This week, we are going to look at Black History selections. You can choose a composer, choral piece, or solo singer performer. Include a link to your video selection or webpage. Reply to this blog post with a tune by one of your favorite African American artists from history. Refrain from using modern day musicians (such as Usher, Rihanna, etc.) and describe musical elements that you like about the piece. As always, be sure to check your spelling and grammar. Posts are due by 11:59 pm on Friday February 8, 2019. Remember, you can not use a song that someone already posted!
one of the songs that I think embodies Black history is "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday. It is so disturbingly beautiful. It just gives you chills when you listen to it because you know that what she is singing about is something that has happened in African American history. Black bodies hanging from a tree is truly is an extremely strange fruit. One that America has and still harvests. Holiday makes this truly disappointing topic sound so poetic. I like that there is not much music accompanying her except for the piano. It gives you the time to really reflect on what she is saying. I also thin that the dynamics that she uses I think that type of artistry is so beautiful. I also think it is beautiful how far the black community has come. In order to appreciate where we are now we must remember our roots. For you cant appreciate the sunshine without the rain. Though we still have not reached the sunshine yet, and we still have a long way to go.
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Passing it on to you, Veronica!!!
Thanks, Asha! For this blogpost, I have chosen the spiritual "I've Been In The Storm So Long." In the video below, the song is being sung by "Oakwood University Aeolians." I really love this spiritual because of the deep emotion put into the music; it expresses such intense feelings of sorrow and desperation to "get out of the storm." I adore the way this choir sang "pray" at the 2:33 mark. This choir embraces the big dynamic change of the song (the change between deep sadness to something more light-hearted) so beautifully. They have really good tone, and I feel like the parts blended very well together; it sounded like one person was singing. I also LOVE how every member of the choir sang vibrato at the same time at some parts--it sounded like mythical sirens singing.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1LyB4hQdxM
~Veronica Conely
Take it away, Artesia!
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ReplyDeleteThanks Vern, One of my favorite songs by an African American artist is a version of "When the Saints go marchin'in" by Louis Armstrong ft. Jewel Brown. In the beginning of the song Louis played the trumpet very beautifully. They both sung the song very soulfully. His voice is quite raspy and has a very low pitch but it sounds great with the song. The instruments that were used was the Cello, Flute, Trombone, Drums, and last but not least the Trumpet. I love when he and Jewel Brown sung. She has this high soprano voice and her dress is BEAUTIFUL! The song brings joy and makes me want to dance.
ReplyDeleteLouis Armstrong - When The Saints Go Marching In: http://youtu.be/wyLjbMBpGDA
The Three StooJes, signing out!
Thanks Artesia, one of my favorite black history songs is called "Swing Low Sweet Chariot by B.B King. This song has blues and old spiritual tunes in it. This song gravitate to to the soul its makes you really fell the meaning and the music. I LOVE the background singers the way they harmonized made it so beautiful and sound almost as if slaves where singing it. This song is very beautiful and spiritual.
ReplyDelete-MiracleGrace Williams
https://youtu.be/Mu8cLx2TgUg
One of my favorite black history songs is "Aint Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around" by Sweet Honey In The Rock. The song has such a strong message and was an anthem back in the day for African Americans. The choir and soloist had such a nice tone throughout the whole songs . Their voices were so pure but you could here the emotion and soul while they sang. The song is very spiritual and you can tell that they were expressing real and true emotions.
ReplyDelete- Jamiah Givner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPuBGcng6Tw
My favorite Black History song is "Blackbird" by Nina Simone. She sings with so much pain and soul. Her voice has so much heart because she makes you feel what's she had went through. Her voice is like no other person's. Every time I hear this she makes me want to sing.
ReplyDelete-Jamiryah Townsend
https://youtu.be/0LLkn-KLatY
My favorite song appropriate for Black History Month would be “To be Young, Gifted and Black” written by Ms.Nina Simone herself , released in 1970 on her “Black and Gold” Album. This song is so encouraging and has a lot of meaning. I love Nina Simone and how adamant she was about bringing justice to the victims of the Birmingham Bombing in 1963. “To be young, gifted and black Is where it's at” , the last verse of the song gives me so much hope and assurance letting me know that it’s okay to be black with talent it’s a great thing that we should express and not be ashamed of. Ms.Simone died in 2003 but her living was not in vain. Her legacy continues to live on and her music is still played to this very day.
