Gospel music
Gospel music is a Christian music tradition centered on the message of the Gospel, shaped by worship, testimony, and diverse musical styles.
African-American spirituals: Songs created by enslaved African Americans that express Christian faith, suffering, hope, and communal experience. Spirituals supplied gospel music with religious themes and musical practices.
Thomas A. Dorsey: An American composer and pianist widely known as the father of modern gospel music. His compositions and organizing helped establish gospel as a distinct church-music tradition.
Black church: A broad network of African American Christian congregations and institutions with distinctive religious and cultural histories. The Black church remains a central setting for gospel performance and transmission.
Blues: A music genre rooted in African American communities, characterized by expressive singing, recurring forms, and blue notes. Gospel and blues share musical language but differ in lyrical focus and religious setting.
Call and response (music): A musical pattern in which a lead voice or instrument is answered by another voice or group. Congregational replies turn many gospel performances into shared musical exchanges.
National Baptist Convention: An African American Baptist denomination founded in 1895 and one of the largest Black religious organizations in the United States. Its churches and conventions provided institutions where gospel music circulated and developed.
Gospel quartet: A small vocal ensemble tradition performing gospel through close harmony, lead singing, and rhythmic accompaniment. Quartet singing is one of gospel music's best-known performance formats.
Jazz: A music tradition originating in African American communities, known for improvisation, rhythmic flexibility, and distinctive harmonies. Jazz shares gospel's musical roots while centering improvisation rather than worship and testimony.
Christian hymn: A song of praise or devotion composed for Christian worship. Hymns provide gospel music with a longstanding repertoire and worship setting.
Mahalia Jackson: An American gospel singer whose recordings and performances brought the genre to wide audiences. Her career helped carry church-rooted gospel singing onto national and international stages.