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Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: The Sacred Music of the African American Diaspora

dlw Community Chorale

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The Legacy of the Fisk Jubilee Singers The Fisk Jubilee Singers were instrumental in preserving the unique American musical tradition known today as spirituals. In 1866, Fisk University was founded in Nashville, Tennessee as the first American university to offer a liberal arts education to “young men and women irrespective of color.” By 1871, the five-year-old university was facing serious financial difficulty. To avert bankruptcy and closure, Fisk's treasurer and music director, George L. White gathered a nine-member student chorus, consisting of four black men (Isaac Dickerson, Ben Holmes, Greene Evans, Thomas Rutling) and five black women (Ella Sheppard, Maggie Porter, Minnie Tate, Jennie Jackson, Eliza Walker) to go on tour to earn money for the university.

The Jubilee Singers' performances were a departure from the familiar "black minstrel" genre of white musicians' performing in blackface and early performances were met with confusion and hostility. As the tour continued, audiences came to appreciate the singers' voices, and the group began to be praised. In early 1872 the group performed at the World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival in Boston, and for President Ulysses S. Grant at the White House in March of that year.

In a tour of Great Britain and Europe in 1873, the group, by then with 11 members, performed for Queen Victoria. The queen, fascinated by the singers, commissioned a massive portrait of them which still hangs in the university’s Jubilee Hall. They continued to tour and perform and between 1875 and 1878 raised an estimated $150,000 for the university.

The Jubilee Singers are credited with the early popularization of the Negro spiritual tradition among white and northern audiences; many were previously unaware of its existence. They broke racial barriers in the US and abroad in the late 19th century and influenced many other troupes of jubilee singers who would go on to make their own contributions to the genre, such as the Original Nashville Students, Chicago’s Williams Jubilee Singers, and the Los Angeles- based Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers. The Jubilee Singers perform to this day. In 2017, they were inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame.

Hear the Fisk Jubilee Singers perform "I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" and "Rockin' Jerusalem"
Don Lee White Don Lee White was born in Los Angeles, CA, on October 25, 1926 and attended both Los Angeles City College and California State University, Los Angeles before earning his Master’s degree in Music in 1958 from the University of Southern California (USC) where he majored in Church Music. White completed graduate work towards his doctorate in Musical Arts at both USC and Stanford University, and was given an honorary doctorate in 1984 by the University of Monrovia, West Africa. In his early career, he served as organist for New Hope Baptist Church before accepting the position as college organist and Professor of Music at Prairie View A. & M. for five years. Upon his return to Los Angeles he taught organ, piano, choral music, conducting and music appreciation at California State University, Los Angeles for 27 years.

White also served as the organist and musical director of the Grant African Methodist Church, Los Angeles, for over 38 years. Under his leadership, the Grant A.M.E. adult choir achieved national recognition for their musical versatility. Under his leadership, the adult choir of Grant A.M.E. Church gained substantial recognition for their versatility in music and professional performances throughout the United States and has several recordings. White also served as director of music for the Southern California Conference Fifth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Church for 15 years and served eight years as associate director for the Connectional Music Department for the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 1988, White took a leave of absence from Grant A.M.E. and organized the D.L.W. Community Chorale, whose purpose is to perform the extended compositions of African American composers. White preferred anthems, cantatas, and opera, saying “The smooth performance of the classical sacred music is something the musicians of today should strive to keep alive and valued for future generations”. White was an active member in many music organizations, among them the National Association of Negro Musicians and the American Chorale Directors Association. In addition he was often requested to give lectures and workshops across the country.

In 2008, White was inducted as a "Living Legend" into the California State University Dominguez Hills Georgia and Nolan Payton Archive of African Diaspora Sacred Music and Musicians (ADSMM). He passed away on September 16, 2010. Explore the Don Lee White Collection.