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Go Down, Moses
"Go Down Moses" is a spiritual phrase that describes events in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically Exodus 5:1: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me", in which God commands Moses to demand the release of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. This phrase is the title of one of the most well known African American spirituals of all time. The song discusses themes of freedom, a very common occurrence in spirituals. In fact, the song actually had multiple messages, discussing not only the freedom of the Israelites, but also the freedom of runaway enslaved people, and many enslavers outlawed this song because of those very messages. The opening verse as published by the Jubilee Singers in 1872: The lyrics of the song represent liberation of the ancient Jewish people from Egyptian slavery, a story recounted in the Old Testament. For enslaved African Americans, the story was very powe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fisk Jubilee Singers
The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American ''a cappella'' ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditional spiritual (music), spirituals, but included some songs by Stephen Foster. The original group toured along the Underground Railroad path in the United States, as well as performing in England and Europe. Later 19th-century groups also toured in Europe. In 2002 the Library of Congress honored their 1909 recording of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" by adding it in the List of recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry, United States National Recording Registry. In 2008 they were awarded a National Medal of Arts. History The singers were organized as a fundraising effort for Fisk University. The Historically black colleges and universities, historically black college in Nashville, Tennessee, was founded by the Ameri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
