The Old Choir Song "Pass me not" -snip- No information is given about the name or the organist or the name of the church and its denomination.
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents a 2021 YouTube video of a White American congregation singing the standard version of the 19th Century Christian hymn "Pass Me Not" O Gentle Savior" by Fannie Crosby. The lyrics to that hymn are included in this post.
This pancocojams post also showcases a 2010 YouTube video of an African American Baptist pastor and congregation's version of that hymn as well as a 2009 and a 2015 YouTube video of African American choirs singing "Pass Me Not", the title for the Gospelized hymn* version of the 19th century hymn "Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior". Lyrics for the Gospelized hymn "Pass Me Not" are included in this pancocojams post.
* By "Gospelized hymn" I mean a hymn that is sung and/or played in a Gospel style, particularly an African American Gospel style.
Most of the lyrics for a Gospelized hymn are based on the original hymn, but the arrangement of that Gospelized hymn is different from the original hymn. (There is usually more than one arrangement of a specific Gospelized hymn.)
I don't know the earliest date that the African American Gospelized hymn "Pass Me Not" was first performed and which choir or church congregation sung it. If you have any information about this subject please share it in the comment section for this pancocojams post.
**** The content of this post is presented for religious, historical, socio-cultural, inspirational and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Fannie Crosby and Howard Doane for this hymn. Thanks to the African American arrangers of this Gospel song and thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the videographers and publishers of these YouTube videos. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/11/versions-of-religious-song-pass-me-not.html for a 2012 pancocojams post entitled "African American Versions Of The Religious Song "Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior". That post showcases five youTube videos of that now classic old school Gospel song. One of those videos is embedded in this 2025 pancocojams post as Showcase Video #3.
**** LYRICS: PASS ME NOT O GENTLE SAVIOR (words: Fannie Cosby,1868; music: Howard Doane, 1870)
1. Pass me not, O gentle Savior, hear my humble cry; while on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. Refrain: Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry; while on others thou art calling, do not pass me by.
2. Let me at thy throne of mercy find a sweet relief, kneeling there in deep contrition; help my unbelief. (Refrain)
3. Trusting only in thy merit, would I seek thy face; heal my wounded, broken spirit, save me by thy grace. (Refrain)
4. Thou the spring of all my comfort, more than life to me, whom have I on earth beside thee? Whom in heaven but thee? (Refrain)
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #2- Pass me not, O gentle Savior
Savedandkept, Jan 28, 2021
Magheafelt Free Presbyterian Church
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 -Pastor Dewey Smith Sings - Pass Me Not
Dr. E. Dewey Smith Jr., Jan 7, 2010
Sermon - Ministering with Suspect Credentials
-The Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church
4650 Flat Shoals Parkway
Decatur, GA 30034
**** INFORMATION AND LYRICS FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN GOSPELIZED HYMN "PASS ME NOT" From AI Overview (retrieved October 23, 2025)
The lyrics for the African American arrangement of
"Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior" are a gospel-style adaptation of the
original hymn, often featuring call-and-response and improvisational elements.
While the original hymn provides the framework, these arrangements expand on
the chorus with repeated phrases like "Do not pass me by," with a
spiritual vamp and improvisational callouts for sopranos, altos, and
tenors.
Original Hymn (Fanny Crosby)
Verse 1:
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
African American Arrangement(Example based on common gospel
versions)
Chorus:
Pass me not, O gentle Savior, hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by, do not
pass me by.
Spiritual Vamp/Improvisation:
(Sopranos, Altos, Tenors) Do not (do not) pass me by (pass
me by)
(Sopranos, Altos, Tenors) Savior, Savior, do not (do not)
pass me by (pass me by)
(Spiritual leader) Hear my humble cry
(Spiritual leader) While on others Thou art calling
(Spiritual leader) Do not pass me by
Note: These arrangements can vary widely between different
singers and churches, with the core structure remaining the same but with
different improvised vocalizations and ad-libs in the vamp.
