I am from a small town in Mississippi and it is the same way there. I miss this so much. I miss the times when the whole congregation sang! This is true spirit filled! Glory to God!
Thank you for sharing , Although u don't hear these hyms sung in most black churches today, it is their loss ... I sing them at home and I can feel the presense of the Lord and the Ancestors and it takes me all the way back to the Motherland! These songs and hymns are so rich and potent, it's like medicine to my soul. A million thanks for sharing. S
This is beautiful & also touching...... Moved me spiritually plus connected me with my grandparents when they use to sing like this.... Lord take us back!!!!!!!! THANKS for this clip.... God bless you, Elder contrail Pate
Father, Father, Father Thank You For keeping us. Lord God you've been good to my people, you keep us day by day. What ever you Lord don't leave us alone.
People tend to be afraid of what they don't understand. I can see this coming back to our churches because of the times that we live in now. It's really a song of total dependence on God.
This is what I call lining a hymn. I think every church should do this at least once a month, just to remind us, because if we don't pass it one, in 20 it will be a distant memory
My great-grandmother's church, St. James Baptist Church , in Johnsonville, SC sang meter hymn style and it would make chills go up and down your spine. I pray that this style of singing is always remembered and practiced by music ministries everywhere, especially in the south.
That is wonderful. I hope that love stirs you to fight to keep it alive. This will mean actively opposing the dollar-driven Christian Entertainment industry that pumps out the stuff that is edging out the music of our heritage (both yours and mine).
Listen to the church, nothin sounds like that but the church. This is African American history in living, sound and color. When I was young I used to follow my Pastor down in Carolina when he did revivals (the late Rev. John Stewart) and as a teenager I knew this was special. I am over 40 now and still sounds the same. I can wait to get to heaven. I want to be in a the Prayer Band singing these songs of Zion. I have got to get the DVD
My God, My God... this took me sooo far back into my memories.. but I remember this one coming up as a child... stirs my soul this morning sitting here at work.. the saints worshipped the living God as a body..
Amen ! You are so right. If those same individuals who held us in bondage could come back now, they would see the results of our people crying out to God in song.We are free, and we even have a black president of The United States.Im going to quit now, beause im about to get happy up in here. THANK YOU LORD !!!!
I DO SO AGREE WITH AMOS! "WE" HAVE TO KEEP IT ALIVE. LET OUR CHILDREN HEAR THIS BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. AS IT SEEPS INTO THEIR SOULS, THEY WILL BEGIN TO APPRECIATE IT AND MAY ONE DAY BRING NATIONAL ATTENTION TO IT!
Oh, how I miss that call and response! At the churches I attended in my childhood, at the end of a call and response, a deacon would kneel at the front of the church and pray out loud while the congregation would hum the song. So beautiful and heart-felt!
I believe the tradition is called "Lining" hymns. I heard it in my father's church, and thought I would never hear it again. Thank you so much for posting. This is true "Praise Music" .
I Just Love This..........Im 18 on the Deacon Board at my church and the Deacons lead in Dr. Watts' but they are not like these which are so moving to my spirit.........GOD BLESS!
My 14 year old just asked, "What are you listening to mom?" I said church songs like when I grew up. He said "really, I thought that was some type of African tribal music". (We attend a more contemporary style church). So even a young person, with a 2 minute listen, is able to recognize the connection right away. This is beautiful music and comes from the depths of the soul and the African American experience.
Sadly, they have replaced the traditions with Praise and Worship teams. It's really sad. And honestly I don't think the new folks have anything to hold. And if you ask the children the contemporary doesn't encourage church attendance either. If we're not building community children will never be interested no matter how many lights and screens and skinny jeans you have.
2020... Father I stretch my hand to thee, heal me, and our land! When I was in foster care our church used to sing this song I remember my foster mother and the church, I pray for us all!
