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The voice of the black
Gospel preacher was affected by black secular performers, and vice
versa. Pentecostal churches welcomed pianos, organs, banjos,
guitars, other string and brass instruments into the services.
Choirs often featured extremes of female vocal range in
antiphonal counterpoint with the preacher's sermon. Pentecostal churches
welcomed pianos, organs, banjos, guitars, other string and brass
instruments into the services. Choirs often featured extremes
of female vocal range in antiphonal counterpoint with the preacher's
sermon. Other forms of Gospel
music have included the singing and acoustic guitar playing of
itinerant street preachers and harmonizing male quartets, usually
singing acappella, whose acts included dance routines and stylized
costumesAmong the most
prominent of Gospel music composers and practitioners were
Thomas A.
Dorsey, born in 1899, a prolific and best-selling songwriter
whose works include, most notably, Precious Lord, Take My Hand, Reverend
C.A. Tindley (1851-1933), composer of I'll Overcome
Someday,
which may have served as the basis for the anthem of the American
Civil Rights Movement, "We Shall
Overcome";
the
Reverend C.L. Franklin
of Detroit, who issued more than 70
albums of his sermons and choir after World War II; Blind Reverend
Gary Davis
(1896-1972),
a wandering preacher and guitar soloist;
Sister Rosetta Tharpe,
whose guitar and vocal performances took Gospel into nightclubs and
concert theatres in the 1930s; Roberta
Martin, Gospel pianist based in Chicago with a choir and a school of Gospel
singing; and Mahalia Jackson (1911-72), toured internationally broadcast television/ radio. |
