A common misconception is that music is purely for entertainment. It is, however, not simply for this purpose alone. The African gospel choir, beyond entertainment, for one, emerged not only to entertain but also help the slaves express their hardships while living under the control of their owners.
Gospel music as known in the United States came out of the influence of African song and dance on to the traditional church music that African American slaves were exposed to. Today, gospel songs are sung everywhere, from churches, heard on most radio stations and sung in almost every kind of gathering. Churches, however, are where one is most likely to see gospel choirs performing their repertoire of songs.
Gospel Music Beyond Entertainment and Solely for Worship
- The overall purpose of gospel music, beyond entertainment, is to worship God, both with the melodies and with the message, which is often positive, enlightening and encouraging. Gospel music transcends all boundaries because, although art is purely for a personal purpose, this kind of music is not made for a personal purpose but rather for the purpose of worshipping a higher God.
- There is, therefore, nothing self-serving about gospel songs. In fact, there is close debate on the secularization of the gospel and Christian music, since one side is saying that music should keep up with the times and should be one that people will enjoy singing. The more conservative view, however, says that gospel songs are not sung for the entertainment of the singer but for the Lord and this should not necessitate a drastic change in the way that this kind of music is sung.
- Gospel music culture began to evolve even more when slaves began to gather in congregations in tents after work to hear the gospel being preached. There they learned about the old classic Christian hymns that they would later infuse with the musical techniques that they brought with them from Africa. Improvisations of old ad classic hymns led to totally different songs and new arrangements for the hymns.
A large part of gospel music employs the call and response technique, which is a technique between the soloist and the congregation. This is a direct influence of African gospel choir that was carried over to America by the slaves. The soloist was allowed to improvise with the text and the melody of the song during the call and response technique.