I believe they called this the chant, normally done when a Deacon was praying or reading a scripture. I am sixty years old and have not seen this type of worship since I was about ten years old. Thank you for posting this video. It is spiritually uplifting and help start my day
This is an extract of the extraordinary congregational/communal singing evolved from West Africa into the African-American Culture and preserved in the Black Baptist tradition. I remember hearing something similar at my Grandmother's Wake and graveside service in Jamaica, as rendered by her peers. I knew I would probably never hear that kind of singing again, as her generation would soon die out.
Now this is what I grew up on. My grandfather was Chrm of the Deacon Board. Those old Deacons would sing like this before Pastor took the pulpit. No music, then they sat down,and the beautiful organ would sound at the command of Mr Hamilton the great organist. Where did those days go. The pastor, my grandfather and most of the deacons are gone to heaven and so has Mr Hamilton.
This is refreshing havent heard a hymn lined in a LONGGGGG TIME. I agree i am 30 and i remember this is as a kid and ill say modern has nothing on this. i moss and long for this again
Having grown up in a National Baptist Church, and being African American 100% I can say that this form of singing is a combination of African culture and european influence. The stomping on the ground, clapping and responding to the leader (the person speaking before the congregation sings) is an African custom known as call an response. The song is european. The practice of the deacon reading the music is known as "lining a hymn", this is done in the black church because our ancestors as slaves did not all know how to read. I must note that the only way to properly carry out this form is to have been brought up in it and be spirit led.
+Melinda Brown These Hymns of Glory will never die out because these Saints of old have children who have children and I am one of those children. I didn't even know the words to appreciate these songs til I lived a little life and ran to Jesus just as I was weary, worn and sad and I have found in Him a resting place and He has made me Glad. These songs were instilled in me by a praying grandmother and a chosen people. I search out these churches in Charlotte, Rock Hill, York and there is no shortage. God will raise up anyone to give Him his due Praise. Speak those things that be not as they were.....the Holy Spirit is from everlasting to everlasting. Be Blessed in your comings and goings Sister Melinda Brown!
Growing up in a Baptist church in the American south, this seemed almost innocuous to me, but as an adult, I realize how much of a cultural gem this is. I'm long gone away from the church, but do people still do this? I was born in the 80s and I had plenty of exposure to great-grandparents and grandparents who knew about this, but how much does the younger generation know about this?
This is beautiful. We have to find a way to preserve this. I would much rather sing in unison while fellowshipping, instead of watching praise dancers and praise teams.
My college professor Dr, Mildred Green of LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, TN as metered hymns. It comes from the African churches during the time of slavery in America
Thank you for creating this channel. This takes me back to my childhood as I currently live in an area in which churches have diminished the value of the choir. I hope and pray these hymns are still being sung today
This is not my tradition but I wish it were. This music gets inside of you, points you to Jesus who crushes you in order to rebuild you into an image of HImself and it keeps you by HIs side. This isn't some trite sounding, radio, top 40 bop. This music is a friend who pushes you forward when all you want to do is quit. This music helps you see clearer the Lord who has His arms stretched out to receive you. There is nothing else like this music. May God be pleased to preserve it.
What a treasure! This is one reason I despise the Christian Entertainment Industry, and what it is doing to traditional church music. Unless something happens to break the grip the industry has on young people, this type of singing will die when these people do.
I searched for this hymn and I was trying to sing along with them, but their voices were so jumbled together, that I couldn't tell where they were. Such a pity it's not clear
This song is what the ancestors bought over from Africa. Stuff like this really makes me upset to hear black people say stupid stuff like I am not african american I have never been to Africa when the truth is you do things unconciously (sp) that was passed down from the ancestors.
This is a magnificent hymn and the singing is indeed powerful!! Is this a variant of the "meter hymns" that are often attributed to the Primitive Baptists? Please advise at your convenience. Thank you.
When I was a child this was considered dead musicals and was replaced with more a lot of European style harmonies. It was not until I got attended an Historically Black College that I learned to appreciate the music styles of our African and slaver heritage. Listen to the tight harmony and meters. Wow what a rich sound from the soul. Others have picked this up an claimed it as American Music in other parts the country.
Now I have never heard this version of this hymn before. VERY interesting!!!!! Just shows you that the same hymn is sung differently in different regions of the country and sometime even the next county over. lol
