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INTRODUCTION
America witnessed the passing of three leading late twentieth century exponents of the African-American spiritual within seven months of each other: William Warfield, solo artist/ educator; Eileen Southern, Harvard University African-American musicologist; Moses Hogan, pianist, conductor, and arranger. Their deaths coincided with the centenary anniversary of the publication of the The Souls of Black Folk, by W E. B. DuBois, the great lover of spirituals, who wrote our nation's defining treatise on the meaning of being black in America. Like DuBois, these three dedicated much of their lives to the study and celebration of the African-American spiritual and its important role in the life of our nation. Each knew that the spiritual provides a means for effecfive communication across historic racial dividing lines.
Although the world enjoys AfricanAmerican solo spirituals everywhere, American singers in the last half century have found fewer occasions to sing or record them. This may be due in part to the troubled racial history of the American performing stage, especially in the shadow of blackface minstrelsy, and in the larger realm of a nation struggling mightily with its racial legacy. With race and spirituals in mind, I explore the subject for solo singers in two parts. Part One explores a combination of elements: the barrier of race in solo spirituals; white discomfort with Negro dialect and the conjuring ghosts of blackface minstrelsy; possible rebuke by some African-Americans who believe America's largely unaddressed racial history creates an atmosphere of distrust of whites who sing these sacred songs; or rebuke because it reminds them of a dark time best forgotten. Part One invites reflection on reasons why everyone should sing solo spirituals, although white Americans largely do not. Singing spirituals is centrally important to our education and racial transcendence as a nation. Building on the affirmative premise that solo African-American spirituals are suitable literature for all on the concert stage, I suggest that singing African-American spirituals could bring blacks and whites intimately closer together. Part Two identifies important resources that can help make African-American spirituals an active part of our singing lives. As a nation still coming to grips with its complex racial legacy, AfricanAmerican spirituals provide positive means to that end. The path to understanding our nation's racial legacy passes...