Musics of the World, Module 3 Blog Entry

(a) Title of Piece: The Singing and Praying Bands of Maryland
(b) Performer(s): African-American gospel singers
(c) Culture or Origin: Maryland, U.S.
(d) Orchestration: Voices
(e) One paragraph reaction to the piece that makes connections to course readings/discussion.

Specifically for week three, provide an example of and discuss

the role of context in musical structure.

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“Knowledge of music’s context helps to further humanize it, personalize it, and associate it with students’ interests, and to provide for them an understanding of its cultural, historical, and social meanings.” Campbell (2004 , p. 217)

"In many instances, musical selections are structured in response to something in the context, broadly conceived - from sacred to secular, from ritual to concert, from formal to casual, and the like." (Wade, 2013, p. 148)

In this video, Mary Allen speaks of her experience when she was ten years old at a revival. “They sang and prayed over me then and then I went back Monday night and they sang and prayed again for me. I remember going down to the mourner’s bench, but I don’t remember comin’ up. When I came to myself, I was runnin’ and shoutin’ and thank the lord for saving me. But that was a wonderful feeling…that was a feeling you’ll never forget” (Carpenter, 2014). The context of this music is essential to the meaning and purpose. Specifically, the music affects those involved and surrounding them because of its spontaneity and improvisational manner. Context governs these concomitant manifestations of spirituals. One would not expect to hear this music in a formal concert hall. Even with the advent of popularization of formal school choirs singing spirituals, the meaning of the music remains entirely subject to the context in which it is performed.

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References

Campbell, P. S. (2004). Teaching music globally: Experiencing music, expressing culture. New York: Oxford University Press.

Carpenter, S. (Producer). (2014). The singing and praying bands of Maryland. Smithsonian Folkways. Video retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj1BkDimdqA

Wade, B.C. (2013). Thinking musically: Experiencing music, expressing culture (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.