This article originally appeared in Go Triad
Spiritual Renaissance Singers keep a historic tradition alive
Want to go?
What: "The Spirtual as Art Song" by the Spiritual Renaissance Singers of Greensboro
Where: Pfeiffer Chapel on the campus of Bennett College for Women.
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Admission: Free and open to the public
Information: www.srsg99.com or 273-3237
Patricia J. Trice is keeping the tradition of spirituals alive through her group, the Spiritual Renaissance Singers of Greensboro.
For the past 10 years, the Spiritual Renaissance Singers have performed spirituals in churches, colleges and as part of concert series. Under Trice's direction, the 24 performers have dedicated themselves to preserving spirituals ---- traditionally unaccompanied folk songs.
The spirituals performed by the Renaissance Singers are filled with emotional complexity, often expressing grave sorrow and intense joy within the same song. The songs are interwoven into American history and culture.
On Saturday the Spiritual Renaissance Singers will be celebrating their 10-year anniversary with a gala, "The Spiritual as Art Song," at Pfeiffer Chapel at Bennett College.
Trice describes the "art song" as "a piece for the singer and a piano. It's written using poetry as the text and a freely composed melody with the piano. The point is to show the versatility of spirituals."
Most, if not all, of popular music can trace its origins back to the spirituals sung by slaves. If it weren't for these songs of intense sorrow and worship there wouldn't be jazz, blues, gospel or R&B.
"Originally, these folk songs sung by slaves were unaccompanied. Their owners would take away their African instruments, especially the drums, because they knew they could communicate with one another through them," Trice says.
The slave owners were so afraid of rebellion that they severely restricted communication. They wouldn't even allow the slaves to talk to one another. The slaves, however, could sing, especially if the song was religious in nature. These songs often contained coded messages that were passed from slave to slave. It was from these plantations the spirituals were born.
Gospel music also was derived from these spirituals.
"It resulted from the freed slaves moving into the cities. Once in the cities, these people composed songs with accompanied music. Spirituals are unaccompanied. Gospel music also has simpler rhythms than the spirituals," Trice said.
Trice, a lifelong fan of spirituals, wanted to form a group that would perform these songs in Greensboro.
"I had been involved with a similar group in Tampa," Trice said. "When I moved up here to Greensboro, I began asking around for people who would be interested in starting a spiritual group. I sent out a call for people I knew."
One of the people who answered was Trice's friend, Gerald White.
"Spirituals were something I always heard at my church," White said. "Since then, I've always been drawn to it (spirituals)."
Eventually, others began to join the group, including trained musicians and those who simply just "love the music," Trice said.
With the group formed, all that was missing was a practice space.
"I told the then-president of Bennett College that I wanted to start a spiritual group and she said, 'Why don't you practice here?'"
Their first concert was at Bennett College in Pfeiffer Chapel in front of 400 people.
"It took my breath away," White said. "I didn't expect to see that many people.
Performing at Pfeiffer Chapel now isn't that much different than it was a decade ago, Trice said. The group itself, however, has changed drastically.
"In the 10 years the ensemble has been together, Spiritual Renaissance Singers of Greensboro has grown tremendously in terms of blend, balance and tone quality," Trice said. "The support and dedication of each of the singers has been an inspiration to me."
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