SHOWCASE VIDEO #4 - "Do Not Pass Me By" 1.11.15 - Min. Ricky Dillard
Ebenezer AME Church, Jan 13, 2015
Min. Ricky Dillard Leading the Levites - Savior Do Not Pass
Me By -snip- Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Dillard for information about Rev. Ricky Dillard. "AME"= (the Christian denomination) "African Methodist Episcopal" -snip- Here are a few comments from the discussion thread for this video (with numbers for referencing purposes only. :
1.@preciouswilliams22, 2023 "Thank God I grew up having these type of choirs growing up!!
Choirs these days will NEVER understand the power it took to minister with
these type of songs👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏"
** Reply 2. @kristylelawrence2721, 2024 "So so true!!!"
** Reply 3. yvettesissom2613, 2024 "Yes, when choirs marched in."
** 4. @Romee20081, 2025 "I just don't know why churches don't get down like this
anymore 🙌🏾🙌🏾 bring the robes
and mass choirs back!"
** Reply 7. @ColdCreep6, 2025 "We still carry it like this in Chester Pa"
** Reply 8. @emilymiller1083, 2025 "Where are they still active?
I would travel!"
** Reply 9. @terranceevans521, 2025 "@emilymiller1083 Piney Grove baptist church 2804 4:01 Holland road Va beach 945 we will be singing
this on Sunday."
** Reply 10. @terranceevans521, 2025 " @emilymiller1083 Piney Grove baptist church 2804 4:01 Holland road Va beach 945 we will be singing
this on Sunday."
This post showcases a video and the full text of United States President Barack Obama's eulogy for South Carolina State Senator and African Methodist Episcopal Pastor Clementa Pinckney.
Reverend Pinckney was one of the nine African Americans who were murdered by a White racist during Bible study at Charleston, South Carolina's Mother Emanuel AME church. [June 17th, 2015.]
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, religious, and inspirational purposes.
Note: My explanation and comments about the applause that occurred during this eulogy is given in the comment section below.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Rest In Peace, Rev. Pinckney and the other nine persons who were murdered during that Bible study group. Thanks to President Obama for his eulogy and thanks to the transcriber of that eulogy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: President Obama Delivers Eulogy at Charleston Shooting Funeral of Clementa Pinckney [FULL SPEECH]
YouHotNews, Published on Jun 26, 2015
... Washington (CNN): President Barack Obama on Friday eulogized the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, one of the victims in last week's church massacre, calling him a "man of God who lived by faith."...
Friday's funeral service for Pinckney isn't the first time Obama delivered a high-profile eulogy, and with a year and a half remaining in office, it may not be the last.
But when the President stood in historic downtown Charleston to remember the slain pastor and eight others shot down in their church last week, his speech moved beyond just grief for the victims -- Obama stepped directly into a national conversation about race in which he plays a central role.
President Barack Obama ended his at times solemn, at times rousing eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was killed along with eight other African-American churchgoers last week, by leading the congregation in “Amazing Grace.”...
"The White House released the following text of President Barack Obama's eulogy for The Rev. Clementa Pinckney on Friday.
THE PRESIDENT: Giving all praise and honor to God. (Applause.)
The Bible calls us to hope. To persevere, and have faith in things not seen.
"They were still living by faith when they died," Scripture tells us. "They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on Earth."
We are here today to remember a man of God who lived by faith. A man who believed in things not seen. A man who believed there were better days ahead, off in the distance. A man of service who persevered, knowing full well he would not receive all those things he was promised, because he believed his efforts would deliver a better life for those who followed.
To Jennifer, his beloved wife; to Eliana and Malana, his beautiful, wonderful daughters; to the Mother Emanuel family and the people of Charleston, the people of South Carolina.
I cannot claim to have the good fortune to know Reverend Pinckney well. But I did have the pleasure of knowing him and meeting him here in South Carolina, back when we were both a little bit younger. (Laughter.) Back when I didn't have visible grey hair. (Laughter.) The first thing I noticed was his graciousness, his smile, his reassuring baritone, his deceptive sense of humor -- all qualities that helped him wear so effortlessly a heavy burden of expectation.