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-Faith Gatson
The song I is "Oh Freedom!" by The Golden Gospel Singers. I love this song because the song encourages people of color. The song talks about being free , and it talks about how we will not have to weep anymore . In addition to this , this spiritual shows and portrays a lot of emotion.
ReplyDelete- Breuna Lewis
https://youtu.be/veiJLhXdwn8
Some of the best music in history comes from African American artists. One of my favorite artists in Aretha Franklin. She is a very iconic woman with an amazing voice. For this blogpost, I chose her song “Respect”. Her voice is strong from the beginning to the end of the song. I love the lyrics because the message is expressed as a demand for increased respect towards women. This is a song that no matter how many times it is played; you will still sing along to. This will always be one of my favorite songs.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzPXozDgvYs
Broadway duo, Cole and Johnson were two black composers who inspired composers after them, the Harlem Renaissance, and The Golden Age of Broadway. Their song "Under the Bamboo Tree" is an upbeat song that put them on the map. The simple melody paired with lighthearted lyrics make this song an easy listen. It was featured in the movie "Meet Me In St. Louis" (1944). In the movie, Judy Garland sings it and her voice matches with the song. Overall, the song is adorable and and easy listen for someone who enjoys the old-timey feel of songs.
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Eliana Hataway
One of my favorite African American artists would have to be Ray Charles. He is very well known and very talented. Charles may be blind, but he can play the piano and sing. He is very inspirational in so many ways. One of his most popular songs is called "Mess Around". This is a good song to dance to and its very jazzy. Its personally one of my favorites.
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~Serena Waters
The selection I chose is called "Tears on my pillow" by Little Anthony and The Imperials. The song echoes a somber yet captivating sound to every word said. It's interesting because Anthony was such a young talented black child that had great vocals for someone his age. He seemingly gave into every pitch him and his team had to chant. His prestigious voice gave the audience just the entertainment that could be enjoyable no matter what age group. His songs are both appropiate for any age group and so unique in a way that no one could mimic. He had the perfectly high pitched voice that was the base of all his greatest hits. He still lives on today with several tour dates at age 79 currently.
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“Four Women” by Nina Simone is a song that sets the mood for me as a black women during Black History Month. Nina Simone’s beautiful course voice in her lyrics is describing the multiple variations of the black woman. Her words are effortlessly flowing with her breathy tone and touch the soul as she gives an all too familiar description. The accompanying piano’s subtle notes drive it further to the point and premise of making you want to sway and move with the lyrics and beat. Her touching soul felt in every rhyme discussing the black women the world looks over and down upon call unto my heart. These elements are what makes this my favorite song when it comes to black history.
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tgoRc3GoXo8
~Zeniah Lee
A song that reminds me of black history month is “ Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?” by Paul Roberson. The song tells a compelling story of Daniel being delivered by God of all his hardships. The singers soulful voice delivers a matter of spiritual journey and overcoming obstacles. His range in dynamics and tone makes you feel every emotion felt by anyone going through hardships knowing that if God delivered Daniel then he can deliver blacks as well. “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?” helps us express the difficult journey African Americans have faced getting freedom and how we are being delivered.
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iAM7kxYpqvY
-Jahmai’ Williams
my favorite piece by an African American is “ what a wonderful world” by Louis Armstrong. This piece is just so appealing to the ear. It’s basically explaining how he feels. A man with that kind of deep and raspy voice telling how he feels is kind of weird at first but I really like it. It’s a blues type of song and it also is a kind of happy song? I don’t really know how to explain it but I know you’ve heard it - Garrett Harden
ReplyDeleteA song that reminds me of Black History Month is “ Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?” by Paul Robeson. The song tells a compelling story of Daniel being delivered by God of all his hardships. The singers soulful voice delivers a matter of spiritual journey and overcoming obstacles. His range in dynamics and tone makes you feel every emotion felt by anyone going through hardships knowing that if God delivered Daniel then he can deliver blacks as well. “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?” helps us express the difficult journey African Americans have faced getting freedom and how we are being delivered.
