African American History - The Music

Negro Spirituals - clear forerunners of Gospel music - were originally known as "Corn ditties" and they were sung after working hours in or outside the plantation Praise House. The Spirituals fell roughly into two types, those which worshipped God and looked forward to heaven and those which described their working conditions – usually in a religious context.

Many of the slaves tried to escape – they wanted to go to a free country which they described as "my home" or "Sweet Canaan, the Promised Land". And when they sang of crossing the River Jordan, it was actually the River Ohio they meant! They felt that all would be well if they could get to the free land north of the Ohio. The precise origins of many of the great spirituals which form the basis of gospel - here are just a few : "Study War No More", "Deep River", "Go Down, Moses", "Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jehrico", "Nobody Knows The Trouble I See", "Steal Away", "Balm In Gilead", "Farther Along", "Were You There ?" - are lost in obscurity. What is known is that the majority of what used to be called "corn ditties" arose during camp meetings and informal gatherings outside plantation praise houses in the early 18th century, the result of a mixing of European psalms and hymns particularly those of Isaac Watts and the Methodist tradition ) and traditional West African music and dance.