Oh, Don’t You Want to Go? Preparing for the “Gospel Feast” of the African American Concert Spiritual

In recent years, Whites in many circles have been hesitant to present African American spirituals. This tendency is arguably the sign of something positive: not wanting to appropriate African American culture and therefore dishonor that repertoire and its heirs. This author, noticing this resistance, could only remember other Whites proclaiming that they should avoid singing spirituals. It seems that, in an attempt to honor this music, many Whites have done the very thing they try to avoid: depriving African Americans of having the final word in matters of their culture, in this case, usurping them as the gatekeepers of their own music. In choosing for themselves whether the singing of spirituals is offensive, in the opinion of this author, Whites have benignly exerted their own ubiquitous privilege. In this article, the quest of one white singer and choral conductor is documented, and all his sources are African American. This writing does not draw any ultimate conclusions about what is permissible regarding Whites singing spirituals, but offers ways to do honor to this musical trove based on readings of and conversations with African American performers and scholars.