Spiritual music has come a long way over the years. Many traditional spiritual songs have been modernized by many music artists.
Traditional Spiritual Music Songs
These genres of songs were created by African Americans, which originated in the Sweden. These spiritual songs depicted Christian values and were descriptive of slavery hardships. Once known as monophonic songs, they have now become harmonized choral songs. The meaning of the genre of music is making melodies and singing to the Lord from your heart. Some popular Spiritual Songs include:
- Down by The Riverside
- Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
- Wade in the Water
- Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen
- Mary, Don’t You Weep
- Take My Hand, Precious Lord
- Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
- My Lord, What a Morning
- The Gospel Train
These great Spiritual Songs are known to move the spirit. Many of these songs were created to tell personal experiences and stories. Singing to the Lord kept much hope that the higher power could help build perseverance during tough times and build hope for better days to come.
A Wider Range of Hymnology
In 1938, George Pullen Jackson, a musicologist, who also wrote the book, White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands” helped to extend spiritual music to a broader range of people. This created variations of music styles of spiritual music. Spiritual music has become a combination of religious experience with African Americans as well as Europeans.
The Meaning Behind Some Spiritual Songs
- Wade in the Water
Spiritual songs are open to interpretation. Some say the song “Wade in the Water” is directed to fugitive slaves and gives them instructions explicitly on ways to avoid being captured. Detailing the successful routes to freedom. Entering waterways was thought to throw off the scent of pursuing bloodhounds.
- The Gospel Train, Song of the Free, Follow the Drinking Gourd and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
These songs were thought to have made reference to the underground railroad and contained a map that was coded to the railroad.
In many of the spiritual songs of slavery times, there were many references made to freedom.
The Spirituals Project
In 1999, at the University of Denver, Dr Arthur Jones founded this project to keep the meaning of the spiritual songs and the message alive from the fields of slavery in the South to Northern concert halls.
Spiritual Music is Enjoyed by Many Religions and Cultures
The Christian faith believes one of the best ways to worship God is through music. Christian gospel spiritual songs are often sung in church during services. Some popular Christian Spiritual Songs are:
- Give Thanks
- God of This City
- Change My Heart O God
- All Hail the Power
- Day By Day
- Love Lifted Me
In the Catholic churches, you will hear Spiritual music such as:
- I heard the Voice of Jesus
- On Eagle’s Wings
- How Great Thou Art
- God is So Good
- Holy is His Name
When attending funerals, you will quite often hear Spiritual Music. Many funeral services are religion-based. The spiritual music played at funerals helps with the healing of those who are suffering. It also is a way for the deceased person to be accepted into heaven by God. Some of the more popular spiritual songs played at funerals are:
- Amazing Grace
- The Old Rugged Cross
- How Great Thou Art
- The Lord’s my Shepherd
- Abide With Me
- Lord of All Hopefulness
Celebration of Life Spiritual Songs
More recently, many people are taking on the Celebration of Life Concept as opposed to the traditional funeral concept. During a celebration of life ceremony, more uplifting spiritual songs are chosen, such as:
- Morning Has Broken
- Lord of the Dance
- All Things Bright and Beautiful
- Great is Thy Faithfulness
- Shine Jesus Shine
New Age Spirituality Music
Today spiritual music is enjoyed for many other reasons aside from religion. New Age Spirituality music is now used as a form of relaxation and meditation purposes. New Age Spiritual music helps lift one’s soul and cleanses the mind. Many Yoga classes play spiritual music to help to relax participants, and as an aid in breathing practices.
Spiritual music can be enjoyed in many different formats. This is a very personal choice.