Friends of his remarked this week that when Clementa Pinckney entered a room, it was like the future arrived; that even from a young age, folks knew he was special. Anointed. He was the progeny of a long line of the faithful -- a family of preachers who spread God's word, a family of protesters who sowed change to expand voting rights and desegregate the South. Clem heard their instruction, and he did not forsake their teaching.
He was in the pulpit by 13, pastor by 18, public servant by 23. He did not exhibit any of the cockiness of youth, nor youth's insecurities; instead, he set an example worthy of his position, wise beyond his years, in his speech, in his conduct, in his love, faith, and purity.
As a senator, he represented a sprawling swath of the Lowcountry, a place that has long been one of the most neglected in America. A place still wracked by poverty and inadequate schools; a place where children can still go hungry and the sick can go without treatment. A place that needed somebody like Clem. (Applause.)
His position in the minority party meant the odds of winning more resources for his constituents were often long. His calls for greater equity were too often unheeded, the votes he cast were sometimes lonely. But he never gave up. He stayed true to his convictions. He would not grow discouraged. After a full day at the capitol, he'd climb into his car and head to the church to draw sustenance from his family, from his ministry, from the community that loved and needed him. There he would fortify his faith, and imagine what might be.
[page 2 of 6]
Reverend Pinckney embodied a politics that was neither mean, nor small. He conducted himself quietly, and kindly, and diligently. He encouraged progress not by pushing his ideas alone, but by seeking out your ideas, partnering with you to make things happen. He was full of empathy and fellow feeling, able to walk in somebody else's shoes and see through their eyes. No wonder one of his senate colleagues remembered Senator Pinckney as "the most gentle of the 46 of us -- the best of the 46 of us."
Clem was often asked why he chose to be a pastor and a public servant. But the person who asked probably didn't know the history of the AME church. (Applause.) As our brothers and sisters in the AME church know, we don't make those distinctions. "Our calling," Clem once said, "is not just within the walls of the congregation, but.the life and community in which our congregation resides." (Applause.)
He embodied the idea that our Christian faith demands deeds and not just words; that the "sweet hour of prayer" actually lasts the whole week long -- (applause) -- that to put our faith in action is more than individual salvation, it's about our collective salvation; that to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and house the homeless is not just a call for isolated charity but the imperative of a just society.
What a good man. Sometimes I think that's the best thing to hope for when you're eulogized -- after all the words and recitations and resumes are read, to just say someone was a good man. (Applause.)
You don't have to be of high station to be a good man. Preacher by 13. Pastor by 18. Public servant by 23. What a life Clementa Pinckney lived. What an example he set. What a model for his faith. And then to lose him at 41 -- slain in his sanctuary with eight wonderful members of his flock, each at different stages in life but bound together by a common commitment to God.
Cynthia Hurd. Susie Jackson. Ethel Lance. DePayne Middleton-Doctor. Tywanza Sanders. Daniel L. Simmons. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton. Myra Thompson. Good people. Decent people. God-fearing people. (Applause.) People so full of life and so full of kindness. People who ran the race, who persevered. People of great faith.
To the families of the fallen, the nation shares in your grief. Our pain cuts that much deeper because it happened in a church. The church is and always has been the center of African-American life -- (applause) -- a place to call our own in a too often hostile world, a sanctuary from so many hardships.
Over the course of centuries, black churches served as "hush harbors" where slaves could worship in safety; praise houses where their free descendants could gather and shout hallelujah -- (applause) -- rest stops for the weary along the Underground Railroad; bunkers for the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement. They have been, and continue to be, community centers where we organize for jobs and justice; places of scholarship and network; places where children are loved and fed and kept out of harm's way, and told that they are beautiful and smart -- (applause) -- and taught that they matter. (Applause.) That's what happens in church.
[Page 3 of 6]
That's what the black church means. Our beating heart. The place where our dignity as a people is inviolate. When there's no better example of this tradition than Mother Emanuel -- (applause) -- a church built by blacks seeking liberty, burned to the ground because its founder sought to end slavery, only to rise up again, a Phoenix from these ashes. (Applause.)
