Gospel Music Workshop Audio Material G1 MP3

Here you will listen to the audio material G1-1 MP3, G1-2 MP3 and G1-3 MP3 as to the Pastor Barbara Ward Farmer's Seminar 'The History of Gospel Music,' which I recorded during my research in the past.

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(quote) Evangelist Barbara Ward Farmer
Evangelist Farmer began singing at the age of 4, and began singing publicly at the age of 4 1/2. Jimmy Washington discovered her and Bernard Channler was her first organist. At the age of 11, she was known as Little Barbara Ann Ward. She recorded two songs written by Evangelist Rosie Wallace Brown entitled, "What Do You Think About Jesus?", and "I Am By the Grace of God," Jimmy Smith played the organ. (snip) She is the Pastor of the Faith Tabernacle Church of the Living God. Her mother, Lillian Ward was the former pastor and founder of Faith Tabernacle. (end quote)
From one of the distributed papers for publicity, "1996 PACAF WIDE GOSPEL MUSIC WORKSHOP 3 - 8 JUNE 1996 Yokota Air Force Base, Japan, Theme: 'One Voice United In Praise!' Facilitators: Evangelist Barbara Ward-Farmer and Byron Ward"

It has been almost nine years since the paper for publicity quoted above was distributed. And for fear of being an outdated information, I sought and received confirmation from Church of the Living God on the 11th of April, 2005. I am most grateful to the kindness of House of God, Church of the Living God, Pillar and Ground of the Truth. (April 11, 2005)

For this page, I refer to: The Bible (Revised Standard Version, The Bible Societies, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, Old Testament Section, 1952, New Testament Section, 1946).

G1-1 MP3 The Black experience

The Spirituals are generally defined as "the song expression of the Black religious experience in the period of slavery" or "the language of faith" and it is accepted that "Spiritual" denotes "those who revere God" as opposed to "those who are secular" and "those who are profane." Benjamin E. Mays lays stress on the "other-worldly" and "compensatory" aspect of the meaning of the Spirituals in his theological analysis, while Howard Thurman, placing emphasis on the ontological impulse of the antebellum slaves, perceives that "the overriding religious meaning of the Spirituals was the slaves' quest for and insistence on the affirmation of their being that was perpetually being denied by the slave system itself." (the italics by Walker) And James H. Cone sets forth his thoughts, "My contention is that there is a complex world of thought underlying the slave songs that has so far escaped analysis. Further theological analysis is needed to uncover this thought and the fundamental world view that it implies." (the italics by Cone)
(From my master's thesis The Religion of Kokan: On Fushidansekkyo [1996], Chapter II. Evangelism in the Baptist Church, Section 2. Spirituals and Current of Gospel Sound. All the written sources are acknowledged in the pertinent section's notes of my master's thesis. Please see them.)

As the Pastor Barbara Ward Farmer touches upon, many scholars and researchers look upon the "invisible church" (some call it the "invisible institution") as their main resistance movement against the slavery and also view the Spirituals as the "double meaning songs" (or they acknowledge the use of the "double entendre"). That is, there is a tradition that recognizes the possible link to and possible involvement of the escape from slavery to freedom or the predictive aspect as the "code songs."

"God's A-Gwineter Trouble De Water" [God's Gonna Trouble the Water]

Melody Slow (with reverence)
Wade in de water, children,
Wade in de water, children,
Wade in de water, children,
God's a-gwineter trouble de water.

See dat host all dressed in white,
God's a-gwineter trouble de water;
De leader looks like de Israelite,
God's a-gwineter trouble de water.

Wade in de water, children,
Wade in de water, children,
Wade in de water, children,
God's a-gwineter trouble de
1
water.
2
water.

The lyrics from James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamund Johnson, The Books of American Negro Spirituals, Reprint of the 1969 Single Volume Edition [the 1925 edition and the 1926 edition in a single volume] by The Viking Press, Inc. (Cambridge: Da Capo Press, n.d. [2002?]), pp. 84-85.

"Nobody Knows De Trouble I See" [Nobody Knows the Trouble I See]

RESPONSE
Nobody knows de trouble I see, LORD,
Nobody knows de trouble I see;
Nobody knows de trouble I see, LORD,
Nobody knows like
repeat ad lib.
Jesus.

LEAD
Brothers, will you pray for me,
Brothers, will you pray for me,
Brothers, will you pray for me An' help me to drive ole
Repeat verses ad lib. D.S.
Satan away.

After last verse only
Nobody knows de trouble I see, LORD,
Nobody knows de trouble I see;
Nobody knows de trouble I see, LORD,
Nobody knows like Jesus.

The lyrics from James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamund Johnson and Lawrence Brown, The Book of American Negro Spirituals, Reprint of the 1925 Edition by The Viking Press, Inc. (Whitefish: Kessinger Publishing, n.d. [2006?]), pp. 140-141.

