Fisk
University Jubilee Singers
The Fisk University Jubilee Singers were formed
at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee in
the late 1800’s. The University was established
1866, just months after the end of the Civil
War. Originally known as the Fisk Free Colored
School, the institution was sponsored by the
American Missionary Association and offered
basic education to former slaves.
On September 20, 1866, four black men and five
black women, all former slaves, joined forces
to form the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The group
included some of Fisk University’s best
singers. It toured the nation to raise money
to sustain the university. These young singers
used the last of the school’s treasury
and often traveled the route of the Underground
Railroad. Although the singers were wearing
rags on their backs, the crowds they performed
before were welcoming. Unfortunately, the singers
initially did not bring in enough money to even
cover their own expenses. Still, they kept on
traveling and eventually their hard work paid
off. They even traveled to Europe to perform.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers faced discrimination,
but they saved Fisk University and introduced
the world to black folk music, the music of
slaves, and spirituals. Their music celebrated
life, survival, and victory. Some of their favorite
hymns were Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; Down by
the Riverside; and He’s Got the Whole
World in His Hands.
The history of the Fisk University Jubilee
Singers is worth reviewing. This group challenged
the nation’s perceptions and treatment
of Black people and preserved despite many hardships.
They built a foundation to combat the indifference
that Black Americans faced at this time by promoting
the acceptance of Black music and Black people.
Many Black Americans don’t know a lot
about African slaves, their own ancestors. The
Fisk Jubilee Singers sang slave music and gospel
hymns, the songs that slaves sang to get them
through lives of oppression. The music of the
Fisk University Jubilee singers encompasses
you; you feel their song and their spirituality,
which is all the slaves had to make it through.
The Fisk University Jubilee Singers still perform
and were the focus of an episode of PBS’s
American Experience entitled “Jubilee
Singers: Sacrifice and Glory.”
Reference: http://www.fisk.edu/index.asp?cat=16&pid=163
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/singers/filmmore/description.html
http://www.mtsu.edu/~baustin/jubilee
http://www.singers.com/gospel/fiskjubileesingers
|