When there were laws banning all-black church gatherings, services happened here anyway, in defiance of unjust laws. When there was a righteous movement to dismantle Jim Crow, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached from its pulpit, and marches began from its steps. A sacred place, this church. Not just for blacks, not just for Christians, but for every American who cares about the steady expansion -- (applause) -- of human rights and human dignity in this country; a foundation stone for liberty and justice for all. That's what the church meant. (Applause.)
We do not know whether the killer of Reverend Pinckney and eight others knew all of this history. But he surely sensed the meaning of his violent act. It was an act that drew on a long history of bombs and arson and shots fired at churches, not random, but as a means of control, a way to terrorize and oppress. (Applause.) An act that he imagined would incite fear and recrimination; violence and suspicion. An act that he presumed would deepen divisions that trace back to our nation's original sin.
Oh, but God works in mysterious ways. (Applause.) God has different ideas. (Applause.)
He didn't know he was being used by God. (Applause.) Blinded by hatred, the alleged killer could not see the grace surrounding Reverend Pinckney and that Bible study group -- the light of love that shone as they opened the church doors and invited a stranger to join in their prayer circle. The alleged killer could have never anticipated the way the families of the fallen would respond when they saw him in court -- in the midst of unspeakable grief, with words of forgiveness. He couldn't imagine that. (Applause.)
The alleged killer could not imagine how the city of Charleston, under the good and wise leadership of Mayor Riley -- (applause) -- how the state of South Carolina, how the United States of America would respond -- not merely with revulsion at his evil act, but with big-hearted generosity and, more importantly, with a thoughtful introspection and self-examination that we so rarely see in public life.
Blinded by hatred, he failed to comprehend what Reverend Pinckney so well understood -- the power of God's grace. (Applause.)
This whole week, I've been reflecting on this idea of grace. (Applause.) The grace of the families who lost loved ones. The grace that Reverend Pinckney would preach about in his sermons. The grace described in one of my favorite hymnals -- the one we all know: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. (Applause.) I once was lost, but now I'm found; was blind but now I see. (Applause.)
According to the Christian tradition, grace is not earned. Grace is not merited. It's not something we deserve. Rather, grace is the free and benevolent favor of God -- (applause) -- as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. Grace.
[page 4 of 6]
As a nation, out of this terrible tragedy, God has visited grace upon us, for he has allowed us to see where we've been blind. (Applause.) He has given us the chance, where we've been lost, to find our best selves. (Applause.) We may not have earned it, this grace, with our rancor and complacency, and short-sightedness and fear of each other -- but we got it all the same. He gave it to us anyway. He's once more given us grace. But it is up to us now to make the most of it, to receive it with gratitude, and to prove ourselves worthy of this gift.
For too long, we were blind to the pain that the Confederate flag stirred in too many of our citizens. (Applause.) It's true, a flag did not cause these murders. But as people from all walks of life, Republicans and Democrats, now acknowledge -- including Governor Haley, whose recent eloquence on the subject is worthy of praise -- (applause) -- as we all have to acknowledge, the flag has always represented more than just ancestral pride. (Applause.) For many, black and white, that flag was a reminder of systemic oppression and racial subjugation. We see that now.
Removing the flag from this state's capitol would not be an act of political correctness; it would not be an insult to the valor of Confederate soldiers. It would simply be an acknowledgment that the cause for which they fought -- the cause of slavery -- was wrong -- (applause) -- the imposition of Jim Crow after the Civil War, the resistance to civil rights for all people was wrong. (Applause.) It would be one step in an honest accounting of America's history; a modest but meaningful balm for so many unhealed wounds. It would be an expression of the amazing changes that have transformed this state and this country for the better, because of the work of so many people of goodwill, people of all races striving to form a more perfect union. By taking down that flag, we express God's grace. (Applause.)
But I don't think God wants us to stop there. (Applause.) For too long, we've been blind to the way past injustices continue to shape the present. Perhaps we see that now. Perhaps this tragedy causes us to ask some tough questions about how we can permit so many of our children to languish in poverty, or attend dilapidated schools, or grow up without prospects for a job or for a career. (Applause.)
