Abstract
This project involves the creation of two arrangements of Negro Spirituals from source materials. “Lay This Body Down” from Slave Songs of the United States published in 1867 and “I’ll Hear the Trumpet Sound” from Jubilee songs: As Sung by the Jubilee Singers, of Fisk University published in 1872, provide a foundation for teaching Black music history. Introduced with the author’s personal connection to the project and a review of the artistic, cultural, and pedagogic importance of these spirituals, this project analyzes the source materials, arrangements, and performance practices of both pieces. Musical scores and recordings complete the picture of the project, which explores the purposes of Negro Spirituals in today’s music education climate.