The History of Black Music with Dr. Cherise Barron

Introduction

• Speaker: Dr. Cherise Barron, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies and Music at Brown University
• Host: Deborah Hoffman
• Event: Part of Waltham Public Library's series "A Year of Black History"
• Format: 40-45 minute presentation followed by Q&A
• Focus: History of Black music up to the mid-20th century, contemporary Black gospel music

Definition of Ethnomusicology

• Ethnomusicology: Study of music outside the European classical tradition, often described as musical anthropology

Early Black Music History

Spirituals

• Originated during slavery and the Second Great Awakening (1800s)
• Mixture of European hymns and West African music-making
• Notable figures: Fisk Jubilee Singers, Antonin Dvorak, W.E.B. Du Bois
• Characteristics: Call and response, group singing, vocables, syncopation, and polyrhythmic composition
• Example: Fisk Jubilee Singers' rendition of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"

Fisk Jubilee Singers

• Origin: Fisk University, an HBCU in Tennessee
• Impact: Took spirituals globally, concertized spirituals
• Example: 1909 recording of "Swing Low"

Post-Civil War and Reconstruction

• Reconstruction Period: Ended with Compromise of 1876; followed by the nadir of African American history (Rayford Logan)
• Great Migration: Movement of Black people to Northern and Western cities and metropolitan areas in the South
• Music Forms: Blues, gospel, jazz, soul, rock and roll

Blues and Race Records

• Race Records: Commercialized Black music starting in the 1910s
• Example: Mamie Smith’s "Crazy Blues"

Gospel Music

• Key Figures: Charles Albert Tindley, Thomas Dorsey (father of gospel music)
• Impact: Popularized gospel in middle-class Black churches
• Notable Artist: Mahalia Jackson (performed at Carnegie Hall, Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral)
• Example: Jackson's "Take My Hand, Precious Lord"

Transition to Secular Music

• Artists: Rosetta Tharpe (rock and roll), Sam Cooke (soul)
• Discussion: Sam Cooke on the importance of observation in music
• Example: Cooke’s "You Send Me"

Rock and Roll Influence

• Example: Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" (originally recorded by Big Mama Thornton)

Post-World War II and Civil Rights Era

• Civil Rights Era Music: Mahalia Jackson, protest songs like "We Shall Overcome"
• Motown Influence: Supremes' "Baby Love"
• Funk and Beyond: James Brown's influence on funk and hip-hop

Modern Black Music and Hip-Hop

• Hip-Hop's Roots: Born in the 1970s among Black, Jamaican, and Latino youth
• Example: Beyoncé’s "Formation" (Super Bowl performance)
• Key Points: Black music responds to and reflects societal issues

Q&A Highlights

• W.E.B. Du Bois' Quote: Spirituals were misunderstood as improper classical music until recognized by Fisk Jubilee Singers
• Nina Simone: Classical pianist turned activist musician; known for "Young, Gifted and Black"
• Current Black Music Trends: Hip-hop is dominant, but protest themes are seen in other genres like gospel (Kirk Franklin), jazz, and Afrofuturism (Janelle Monáe, Erykah Badu)
• Black Church Influence: Ongoing but evolving with contemporary artists like Kanye and Chance the Rapper

Conclusion

• Summary: Dr. Barron emphasizes that Black music consistently observes and speaks to the issues of Black communities throughout history.

End of Presentation and Q&A.