Happy Black History Month, Goddard!
I’m loving the song choices for the rest of the month, and I love how they implore us to consider how we are raising Black voices this month— and every day!
Our Anthem this week is an African American spiritual called “Ride the Chariot.” To the slaves at the time, this phrase had a double meaning: one that meant, “the escape attempt is tomorrow.”
William Henry Smith’s arrangement is one of the most notable and featured an unaccompanied male chorus with a solo voice. This piece is very prominent in the repertoires of the Yale Glee Club and the Yale Alumni Chorus.
Spirituals have always been fun to sing, and they’re just as fun to watch! They always make you wanna get up and move! I think that’s the real point of a spiritual; it’s not only shouting joy but expressing it through our whole bodies too!
-Ashleigh Mathews
Original source can be found
