Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Sunday’s Anthem: A further Examination

Karen Horton

Hush, Hush, Somebody’s calling my name.

Oh, my Lord, oh, my Lord, what shall I do?

I’m so glad that trouble don’t last always.

I’m so glad I got my ‘ligion in time.

Soon one mornin’ death come creepin’ in my room.

While studying music at the University of Maine I completed a capstone project about Negro Spirituals. I learned that our interpretation of Spirituals is often incomplete. Charshee Charlotte Lawrence-McIntyire wrote in the Journal of Black Studies, “The primary propositions in the spirituals are that slaves desired freedom and escape from bondage; judgment and punishment for their enslavers; redemption and salvation for themselves.” The enslaved used spirituals to communicate with one another, masking the true meanings of the words to deceive their masters.

Spirituals often employed stories from the Hebrew Bible and references to Jesus as Lord, but with double and triple meanings that only the enslaved knew how to interpret. For example, Lawerence-McIntyre and other scholars describe the use of the word “death” as a form of transformation in spirituals, and possibly as a reference to the road to freedom. I now always feel uncertain as to the actual intent of any spiritual I sing, and I feel challenged to consider the possible hidden meaning and likely intense sorrow and longing in the words.

I found a reference to today’s spiritual, as offered by the St. John’s choir, in a San Jose Public Library blog by Tiffany Bradford-Oldham. She supplies another verse not used in the lovely choral arrangement by Brazeal W. Dennard:

“Sounds like Jesus, Jesus is calling my name!”

Jesus could be calling the enslaved to escape; this could be a song that would have filled listeners with fear for the person facing the dangerous road to freedom. Bradford-Oldham adds, “Like many Negro Spirituals, the song was purported to be a coded song that would alert others that someone was attempting to run away to the north. When sung you can hear the singer begging those around them to be quiet so that they can hear.” This interpretation takes us beyond the limited literal understanding of the words that the masters of the enslaved had, and adds intensity to their meaning.

Karen Horton

“Hush! Somebody’s Callin’ My Name,” arr. Brazeal W. Dennard; featuring Karen Horton, soloist, and the St. John's Parish Choir, under the direction of Jennifer Mulhern, Director of Music.

Featured Offertory Anthem at the 10:00am Rite II service on Sunday, September 15, 2024.

This performance was recorded live at St. John's Episcopal Church, Portsmouth, NH, on September 15, 2024.