Ferguson  ***
Taylor Ferguson***
Frank Lane*
Chris Mattox*

MUSICIAN

Raymond Wise Conductor/Piano         

 -back- or -top-

The Negro Spiritual has been hailed as American's first authentic folk music.  Since its inception during the days of slavery, Spirituals have been performed by African Americans to bring hope and comfort in the midst of a cruel and unjust world.  Spirituals have also served as a primary musical source from which many sacred and secular musical genres have stemmed.  The "Spiritual" itself has evolved into many forms.  There are oral, concert, art song, congregational, and gospel spirituals.  While each sub-category is based upon the original oral spiritual, each has its own unique musical characteristics that have helped to preserve the Spiritual as a musical form. 

The Oral Spirituals became popular and expanded beyond the African American community primarily during the late 1800s, when the Fisk Jubilee Singers blended tradition Oral Spirituals with European choral techniques, thus developing and refining the musical form known as the "Concert Spiritual." 

Since the development of the Concert Spiritual, African-American composers such as William Dawson, Jester Hairston, Undine Moore, Hall Johnson, and others have arranged Spirituals that have become staples within the repertoires of black, white, academic, community, and church choirs.  In recent years, until his death in 2003, composer/arranger Moses Hogan could be credited with providing new Concert Spiritual arrangements that have helped to preserve the Spiritual in the later decades of the 20^th century. 

Since many of these works were arranged for formally trained or musically literate choral groups, they have not always been accessible to the average untrained church or community choir that does not read music or sing with more than 3 or 4 parts.  Consequently, many choirs that have not been formally trained have neglected to perform this body of music. 

Dr. Raymond Wise began arranging Concert Spirituals and composing new songs that retained the spirit of the Oral Spiritual and the style of the Concert Spiritual with the intent of making Concert Spirituals more accessible to choirs and groups that might not otherwise be exposed to them or perform them.  In this collection Wise also provides contemporary arrangements for formally trained choirs or groups who have consistently performed Spirituals.  

21 Spirituals for the 21^st Century features 21 Concert Spirituals arrangements arranged/composed by Dr. Wise.  The Spirituals in this collection range from simple (SATB) and moderately difficult works to extremely challenging works (SSAATTBB). There is something for choirs of all musical abilities.

It is Dr. Wise's hope that this collection will help to preserve the cultural and musical heritage of Spirituals into the 21^st century and beyond.  Moreover, it is his hope that the "God," "Spirit," and "message" within these Spirituals will speak to man's struggle for faith, hope, and assurance in the 21^st century.

21 Spirituals for the 21^st Century was first performed in its entirety before a live audience by Dr. Raymond Wise and the Raise Chorale on Saturday February 20, 2004, at Denison University, in Granville, Ohio.  A second performance was presented on Sunday February 21^st at Faith Ministries Church, in Columbus, Ohio. 

What is the significance of spirituals in the 21^st Century?  Through the singing of spirituals many slaves realized that they could endure the struggles of life. They realized that they could make it through life if they kept a song in their hearts.  However, in recent years, many of us have stopped singing; Or the songs that we sing lack the substance or messages that will indeed encourage our hearts and carry us through times of struggle.  Therefore, we still need to continue singing spirituals in the 21^st Century until we are all free.  If we can learn to sing like our forefathers, we can learn to make it through our trials and challenges.  Today we look back to see why the slaves sung, how they sang in a strange land, what they sang, and to how these powerful songs can help us make it through our struggles in the 21^st Century, if we sing them.

Some scholars argue that Spirituals could only be performed authentically by slaves that experienced the bonds of slavery or by African Americans who experienced the injustice of poverty, discrimination, and racism in America.  However, though slavery has ended, the struggle for freedom still continues, not only among Black people in America but among all human beings.  There are many others all over the world that are imprisoned by physical, social, political, and religious bondage.  So they must sing. Therefore, the Spiritual in the 21^st Century is for all those who can relate to the struggle, who seek hope, faith, and assurance in God for deliverance.

Others argue that spirituals were a distinct body of music that was composed during a certain time period and are no longer, since slavery has ended.  Though the spirituals were developed during a specific era, they were composed in response to struggle.  I would argue that since the days of slavery, the human struggle for freedom has continued.  Consequently, men have still brought forth spirituals.  It has just been a new Spiritual with a different name (blues, jazz, gospel, soul, hip hop).

Finally the concert, or arranged spiritual, was performed mostly by formally trained singers.  Therefore, it has not always been accessible to singers who are not formally trained or average church or community choral groups.  So by presenting this work it is our goal to preserve the cultural and musical heritage of Spirituals in the 21^st century for future generations, while making them more accessible to all that may want to perform them.  Moreover, it is our hope that the "God," "Spirit," and "message" within these spirituals that helped to sustain our forefather's will speak to man's struggle for faith, hope, and assurance in the 21^st century. 

As a means of bringing greater significance and insight to each Spiritual, members of the Raise Chorale read narratives before each song to highlight its story, message, and meaning.  This Concert Notes and CD Companion Book contains the actual readings presented by Dr. Raymond Wise and the Raise Chorale during the original 21 Spirituals concert event. 

EXAMPLE:

Chenu (2003) writes, "one theme that comes forth from the spirituals was that life was a journey.  The main destination was to make it home to freedom.  Along a pilgrim's journey one would run a race, climb a ladder, board a ship or train, or ride a chariot" (p. 122). 

"The image of the chariot was directly out of the story about the ascension of the prophet Elijah.  While Elijah and Elisha walked and talked together, a chariot of fire and horses separated the two men, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11)" (Chenu, 2003, p. 125)

"Thus slaves sang of the chariot that came from heaven to take passengers back to heaven. 

The train however, became even more popular in spirituals than the chariot.  Many Blacks worked on the construction of the railroad.  The train with its speed and power and capacity to transport large numbers of passengers fascinated the slaves.  Thus it was used metaphorically in many spirituals" (Chenu, 2003, p. 126). 

Southern (1997) writes that "the growing importance of the railroad in the lives of Black men, revealed itself in the number of songs that included phrases about "getting on board the Gospel train" and about the railroad car wheels "rumbling through the land" (p. 227).

Cone (1999) writes that "slaves were bound for the kingdom and they affirmed their willingness to "git on board" that "gospel train." The only requirement for acceptance on the "gospel train" was the willingness to move, to step into the future.  Those who were bound to the present by earthly possessions would not likely give up everything and accept the risk of the future.  Black slaves did not have a problem since their present meant only slavery. They could "step on board" because they had nothing to lose and everything to gain.  The "gospel train" meant the possibility of freedom" (p. 85).  On the gospel train:

The fare was cheap and all can go
The rich and poor are there
No second class aboard this train
No difference in the fare

So, Get on Board, little children
Get on Board, little children
Get on Board, little children
There' room for many a-more

Bibliography:

Chenu, Bruno.  (2003).  The Trouble I've Seen: The Big Book of Negro Spirituals.  Valley Forge, PA.: Judson Press.

Cone, James.  (1999).  The Spirituals and the Blues.  Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books.

Southern, Eileen.  (1983).  Readings In Black American Music.  New York, N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Company.