There are different genres and types of Gospel music. But before we move on that, it’s time to know what is Gospel music. Note that Gospel music first emerged from a famous American Hymnody in 1870. When it first came into being, it was generally white in its style.
The music was used prominently in urban revivals of religious songs led by musician Ira Sankey and by evangelist Dwight Moody. Note that the music found its roots in hymns of Sunday school, camp spiritual meetings, and melodies of popular music.
One example of such a song is- “I Love to Tell The Story” in 1869 by William Fischer. The song deals with conversion and salvation.
Know that the song lyrics also fully celebrate the eternal god’s love and call for response and obedience to the higher being above. Overall, gospel songs involve joyous music accompanied by spiritual inspiration and solo vocals.
Now that we know about the basics of Gospel music, it’s time to differentiate between Black and White Gospel music. These two music styles are fundamentally different from each other and have different origins as well.
What is Black and White Gospel music?
- Black Gospel: It is a devout American religious song and melody associated with the Pentecostal churches. Know that the music partly evolved out from the plantation working Christian slaves hailing from West Africa. Over time, these plantation songs came to the African-American churches too during the 1930s. Black Gospel developed as a combination of earlier hymns, melody, and black performance styles with elements of spirituals and jazz. All of it was used to laud and spread Jesus Christ’s gospel. If you are looking to hear some black gospel music, then you can find them on this gospel music website. Check out the wide variety here and listen to what you like.
- White Gospel : White gospel music began during the latter parts of the 19th century. It was started by the white evangelicals. Know that it was popularized by several musicians. Elvis Presley was one of them. To distinguish it from Black Gospel, it is often called Southern Gospel or Country Gospel.Some popular white gospel singers are George Beverly Shea and Homer Rodeheaver. Recently, White Gospel has experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to Gloria and Bill Gaither’s successful “Homecoming” video series.
Will these music styles be attractive to new listeners?
If you are looking for music that will help you appreciate God more then this is the style you should look into. The new generation will find a lot of variety in the music and song styles that will help them feel closer to God.
Try listening to both Black and White Gospel music, and select the style you like, Or maybe you can appreciate both these styles due to the uniqueness they offer. You can also read black gospel songs religious root while doing so.
If you are interested in both these styles, then you should research more about them and listen more to the Black and White gospel genres. It will help you expand your knowledge of the music style and help you appreciate God.
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