"Go Down, Moses"

When Israel was in Egypt's land,
Let my people go;
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go;

Refrain

Go down, Moses, 'Way down in Egypt land;
Tell ole Pharaoh,
To let my people go.

"Thus saith the Lord," bold Moses said:
"Let my People go;
If not I'll smite your first-born dead,
Let my people go.

"No more shall they in bondage toil,
Let my people go;
Let them come out with Egypt's spoil,
Let my people go."

The Lord told Moses what to do,
Let my people go;
To lead the children of Israel thro',
Let my people go.

When they had reached the other shore,
Let my people go;
They sang a song of triumph o'er,
Let my people go.

The lyrics from Howard Thurman, "The Meaning of Spirituals," in Lindsay Patterson comp. and ed., International Library of Negro Life and History: The Negro In Music And Art (The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, 1967), pp. 3-4.

"Go Down, Moses"

Go down, Moses,
'Way down in Egypt land,
Tell ole Pharaoh,
To let my people go.

When Israel was in Egypt's land:
Let my people go,
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go.

"Thus spoke the Lord," bold Moses said:
Let my people go,
If not I'll smite your first born dead,
Let my people go.

Go down Moses,
'Way down in Egypt land,
Tell ole Pharaoh,
To let my people go.

The lyrics from Wyatt Tee Walker, "Somebody's Calling My Name": Black Sacred Music and Social Change, Eighth Printing (Valley Forge: Judson Press, 2000), p. 57.

According to Zora Neale Hurston (Zora Neale Hurston, "Spirituals and Neo-Spirituals," Lindsay Patterson comp. and ed., op. cit., p. 15), the Spirituals do not remain long in their original form, even though printed, with alteration by every congregation that takes one up.

Additionally, the above-referenced Spiritual "Go Down, Moses," which was sung by the slaves, comparing their own enslavement with Israelite bondage in Egypt, is often mentioned not only as an example of those which are "double meaning," but also as an example of those which are "protesting and rebellious" in character. Benjamin E. Mays says:

Although the majority of the Spirituals are compensatory and other-worldly, it would be far from the truth to say that all of them are of that character. Even in the Spirituals the Negroes did not accept without protest the social ills which they suffered. (snip) It seems that the Negro was accustomed to interpret Negro slavery in terms of Egyptian bondage. Throughout such interpretation, he implied that as freedom came to the Hebrews it would come to the Negro.
(Benjamin E. Mays, The Negor's God : As Reflected in His Literature [New York: Russell & Russell, A Division of Atheneum House, Inc., 1968], p. 28.).

Even more "militant" is, Benjamin E. Mays cites and James H. Cone exemplifies, "Oh, Freedom!" (Benjamin E. Mays, Ibid., p. 29. James H. Cone, Black Theology and Black Power, Seventh Printing [New York: Orbis Books., 2005], pp. 93-94.) As Gardner C. Taylor says, "the masters said the Bible declared one thing and the slaves heard something far different about what the Bible declared. The owners spoke of slavery being 'God-ordained'; the slaves heard, 'Before I'd be a slave, I'd be buried in my grave'" (Gardner C. Taylor, "Foreword" in Wyatt Tee Walker, op. cit., no page number).

"Oh, Freedom!"

O freedom! O freedom!
O freedom over me!
An' befo' I'd be a slave,
I'll be buried in my grave,
An' go home to my Lord an' be free.

The lyrics from James H. Cone, The Spirituals and the Blues, Twelfth Printing (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2005), p. 41.

G1-2 MP3 This [Music] belongs to the Lord

As for singing, the emphasis is, firstly, on its attribution to God as opposed to a mistaken view that it is of human skill or of human production, not only in this Pastor Barbara Ward Farmer's seminar, "The History of Gospel Music" (June 6, 1996), but also in her previous seminar, "Singing as Ministry/Choir Decorum" (June 5, 1996). Stated differently, singing a song is God's agenda and the act of singing is "to bless the Lord" and singing is "to express oneself," thus becoming a form of formal communication with God. When sing a song, "the glory of God comes down" and "the Holy Spirit even dictates how to sing." Hence, singing a song is "to share" and is a part of the ministration, for singing is no less propagational than preaching in respect that it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to preach Good News. [The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,] (Luke Chapter 4, Verse 18.) Secondly, the seminars underscore that a certain "power" resides in singing. Singing is that which works wonders, as shown in the book of Acts, the sixteenth chapter. When Paul and Silas "began to sing, the jail began to rock and the doors opened and they were able to be loose and be free." [But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one's fetters were unfastened.] (Acts Chapter 16, Verses 25 and 26.)

(From my master's thesis "The Religion of Kokan: On Fushidansekkyo" [1996], Chapter II. Evangelism in the Baptist Church, Section 3. Gospel Mission Work of the Pastor Barbara Ward Farmer.)

