Definition

Noun: * A genre of religious folk song, originating among enslaved African Americans in the southern United States. These songs are characterized by their deep emotional expression, call-and-response patterns, and themes of faith, hope, sorrow, and liberation.

Usage

• The term "Negro spiritual" is a historical and musical classification. In modern academic and general usage, the term "spiritual" is more common and preferred.
• It is used to describe a specific body of music that is foundational to African American culture and many later American music genres, such as gospel, blues, and jazz.

Examples

• Noun:
  • "The choir performed a powerful rendition of a traditional Negro spiritual."
  • "Her research focuses on the history and structure of the Negro spiritual."
  • "Songs like 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' and 'Wade in the Water' are classic examples of the Negro spiritual."

Advanced Usage

• "Sing a spiritual": This is the more contemporary and common phrasing.
  • The congregation began to sing a spiritual.
• The spiritual is often studied for its use of double meaning or coded language, where lyrics about biblical stories (e.g., the Exodus) also expressed a longing for physical freedom from slavery.

Variants and Related Words

• Spiritual (n): The standard modern term for this genre of music.
  • Gospel music evolved from the spiritual.
• Gospel music (n): A later genre of Christian music that developed from the spiritual, often featuring more complex harmonies and instrumentation.

Synonyms

• African American spiritual: A precise and descriptive synonym.
• Slave song: A historical term that emphasizes the conditions of its origin, though it is less specific to the religious genre.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• To have a spiritual experience: While not exclusive to the music, this phrase captures the profound emotional and religious feeling these songs are intended to evoke.
  • Listening to that choir sing felt like a spiritual experience.

Noun

1. a kind of religious song originated by Blacks in the southern United States