Summary:
American music that derived from the African American experience is a metaphor for the good that comes
from difficult times. Just as chord progressions resolve in music, so too can human relations resolve in America.
Good morning
Morningside Church.
I am grateful to be here to share my thoughts on matters of race. Thank you, Reverend Rohrbaugh for allowing me to stand in
this hallowed place to share my thoughts. I don’t feel worthy, but I will proceed as if given a Godly assignment.
America in 2008, can still be a dangerous place to talk about race. Even a pulpit
in these times cannot guarantee safety. Ironically, it’s that danger that invites opportunities to discuss matters of
race. My typical response to challenges is to pray, as I would like to do now. Please join me …
“Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. We know it didn’t have to be. Thank you for the opportunity
for healing in America. We know that when
you’re in it, good always prevails. As the Psalmist says, ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord my strength and my redeemer.’ Amen.”
I’ve entitled
my remarks, “Race, Music, and Resolution.” I believe that music originating
from the African American experience is a metaphor for the good that comes from difficult times. Just as musical chord progressions
must resolve, so too can human relations.
As we’ve
heard in recent weeks from fellow worshipers, commentary on race in America
can be approached from various perspectives. There are historical, cultural, sociological, and any number of other disciplines
on which to base one’s views. I’d like to pull a thread from the cultural perspective in order to spin my view
on race. The specific thread is music. Specifically, I cite American music with origins in the black experience from the past
200 years or so.
This music can
be examined in two major ways. The first is from a clinical approach—perhaps as an ethnomusicologist—one who studies
music in a scientific context. The other viewpoint is as a spiritualist. For today’s purpose, it’s a Christian
spirit—one who loves Christ.
Let’s consider
the first approach—that of the musicologist. One can find examples of jazz, blues, reggae, Big Band, Negro spirituals,
hip-hop, rhythm and blues that have been adapted, if not exploited, for mainstream consumption. In the days when blacks were
not allowed to enter the front doors of night clubs and concert halls, white artists would entertain patrons with derivatives
of “Negro music.” They could do so without the burden of celebrating—and in cases, not paying—the
undesirables who originated the music. Biographies of many white musicians cite the influence of black musicians in their
music.
We hear that
influence in the blue-eyed soul of Michael McDonald, the Righteous Brothers, Tom Jones, Hall and Oates, Boz Scaggs, and Bobby
Caldwell. We hear it in the music of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, Al Jolson, Tommy Dorsey, K-Fed, Kid Rock,
George Michaels, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, Eminem, Joss Stone and many others.
This list of
multi-generational musicians performed music influenced by the black experience that seems to trump racial discord. The appeal
of the music is not diminished because of the people whose experiences spawned it. Music inspired by African Americans, with
all of its adaptations, is and has been, economically viable for decades.
It’s therefore
not hard to imagine black elder statesmen inquiring: “If I wasn’t good enough to sit at your table, why is my
music in such demand?” The clinical response could exacerbate the confusion. That is, the musicologist says, “I
merely report the facts.” As a scientist, he is appropriately distant (emotionally) from his research.
Yet, without
a compassionate spirit to answer the query of puzzled African American artists, we are left empty with statistics. There’s
no insight on the incongruence of race relations and the consumption ethnic-based music.
That’s
where an alternative response is appropriate. It is from the Christian perspective that hope emerges. We can find hope in
ethnic music created by both blacks and whites. Their creative gifts both entertain and offer refuge from racial strife. There’s
hope in this music because of racial discord, not in spite of it. Examples
include:
- James Weldon Johnson’s Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing
- Donny Hathaway’s recording of To Be Young Gifted and Black
- James Brown’s Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.
Also consider
the timeless folk rock tune, Abraham, Martin,
& John, written by Dick Holler. This song pays musical homage to three
men notably associated with matters of race in the United States.
Again, we’re
talking about music that exists because of race, not in spite of it. Where would
a generation of slaves have been without the field songs and Underground Railroad songs like Steal Away, Go Down Moses, and Follow the
Drinking Gourd? Those songs are as inspirational today, as they were instructional during slavery times.
And then there’s
Amazing Grace, a revered anthem of
praise to God. The song was written in 1772 by John Newton, a former slave trader. It’s assumed that his lyrics are
testimony about his religious conversion. How can we not be moved by this powerfully enduring song—that ironically,
was spawned from the dehumanization of slaves.
Another example
of musical redemption comes from a timeless song written by Paul McCartney. Citing an Epinions.com review:
“Let It Be is said to have
been written by McCartney after a dream in which his mother (Mary) appeared, advising him to relax and be at peace. Paul masterfully
rewrote this experience into a more universal message of tolerance that became a worldwide hit… [Billy] Preston fleshes out the arrangement beautifully with organ and electric
piano, specifically enhancing the gospel feel of the song in instrumental breaks.”
Billy Preston,
a celebrated African American singer, writer, and keyboardist is appropriately credited in the liner notes on the Beatles’
album. Interestingly, the conflict suggested by the song appears to have been on matters other than race. The Epinion.com
reviewer calls the song an example of “creativity through turmoil.” That description aptly applies to the by-products
of race relations today: “Creativity through turmoil.”
This brings me
to my final point about music as a metaphor for race relations. In western music theory, notes and/or chords “need”
to move from an unstable sound to a stable one. The terminology for this is “resolution.” The notes must resolve.
Listeners expect songs to land on certain notes to signal closure to a composition—or a section within a musical piece. Take for example, the song “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”
[SINGING HERE] “His eye is on the sparrow…”
What if the composer
just left it there? We’re left hanging. We need to hear…
[SINGING HERE]
“…and I know he watches me.”
Ah … satisfying
… it’s closed. It’s done. I feel settled—with both lyrics and music. Western composers know the rule—that
resolution must occur. To me, the master composer is God, and he wrote the rule on resolution. He takes racial dissonance
(another musical term) and resolves it to a perfect harmonic chord. We know this from the original song book, Psalms 23:3 that says,
“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.”
How’s
that for resolution? Here’s another example. Proverbs 3:6 says,
“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
That’s
music to my ears. It says, whether racial discord or whatever, it’s going to be all right. It will resolve. I will be
at ease. If a white slave trader can overcome his economic dependency on human bondage, then we can overcome our issues today.
When we hear the song Amazing Grace, we are reminded that through Christ all things
are possible.
- A pesky neighbor can become a kind Neighborhood Watch partner.
- A seemingly infertile couple can have children.
- A $90 gasoline bill can become a $35 filler-up. (Hard
to believe, but all things are possible through Christ.)
- A church that’s half empty can become one that is half full.
- A chronic disease can be managed and permit a long and full life.
- A hate-filled racial diatribe can become sweet lyrics of peace.
Music in “the
key of Christ” provides resolution and redemption in all matters—including race. I have felt the impact of being
black in America. But my irrepressible
faith won’t allow me to wallow in my history for long. I’ve just had to pray larger than what others expected
me to be. I am constantly reminded that God needs me in this color, at this age, and with this gender to do work that only
I can do while living in this society. I’ll repeat it in case you didn’t hear me…
I am constantly reminded that God needs me in this color, at this age, and
with this gender to do work that only I can do while living in this society.
So, I keep my
iPod full of songs that remind me of God’s unwavering grace. I also pray. I pray for the world, and I pray for my loved
ones. Therein lies the great resolve … as with any enduring musical composition.
Thank you for
allowing me to speak today. I invite you to visit the Bay Heart Music Prayer Room at www.bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom to hear other messages of hope found in music.