If you haven't listen to Audio Material G4 MP3, especially, "G4-3 MP3 Singing
was the act of communicating with God," I would suggest that you listen to it.

Note (concerning Units of Data Transfer Rate): The unit of the above file differs from that of other audio material files on this page. But the data rate would be about the same rate (127.91 kbits/s ≈ 15.9 K bytes/sec).
1 byte = 8 bits
1 K byte/sec = 1 Kilo-byte/sec = 1,000 bytes transferred per second
1 kbit/s = 1 Kilo-bit/sec = 1,000 bits transferred per second

G1-3 MP3 The Father of Gospel Music

Wendel Phillips Whalum gives a chart of the growth of Black sacred music in his "Black Hymnody" (Wendel Phillps Whalum, "Black Hymnody," Review and Expositor: a Baptist Theological Journal: the Black Experience and the Church, Vol. LXX, No. 3 [Summer, 1973], p. 343).

Please note that the above chart is displayed with HTML Markup and Inline Style, and it is not the "identical" same as is
given by Dr. Wendel Phillips Whalum in his "Black Hymnody," including the length of the lines and the size of the boxes.

The Pastor Barbara Ward Farmer mentions the names of the important figures in the history of Gospel music, Charles Albert Tindley and Thomas A. Dorsey.

C. Eric Lincoln and Lawrence H. Mamiya identify three stages of black gospel music's development, namely, "the Transitional Period of Gospel Music" and "the Traditional Period: the Golden Age of Gospel" and "Contemporary Gospel Music" (the contemporary period in gospel music), in their The Black Church in the African American Experience (Duke University Press, Thirteenth Printing, 2003).

There is common agreement among students of the phenomenon that distinctive black gospel music is rooted in the ghetto experiences of African Americans in the large cities of America, and that its development transcends at least three identifiable stages. The first stage has been called the transitional period, or the pre-gospel era. This epoch commenced around 1900 with the gospel hymns of Rev. Charles Albert Tindley, a black Methodist minister born in Maryland around the beginning of the Civil War. In the Methodist tradition of itinerancy, Tindley preached throughout the area and gained some prominence as a camp meeting preacher and singer. By the turn of the century, he had settled in Philadelphia where he founded the church which now bears the name Tindley Temple United Methodist Church.
(C. Eric Lincoln and Lawrence H. Mamiya, Ibid., p. 360.)

The traditional period, also called the "golden age of gospel," commenced around 1930 with the compositions of Thomas A. Dorsey. Admittedly influenced by Tindley's songs, Dorsey earned the title "The Father of Gospel" due to his tireless promotion of the idiom. An ex-blues musician who first learned his music in the church and later played for Ma Rainey, "Georgia Tom" (as he was then known) brought elements of the blues into gospel. His blues-like gospel songs reflect the same eschatology as the Tindley hymns in their quest for the glorious hereafter that lies just beyond our present travail:
(Lincoln and Mamiya, Ibid., p. 361.)

The contemporary period in gospel music dates from the late 1960s and early 1970s when the transition from the typical gospel chorus accompanied by a piano and handclapping performing in a church had been superseded by ensembles featuring strings, brasses, synthesizers, and electronic instruments performing in a concert hall. The other thrust of the contemporary gospel expression is provided by a new generation of performers or presenters who use the gospel medium as a new homiletical instrument.
(Lincoln and Mamiya, Ibid., p. 362.)

Audio Material G4-1, G4-2, G4-3, G1-1, G1-2, G1-3, M2 and M3 :
The Pastor Barbara Ward Farmer
I have selected several scenes as to the pastor of the Baptist Church in Philadelphia, USA, the Pastor Barbara Ward Farmer, from original cassette tapes on which I recorded her seminar "The History of Gospel Music" and Mission Work taken place in the Gospel Music Workshop "1996 PACAF WIDE GOSPEL MUSIC WORKSHOP 3 - 8 JUNE 1996 Yokota Air Force Base, Japan, Theme: 'One Voice United In Praise!' Facilitators: Evangelist Barbara Ward-Farmer and Byron Ward," and I have made AIFF (.aif) and MP3 (.mp3) audio files.

• G4-1: The first time that music was mentioned in the Bible: Genesis Chapter 31, Verses 26 and 27 (.aif, .mp3)
• G4-2: In a religious context: Exodus Chapter 15, Verses 1 and 2 (.aif, .mp3)
• G4-3: Singing was the act of communicating with God - Psalms (.aif, .mp3)
• G1-1: The Black experience (.aif, .mp3)
• G1-2: This [Music] belongs to the Lord (.aif, .mp3)
• G1-3: The Father of Gospel Music (.aif, .mp3)
• M2: Gospel Mission Work - with a Japanese Baptist pastor (.aif, .mp3)
• M3: Gospel Mission Work "If God Be For Us!" (.aif, .mp3)

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