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

Exhibit 09- The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers Part 1

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1. Exhibit 05- Don Lee White case This case features the life and works of noted composer, conductor, and arranger Don Lee White. Among his many achievements, White was the music minister at Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church for almost 40 years and the founder of the dlw Community Chorale. Part of the "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" exhibit at California State University Dominguez Hills. Photo by Beth McDonald, February 2020.
2. Exhibit 02- The Legacy of the Fisk Jubilee Singers The tradition of the concert spiritual – a more formal, arranged version of the songs sung by slaves – began with the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The popularity of the Fisk Singers and the warm reception of their music inspired other choirs to follow in their footsteps. The concert spiritual tradition continues at many historically black colleges, churches, and community choirs today. African American composers, past and present, who are masters of the concert spiritual include John Wesley Work, Jr. R. Nathaniel Dett, Hall Johnson, Jester Hairston, and Moses Hogan. Part of the "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" exhibit at California State University Domniguez Hills. Photo by Beth McDonald, February 2020.
4. Exhibit 03- Gospel Roots case The church has been a center of African American life since the earliest congregations were established in the 1700s and has also often been the center of the community’s musical traditions. This legacy was brought to California by ministers who arrived in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from states that had strong African-American communities steeped in the musical culture of the African diaspora. Part of the "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" exhibit at California State University Dominguez Hills. Photo by Beth McDonald, February 2020.
5. Exhibit 07- The Evolution of African American Music This case contains books and albums that record a wide cross section of African American music and the musicians who popularized them from spirituals through gospel, ragtime, jazz, and modern pop. The artists in this case were trailbreakers for the musicians that came after them, making music so extraordinary it was impossible to ignore, regardless of race. Many of the modern variations of these genres are made up of earlier forms that have been merged and remixed, creating new styles for old stories. Part of the "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" exhibit at California State University Dominguez Hills. Photo by Beth McDonald, February 2020.
6. Exhibit 08 - Jester Hairston
7. Exhibit 09- The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers Part 1
8. Exhibit 14- Hansonia Caldwell
9. Exhibit 04- Women and Worship case African American women have always been significant contributors to sacred music in all arenas from composition to performance, though their accomplishments are sometimes overshadowed by their male counterparts. In studying their achievements as part of a larger whole, we can truly celebrate and appreciate the scope of the impact that they have had. These women rewrote the songbook of African American sacred music, changing the musical landscape and leaving a legacy for future generations. Part of the "will the Circle Be Unbroken" exhibit at California State University Dominguez Hills. Photo by Beth McDonald, February 2020.
10. Exhibit 13- Songs of the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman
12. Exhibit 10- The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers Part 2
13. Exhibit 12 - Albert McNeil case Side 2
14. Exhibit 11 - Albert McNeil case Side 1
15. Exhibit 15 - Hansonia Caldwell

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The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers (AMJS), known as "America's foremost Negro choir," have played a significant role in the development of African American sacred music traditions in the United States and are among the most honored singing ensembles in the world. The AMJS was founded by choral director Albert McNeil. McNeil was inspired by the story of the Fisk University Jubilee Singers, an all black college choir founded in 1871, made up of four black men and seven black women who gained international fame traveling throughout the United States and Europe giving concerts singing four-part a cappella arrangements of sacred songs called spirituals. In 1968, the AMJS went on their first European tour. Since then, they have travled the globe on 18 sold-out European tours, 12 tours of the United States and Canada, and tours of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America. They were selected three times to serve the U.S. State Department and USIS Cultural Exchange Program, traveling to East Germany, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Iran, India, North and West Africa, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

Hear the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers perform "I Wanna Be Ready," "In Dat Great Gettin Up Mornin," "O Happy Day," "John the Relevator," "Precious Lord," and "Go Down Moses."
Learn more about the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers in the Albert J. McNeil Collection and the Virginia L. White Collection.