My name’s Ikenna Oleru. I am from Jackson, Tennessee, which is between Memphis and Nashville. I traveled to Memphis and Nashville, quite a bit but mainly for soccer tournaments, to see friends, or to go to the airport, so I have not really explored those cities at an extent that I would like yet. I am hoping in the future to explore those cities a little bit more. I am excited to go to Nashville since it is recognized worldwide as the capital of country music.I think seeing some of the locations we read about will help us grasp it in a more comprehensive and varied way. I believe I will be able to talk to people who understand the historical side from a different perspective from my professor or maybe people who have even experienced some of it. Nashville is the trip that I am most excited for since it is closest to my hometown, so it will be easier for me to continue to explore in the future. I do not have much of a musical background. I did one musical my freshman year of high school, and I did choir at my school for three years.
My two DLM courses had a strong musical component. Black Music and Social Resistance was the title of the first, while American Music Song and Story was the title of the second. I was able to learn about a variety of topics and historical events in the first class, including Apartheid, the importance of music during slavery, the development of hip-hop, cultural appropriation, minstrelsy, systemic racism, etc. I was able to do two major assignments using two songs that I liked, "I'm Not Racist" by Joyner Lucas and "Freedom" by Beyonce.
I read some poems, essays, and short stories in my other DLM class.I also enjoyed producing a podcast episode that examined the NF song "The Search." I loved dissecting the emotional content and song structure of seven Michael Jackson songs. The projects we had to do in that semester, in particular, I believe inspired my creativity in music-related issues because they were outside of my comfort zone. In the near future, I'd like to learn an instrument or do anything musical, and I believe that this class will help me decide which direction to go in. I also plan to be well educated on the history of certain artists, genres, and songs in order to relate to them more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64K7HmLM54Y
“Onward Christian Soldiers” is a simple,repetitive,easily accessible song. The simplicity of the song allows more room for improvisation. A sense of urgency and a call to action are conveyed by the song's title and chorus. There aren't many instruments playing in the song's background, which allows the vocals to stand out more. I hear a piano in the background. My question is why do some spirituals have more emphasis on instruments and others have little emphasis on background music.
Hey! I really like your question on why some spirituals have more emphasis on instruments and others have little emphasis on background music. That is really interesting. When looking at different spirituals to use for my post and when we listened to the ones in class, I was very surprised at like how wide range and unique they all were. Some had a ton of background music, while others did not. My question though is why some even have instruments in the background? Traditional songs sang by enslaved African Americans did not have the freedom to use objects as instruments, therefore it lessens the harsh reality of the situation.
ReplyDeleteThis spiritual song reminds me of a chant because it was performed in unison. It also fosters a sense of community as it employs numerous "We" statements. I was particularly struck and deeply moved by the variety of voice parts and harmony it added to the song. This song depicts Christians as soldiers and has a assertive, optimistic tone, emphasizing that they are serious about their beliefs. There were also biblical references, such as angels, Jesus, etc. To answer your question, I believe that certain spirituals place a greater emphasis on instruments since they produce a pattern to the song singers sing, as a result it may help lighten the mood/tone. Other spirituals, on the other hand, place less emphasis on background music because it may communicate a different tone/emotion.
ReplyDeleteThis is a question I was asking myself yesterday in class! I think when artists either use or do not use instrumentals along with their song it is to change the emotion they want to evoke from the audience. The songs with long dragged out notes and profound solos are the ones that I prefer to have no instrumentals or small ones. Sometimes I feel like the power of the words and oral storytelling that is being done can be overshadowed by intense music. I also want to add in response to Caroline's comment, that is an amazing point. Perhaps we will find that the most raw and mourning sounding songs are those which don't typically have instrumentals because they were created and sung most often while on the plantations and in the thick of slavery.
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