One way was by singing spirituals. After the Civil War, spirituals helped keep the spirits high and the Jubilee Singers took on the additional role of being powerful advocates towards civil rights. The Fisk Jubilee Singers gave performances of black music, and this music did not follow the prevalent minstrel stereotypes. The American Missionary Association did not approve the Fisk Jubilee Singers tours in their rhetoric until the musical group received critical recognition and they realized that the performances of the group were quite different from the popular minstrel shows that the American Missionary Association opposed. They switched from operatic arias to religious songs like “ There is a Balm in Gilead.” There was a reluctance to perform spirituals following emancipation because they were seen as a degrading reminder of slave life. Their story can indicate the selling of blackness cultivated to the preferences of white consumers. They were working against stereotypes and a racist society, so they found a more engaging sound and still maintained the ideal passion of slave music to resonate with the white audiences. In order for African American culture to seem more “ respectable” the Fisk Jubilee Singers had to do everything they could to appeal to their white
One way was by singing spirituals. After the Civil War, spirituals helped keep the spirits high and the Jubilee Singers took on the additional role of being powerful advocates towards civil rights. The Fisk Jubilee Singers gave performances of black music, and this music did not follow the prevalent minstrel stereotypes. The American Missionary Association did not approve the Fisk Jubilee Singers tours in their rhetoric until the musical group received critical recognition and they realized that the performances of the group were quite different from the popular minstrel shows that the American Missionary Association opposed. They switched from operatic arias to religious songs like “ There is a Balm in Gilead.” There was a reluctance to perform spirituals following emancipation because they were seen as a degrading reminder of slave life. Their story can indicate the selling of blackness cultivated to the preferences of white consumers. They were working against stereotypes and a racist society, so they found a more engaging sound and still maintained the ideal passion of slave music to resonate with the white audiences. In order for African American culture to seem more “ respectable” the Fisk Jubilee Singers had to do everything they could to appeal to their white