January 3-4
My name is Griffin Batson and I am from Quincy, MA. Quincy is a cool city with a lot of history - John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and John Hancock were all born there (plus we have the first ever Dunkin Donuts). I am a chemistry major and want to pursue a career in drug development. I played lacrosse at Centre for my first two years and now manage the team. I am also the president of DKE. I love music and listen to many genres - I also produce music as a hobby and side hustle. My love of music influenced me to take this course, but of course the trip and diversity credit are nice additions. Although I have already been to the cities we will be visiting, I'm most excited for the trips because this time I will experience the cities through the lens of African American Spirituals. These trips will allow us to get proximate to the content, seeing actual artifacts, reading stories, and hearing songs. I'm hoping that by the end of the course I have a larger idea of the significance of this body of music. Admittedly, as a chemistry major, I don't have as much knowledge of and engagement with history as I probably should. However, taking the musical approach to history allows me a way into the discipline that I already know and love. The development and evolution of African American Spirituals offer a unique way to understand the racial history of America and give context to the present day. This music is powerful, inspiring, and thought-provoking, and I’m excited to dive into it more.
Take, for example, this performance of an African American Spiritual titled “Were You There”
The listener’s attention is immediately drawn to the dramatic low notes played in the piano intro. The singer then sings passionately, even shedding a tear at the end of the performance. The pauses allow the listener to take in his rich voice and striking lyrics. Of course, this asks the audience about the crucifixion of Jesus, but the lyrics can be taken further than. It can be a question to other slaves, asking if they have witnessed the horrific events of slavery, or perhaps endured them themselves. As the description of the video states, it can even be an invitation to escape slavery.
I am excited to explore and analyze more spirituals throughout the term, and delve even deeper as my knowledge grows. I look forward to taking this course with all of you. I hope that this post has allowed you to get to know me better and that you enjoyed the performance I decided to share.
I very much enjoyed listening to this performance too. With this piece in particular, I would say that repetition plays a significant role. I found it really interesting that despite the heavy similitude between the verses, the singer keeps audiences engaged by relying on vocal ornamentation. One other aspect that drew my attention was the piano, which introduced the singer and later accompanied him in countermelody. I believe the use of instruments articulates sensitivity and adds to the auditory experience. Lastly, I agree that the momentous character of the song is amplified not only by the powerful vocals, but also by the specific biblical episode described by the lyrics.
ReplyDeleteThis performance had me interested from the start. The piano’s solo in the beginning reminded me of Jesus’s crucifixion. The use of strong dynamics reminded me of the climax in a plot, and then softens to the aftermath of the event. The subtleness of the piano throughout the helps to intensify the singer’s emotion rather than dull it. I like how the piano follows the soloist’s emotion rather than vice versa. I also enjoyed the videography in the video. The dim lighting and the focus on the singer’s emotions at the end helped to invoke feelings of pain and grief.
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