Perhaps it causes us to examine what we're doing to cause some of our children to hate. (Applause.) Perhaps it softens hearts towards those lost young men, tens and tens of thousands caught up in the criminal justice system -- (applause) -- and leads us to make sure that that system is not infected with bias; that we embrace changes in how we train and equip our police so that the bonds of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve make us all safer and more secure. (Applause.)
[page 5 of 6]
Maybe we now realize the way racial bias can infect us even when we don't realize it, so that we're guarding against not just racial slurs, but we're also guarding against the subtle impulse to call Johnny back for a job interview but not Jamal. (Applause.) So that we search our hearts when we consider laws to make it harder for some of our fellow citizens to vote. (Applause.) By recognizing our common humanity by treating every child as important, regardless of the color of their skin or the station into which they were born, and to do what's necessary to make opportunity real for every American -- by doing that, we express God's grace. (Applause.)
For too long --
AUDIENCE: For too long!
THE PRESIDENT: For too long, we've been blind to the unique mayhem that gun violence inflicts upon this nation. (Applause.) Sporadically, our eyes are open: When eight of our brothers and sisters are cut down in a church basement, 12 in a movie theater, 26 in an elementary school. But I hope we also see the 30 precious lives cut short by gun violence in this country every single day; the countless more whose lives are forever changed -- the survivors crippled, the children traumatized and fearful every day as they walk to school, the husband who will never feel his wife's warm touch, the entire communities whose grief overflows every time they have to watch what happened to them happen to some other place.
The vast majority of Americans -- the majority of gun owners -- want to do something about this. We see that now. (Applause.) And I'm convinced that by acknowledging the pain and loss of others, even as we respect the traditions and ways of life that make up this beloved country -- by making the moral choice to change, we express God's grace. (Applause.)
We don't earn grace. We're all sinners. We don't deserve it. (Applause.) But God gives it to us anyway. (Applause.) And we choose how to receive it. It's our decision how to honor it.
None of us can or should expect a transformation in race relations overnight. Every time something like this happens, somebody says we have to have a conversation about race. We talk a lot about race. There's no shortcut. And we don't need more talk. (Applause.) None of us should believe that a handful of gun safety measures will prevent every tragedy. It will not. People of goodwill will continue to debate the merits of various policies, as our democracy requires -- this is a big, raucous place, America is. And there are good people on both sides of these debates. Whatever solutions we find will necessarily be incomplete.
But it would be a betrayal of everything Reverend Pinckney stood for, I believe, if we allowed ourselves to slip into a comfortable silence again. (Applause.) Once the eulogies have been delivered, once the TV cameras move on, to go back to business as usual -- that's what we so often do to avoid uncomfortable truths about the prejudice that still infects our society. (Applause.) To settle for symbolic gestures without following up with the hard work of more lasting change -- that's how we lose our way again.
It would be a refutation of the forgiveness expressed by those families if we merely slipped into old habits, whereby those who disagree with us are not merely wrong but bad; where we shout instead of listen; where we barricade ourselves behind preconceived notions or well-practiced cynicism.
[page 6 of 6]
Reverend Pinckney once said, "Across the South, we have a deep appreciation of history -- we haven't always had a deep appreciation of each other's history." (Applause.) What is true in the South is true for America. Clem understood that justice grows out of recognition of ourselves in each other. That my liberty depends on you being free, too. (Applause.) That history can't be a sword to justify injustice, or a shield against progress, but must be a manual for how to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past -- how to break the cycle. A roadway toward a better world. He knew that the path of grace involves an open mind -- but, more importantly, an open heart.
That's what I've felt this week -- an open heart. That, more than any particular policy or analysis, is what's called upon right now, I think -- what a friend of mine, the writer Marilyn Robinson, calls "that reservoir of goodness, beyond, and of another kind, that we are able to do each other in the ordinary cause of things."
That reservoir of goodness. If we can find that grace, anything is possible. (Applause.) If we can tap that grace, everything can change (Applause.)
Amazing grace. Amazing grace.
