Traditional Gospel
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Traditional gospel is the classic Black-church sound codified in the mid-20th century: fervent lead vocals full of blue notes, bends, growls and melisma, backed by piano, Hammond organ, hand-clapping and, later, small rhythm sections. It weds the emotional intensity of the blues to sacred lyrics, using call-and-response between a lead singer and choir or congregation, and building through repetition to a driving, ecstatic climax. Tempos range from slow, aching devotionals to hard-driving up-tempo praise, and the mood is deeply felt, communal and cathartic. Signature techniques include the improvised vocal run, the "worrying" of a line, and the organ-and-clap groove.
History
Traditional gospel took form in 1930s Chicago, where former blues pianist Thomas A. Dorsey fused sacred lyrics with blues and jazz feeling, wrote "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," and organized the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses. Mahalia Jackson became its towering voice, and her "Move On Up a Little Higher" (1948) sold in the millions; Roberta Martin, Sallie Martin, the Clara Ward Singers, Alex Bradford and the Caravans (with Albertina Walker and Shirley Caesar) built the golden-age repertoire out of Chicago, Philadelphia and beyond. Labels like Apollo, Savoy, Specialty and Peacock spread the music, and James Cleveland's mass-choir innovations carried it into the 1960s. Traditional gospel became the seedbed of soul and R&B and the enduring core of Black sacred music.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Take My Hand, Precious Lord(1956) — Mahalia JacksonSpotifyYouTube
- Move On Up a Little Higher(1948) — Mahalia JacksonSpotifyYouTube
- How I Got Over(1951) — Clara WardSpotifyYouTube
- Peace Be Still(1963) — James ClevelandSpotifyYouTube
- Too Close to Heaven(1953) — Alex BradfordSpotifyYouTube
- No Charge(1975) — Shirley CaesarSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- Michael W. Harris, The Rise of Gospel Blues: The Music of Thomas Andrew Dorsey (1992)
- Anthony Heilbut, The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times (1997)
- Horace Clarence Boyer, How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel (1995)