Spirit in Black Music
Introduction
Spirit, a concept that is familiar throughout the African diaspora is completely intangible but palpable. I say this because spirit is not something you can see with the naked eye or grab onto with your hands. However, if you’ve ever been inside a Southern Baptist church on a fifth Sunday, watched a performance of the slave tradition of ring shout dances, heard Civil Rights leaders speak. or simply been a part of a tradition of a culture in the African diaspora and felt something you could not explain, then you know what spirit is.
Definition of Spirit
Josef Sorett, an African-American scholar, provides a formal discussion of the term spirit in his book Spirit in the Dark: A Religious History of Racial Aesthetics.
I found that these quotes were great to begin understanding some of the key aspects of spirit:
“In the context of African American history, the spirit has played a key role in shaping the culture and politics of black communities, and has often been invoked to signify the kinds of social energy and imagination that have fueled various quests for freedom”
“The spirit is often associated with a range of musical expressions – including the moan, shout, and holler – that have long been identified with African American religious life”
“The spirit’s ability to imagine new possibilities and create new forms is critical for any liberatory politics or struggle”
These quotes were important to me because they helped me to understand how spirit functioned within African and African diaspora based communities. Because while commonly expressed through music, the spirit is not about entertainment. The spirit is the power that has helped shaped culture, politics, and given energy to movements within the diaspora based communities. The spirit has emboldened these people to globally create new movements and imagine new ways of liberation from their oppressors.
While the spirit can be seen in political movements throughout history, I became more interested in how the spirit is used in music and has inspired artists today.
Guava Island
Guava Island (2019) is an American musical film directed by Hiro Murai starring Donald Glover and Rihanna.
Guava Island‘s plot centers around the main character, Deni Maroon (Donald Glover), organizing a music festival on the island to try and help the citizens of the island break free from the monotony of their oppressed lives.
The film is powerful because the spirit is shown in music, message, people, and in the film itself as body of art. The film also does an excellent of showing how each of the quotes previously mentioned can be portrayed within the African and African diaspora based world.
While this is no means a full review of this piece, if spirit is an unfamiliar concept for you I think it does provide a great music and visuals to begin the process of better understanding this unique concept. Afterwards, I recommend you read my full review on this piece in terms of the concept of spirit here.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé, the international icon, uses and embodies spirit with her work in ways that are powerful and profound.
Beyoncé’s music, with its themes of black feminism, African diaspora based culture, and spirituality, resonates strongly with the concept of spirit . In The Lemonade Reader, Kinitra D. Brooks and Kameelah L. Martin note that her album Lemonade is “a work of spiritual healing, a record of Beyoncé’s journey through spiritual darkness, and a testament to her triumphant emergence.” Beyonce’s use of gospel choirs and lyrics that reflect themes of faith and redemption in Lemonade highlight her connections to the Christian church, emphasizing the role of spirituality in her life and music.
Beyoncé’s incorporation of Yoruba religion in her visual album Black is King also reflects the concept of spirit, particularly in its connection to African diasporic spirituality. According to Brooks and Martin, Black is King is “an offering of African diasporic culture and spirituality.” The use of Yoruba religious symbols and imagery in the film highlights the spiritual significance of African diasporic culture and its importance in Beyoncé’s own spiritual journey.
Furthermore, Beyoncé’s work represents a powerful expression of Black divine feminism, which further embodies spirit. In The Lemonade Reader, Brooks and Martin note that “Beyoncé’s work often elevates the experiences of Black women and girls, emphasizing their power, beauty, and resilience.” Through her music, Beyoncé celebrates the strength and resilience of Black women while also calling attention to the social injustices they face.
Beyoncé’s music is not only iconic because of the quality, but because the qualities of spirit it has. It uses spirituality, feminism, and divine energy to re-imagines the world for her listeners in a way that celebrate Black women and Black feminine divinity while strengthening Black women. Her music then goes on to transcend single religious references, single cultures, or even ideology to imagine a liberated reality that is beyond the current state of the world. When discussing modern day music, she is someone who continues to push the paradigm and show what spirit truly is, despite many not recognizing this aspect of her music.
Sacred vs. Secular
The idea of spirit is particularly interesting when you get you into the discussion of sacred and secular music.
In his book Spirit in the Dark, Josef Sorett explores how African American music has been used to express spirituality and connect with the divine. Sacred music, such as gospel, is often associated with religious contexts, and its primary goal is to facilitate communication with the divine. This music often includes themes of redemption, salvation, and the power of faith.
In contrast, secular music, such as blues and jazz, tends to focus more on earthly experiences and human emotion. Blues music, for example, often explores themes of heartbreak, loss, and struggle. Jazz music, on the other hand, is known for its improvisational nature, its use of complex harmonies and rhythms, and its emphasis on individual expression.
Gospel, jazz, and blues are all forms of music that have historical Black roots that help illuminate that spirit is a concept that transcends this concept of sacred vs. secular. This is because spirit is not meant to be understood in just a religious or divine sense. Interestingly enough, despite their differences, Sorett argues that sacred and secular music share many similarities and can both serve as a means of expressing and connecting with the spirit. In many African American churches, for example, gospel music is often infused with elements of blues and jazz, reflecting the interconnectedness of these musical genres and the role that music plays in shaping African and African diaspora based spirituality and culture.
Spirit: Moving Forward
The concept of spirit is such a powerful idea that is still such a key part of African and African based diaspora culture. To better understand spirit, I encourage you to further delve into the work of Josef Sorett and music within the diaspora. I also challenge you to move away from the American focus on the African diaspora and see how spirit is weaved into art and the world of other cultures.