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iAM7kxYpqvY
-Jahmai’ Williams
For this week's blog post I am doing the song "Wade in the Water". This song has been sung by numerous artist but it is most famously by Ella Jenkins. This song commonly comes to the forefront during Black History Month. This song was used to as a signal to tell slaves to stay in the water when slavecatchers were near. This song was a useful tactic during the underground railroad and holds our history today. The musical selection contains instruments such as the drums which adds the daunting effect of a slave on the trail to freedom.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/vg_8L96E3eU
A song that reminds me of Black History Month is " Keep Your Lamp ," by Andre Thomas . This has always been my favorite song to perform during Black History Month. This song alludes to the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins , found in the Gospel of Matthew at 25: 1-13 . This song was sung during the time of slavery to express spiritual devotion . This song gave slaves faith that slavery will be abolished and that freedom would await for them in heaven . This song gives off an effect and feeling that slaves had during these harsh and cruel times. This hymn is a reminder of what how slaves felt .
ReplyDelete- Tamiaha Blackshire
https://youtu.be/6HDQqM7TsLU
The song I chose is "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown. The song was released in 1968 after segregation was deemed unlawful in 1964 after the Brown versus Board of Education and around the time of the civil rights movement. The song talks about how black people wanted to get what they deserved. The song also talks about how blacks have been treated bad. Blacks wanted to do things by themselves and not get judged by what they did, what they said, or by the color of their skin. Blacks should have pride in themselves, because this song was to empower black people and show that they are not inferior.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSLyk-OCBAI
~Jamelle Hall
A song that I like to listen too for black history month is I know I've been changed by Lashun Pace. This is one of my favorite songs because I would always hear my family mainly my grandma sing this song. This song is all about changing yourself and going to heaven. The song expresses how their may be problems along the way but it won't stop anybody from making it to heaven. When a person sing this song it helps them express what they overcame in their hard time. When Lashun sung this song you could tell that she has actually has been chnaged and that is the best part of this song because she sung this song from her heart and meant every word. This is a song that many people know and when you hear it you cant help but to sing along. There are all of the reasons why this song reminds me of black history month.
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-Ariana Evans
For my blog post this week, I have chosen a song by Whitney Houston called "I'm Every Woman". The intro of this song is very smooth and vocal. When the song starts to actually come into the post intro, the beat and melody make you want to dance. As we all know, Whitney Houston was an amazing performer. Her vocals are amazing in all of her songs, but this song is my absolute favorite because of the switch of tune in the beginning and the story that she tells.
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~LaTayvia Walker
One of my favorite songs by an African American artist is Papa was a Rolling Stone by the Temptations. I heard this song when I was very young and fell in love with it the first time I did. I like the story the Temptations tell as they go through tremendous lengths to find out who their father really was after his sudden passing. Seeing that I myself dont have a father, I, as the kids say these days 'felt that'. This song is near and dear to my heart and it will always be one of my favorite songs.
ReplyDelete-Jordan Rhodes
https://youtu.be/nXiQtD5gcHU
The song I chose for Black History Month is "Man In The Mirror" by Michael Jackson. The song begins as a solo and then the back-up singers start at the second half of the first verse and the choir begins after the second chorus. The beat and the melody fit perfectly with the vocals which make this song enjoyable to listen to. I also find this song to be inspirational and touching. The message behind the song is about how people need to look around and notice that there are people in the world who are suffering and we should help them instead of pretending they do not exist.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dQOghtW1fg
-Jonah Maynard
For my blog post this week, I chose "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" by Marvin Gaye. I chose this song because even though it was composed in the 70's the lyrics still hold truth in today's society. This song covered the feelings of so many African Americans during that era. I like the story this song tells, however it is sad to say that we are not very far removed from this story. Just listen to the lyrics and pay attention. You must stay woke.
