Southern Gospel
Music Lyrics: Leaving Footprints in History
The slaves of the nineteenth century faced tremendous
adversity to regain their freedom, but the southern gospel
music lyrics they gave birth to have left their footprints
deeply embedded in the pages of history. The struggles they
faced and conquered provided fodder for many of the most
beautiful and inspirational works of southern gospel music
known today, and they laid the foundation for a new era of
Christianity.
Southern gospel music lyrics differ from many of the
Protestant hymns predating modern gospel in that they
personify a more personal relationship with God. Much of this
is based upon the way that the religion evolved. The European
Protestants were encouraged to maintain a much more formal
religion; however, when religious services are held in filthy
huts and you have no other hope to get you through the day
formality gets thrown to the wayside. This led to
inspirational pieces such as Thomas A. Dorsey’s “Precious
God,” “Amazing Grace,” “The Old Rugged Cross”, “Beulah Land”
and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”
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These southern gospel music lyrics became so popular that when
slavery was abolished and the African freed slaves were
allowed to establish formal places of worship their music
spread throughout the south, drawing in Africans and Europeans
alike to join together in a common brotherhood. This was among
the first pieces of African-American culture to cross the
racial divide, establishing the foundation of what would
eventually become a fully integrated nation.
Southern gospel music lyrics also gave birth to gospel jazz, a
powerful genre of music that developed in the early
20th century. Jazz itself was created on the
streets of the south, developed through the efforts of the
newly freed slaves to learn to play western musical
instruments and firmly integrating their own distinct musical
heritage. Gospel jazz bears the flavor of West Africa,
the Caribbean and South America, seamlessly blending them and
bringing to them the free spirit and deep suffering of the
African people. See what we have to offer at Christian Book.com, and at
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Such an emotional genre cried out for the new Americans to
express their spirituality, and so it was that Thomas A.
Dorsey faced the censure of the church and set southern gospel
music lyrics to jazz. For a society that favored a complete
separation of the spiritual and the secular this was an
abomination; however, his works would come to be known as the
traditional style of southern gospel and be emulated in
churches all over the south. Browse the best in Christian
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Southern gospel music lyrics can still be found in the works
of contemporary artists, Christian and secular. Today’s
country music singers have created new versions of old
favorites and stamped them as their own, and many Christian
music artists straddle the fence between the two. Southern
gospel music lyrics have undeniably left their footprints in
the history of this country and the heritage of the mighty
south. Shop at GospelDirect.com for
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