ReplyDelete~Jazmine Moorer
https://youtu.be/p_PxgSQ9Vf4
LaTrell Huitt
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite African American artists from history is Nina Simone. A selection of hers is “Feeling Good.” The song screams “emotion” when you listen to the audio. It is as if a swift change in mood comes about and leaves you with this astonishing feeling after the song is completely over, all because of the amount of feelings such as hurt that she incorporated into the tune. Musical elements that was found in the song was the variation of elements such as the piano, trumpets and drums.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Y11hwjMNs
The song I chose is called " We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" it is an African American slave spiritual. The song is in the form of call and response, and although lyrics vary from place to place and over time, they generally emphasize spiritual growth, increasing one's knowledge about God, and a call to discipleship. The striving nature of this "climb" toward god is depicted as a series of tests.The traditional lyrics hold out hope that the slave can rise up and escape slavery. I find this piece extremely powerful and moving; the lyrics reflect the spiritual reverence for God and the hope for salvation, freedom, and happiness that imbues the song with an energy that permeates through the entire piece.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40U0URLnXIQ
The song I chose for Black History month is "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cook. This song really embodies the struggles of that time and the hard times and puts those hard times and struggles into a song. I like how each part after the chorus is different like its climaxing to the nd of the song and is filled with emotion, emphasis is put on 'OH' and 'I' which brings the song out. This entire song tells a story.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH25EUgFMmI
The song that I have chosen is “Smooth Operator” performed by Sade. This song brings back a lot of young childhood memories. Sade is an incredible artist, and she has such a jazzy, but soulful voice. The harmony on this song is carried out at just the right time, and the instruments that were selected couldn’t have been better.
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4TYv2PhG89A
My chosen song for Black History month is "I Be So Glad When The Sun Goes Down" by Ed Lewis. I feel as if the message that comes from the verse "I be so glad when the sun goes down" means that the slaves will try to take their leave and make it to freedom. I also think it means that they are tired, restless, and ready to escape this misery. It explains the heartache that they go through and they want it to be over. This is also one of my favorite spirituals to listen to because it makes me want to dig deeper and learn about my ancestry and history as the song gives it's testimony. This song has a deep old ring to it along with the husky voice of the men singing this song. I really recommend listening too this.
ReplyDelete~Anna Keith
https://youtu.be/jc-dTiIxpzk
One of my favorite artist when it comes to Black History Month is Bessie Griffin. Her filling voice that keeps a steady rhythm is quite captivating. A song that really puts this feeling into perspective is " Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child". The piece is accompanied by a beautiful piano that plays simple notes but is effective in its message when carried by her voice. The vibrato in her voice to convey notes makes you begin to feel the sorrow and sadness that swept our African ancestors in their dealings in slavery. This song to me is one of the strongest messages for the black community.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/2NDwW8onaoA
~Latierra Branyon
My favorite African American Artist/Group is Public Enemy. The song I chose was "Fight The Power". I like this song because it embodies all things "woke" It screams the cries of African Americans have against oppression and injustice while merging it with a funky beat. I also like the rhythm and melody of the song. All in all, I like Public Enemy.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UAnW-c57gM
Michaela McKenzie
One of my favorite songs to listen to during Black History Month is Nina Simone’s “Strange Fruit”. Not only does this song possess such strong lyrics but the instrumental portion is also very powerful. Nina Simone is an artist who is able to deliver a certain emotion to her audience effortlessly with her voice. She is by far, one of my favorites and so is her version of “Strange Fruit” as I absolutely love to listen to it. Each time I listen it puts me in a trance where I am able to feel what she sings. The lyrics combined with the subtle yet necessary chords from the piano create an amazing experience for those listening.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/BnuEMdUUrZQ
Kerrityn Knight
The Black History song i chose was "His eye is on a sparrow sang by Lauryn Hill and Tanya Blount. I loved how they sang this song, they had perfect harmony and articulated well. The instruments also payed a huge contribution to them singing it made the song flow better. I like this song because it speaks of happiness and singing with joy.
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-Aerial Hutchinson
The queen of soul Aretha Franklin embodies Black History Month just because of her timeless and effortless voice that projects anguish and despair. The message from one of my favorite songs "Mary Don't You Weep" presents a spiritual awakening that connects with the inner body that you cant help to clap and stomp along because of her powerhouse voice. Aretha uses strong and fluttering dynamics while still shaping her words for a darker presence creates a beautiful sound. From Aretha's words and the instruments along with help from the choir further push the mindset of no longer having to weep and putting faith in God in knowing that will be alright in the end. This is why "Mary Don't You Weep" is my favorite song for black history month.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/xIX6btGIn8w
- Katerra Blanding
Common and John Legend composed the song "Glory", which fits perfectly with Black history month. The song was included in a song track in a movie named Selma. This was made exacted for this month and for the remembrance of all our great Black leaders. I love John Legend, his lyrics are always very meaningful. In the song, there are many ranges of of high and low pitches. Also the instruments that compliment his vocals. To add to this great piece, Common wrote raps that express the time period and how to move on.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUZOKvYcx_o
jon coley