(Begins to sing) -- Amazing grace -- (applause) -- how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now I'm found; was blind but now I see. (Applause.)
Clementa Pinckney found that grace.
Cynthia Hurd found that grace.
Susie Jackson found that grace.
Ethel Lance found that grace.
DePayne Middleton-Doctor found that grace.
Tywanza Sanders found that grace.
Daniel L. Simmons, Sr. found that grace.
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton found that grace.
Myra Thompson found that grace.
Through the example of their lives, they've now passed it on to us. May we find ourselves worthy of that precious and extraordinary gift, as long as our lives endure. May grace now lead them home. May God continue to shed His grace on the United States of America. (Applause.)"
This post presents the lyrics for the 1911 hymn "Saved Saved". This post also presents the lyrics to and a video of the African American Gospel song "I Am Saved" (also given as "I'm Saved") that is based on that earlier hymn.
The content of this post is provided for cultural, religious, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Jack P. Scholfield, the composer of this hymn and thanks to Corey Shipley & Jeanne Rawls, the composers of the gospelized version of this hymn. Thanks also to Ricky Dillard & New G who are featured in this video and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
****
LYRICS "SAVED, SAVED"
Words & Music: Jack P. Scholfield, 1911 (MIDI, score)
The melody just came to me, almost as a gift. Then I simply tried to make the words fit the tune. It was popular from the start.
I’ve found a Friend, who is all to me,
His love is ever true;
I love to tell how He lifted me
And what His grace can do for you.
Refrain
Saved by His power divine,
Saved to new life sublime!
Life now is sweet and my joy is complete,
For I’m saved, saved, saved!
He saves me from every sin and harm,
Secures my soul each day;
I’m leaning strong on His mighty arm;
I know He’ll guide me all the way.
Refrain
When poor and needy and all alone,
In love He said to me,
“Come unto Me and I’ll lead you home,
To live with Me eternally.”
****
LYRICS: " I AM SAVED"
(Gospel version composed by Corey Shipley / Jeanne Rawls)
(Lead)
I've found a Friend who is all to me.
His love is ever true.
I love to tell how He lifted me.
And what His grace can do for you.
Saved by His power divine.
I'm saved through life sublime.
Life now is sweet and my joy is complete.
For I'm saved.
I'm saved.
Saved.
Saved.
(Chorus)
I am saved.
I'm saved through life sublime.
Life now is sweet.
Saved Saved I am saved
Saved (16 times)
Life now is sweet.
Saved Saved I am saved
Source: http://www.metrolyrics.com/i-am-saved-lyrics-ricky-dillard-new-g.html [with typo corrected and capitalization of the references for Jesus as per the American custom.]
-snip-
I'm not sure when Corey Shipley & Jeanne Rawls composed this song. However, it definitely predates its 2011 recording by Ricky Dillard & New G.
If you have any information about this Gospel song, please share it in the comment section of this post. Thanks!
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO : Ricky Dillard & New G - I Am Saved
Gregory Slack, Uploaded on Dec 8, 2011
Live in Detroit - 2010 @ Second Ebenezer Baptist Church
From the Album: Keep Living
Lead Vocals: Jonte Landrum-Thomas
-snip-
Click for biographical information about Ricky Dillard. "New G" is an abbreviation for "New Generation". Here's some information about Ricky Dillard & New G:
"It may be hard to find a black church that doesn’t have at least one Ricky Dillard song in its repertoire. Dillard’s tunes continue to top gospel music charts. After 25 years, they still encourage Christians young and old and maintain their legacy of epic sound, high energy and controlled vibrato...
This post features four different genre of the 18th century hymn "Rock Of Ages" (also known as "Rock OF Ages, Cleft For Me". Those genres which are represented in this post are: traditional English hymn, White American Gospel, and African American Gospel.
Information about the composition of "Rock Of Ages" and a link to the lyrics of that hymn are also given in this post.
The content of this post is presented for religious, anthropological, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE HYMN "ROCK OF AGES"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Ages_(Christian_hymn)
"Rock of Ages" is a popular Christian hymn by the Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady written in 1763 and first published in The Gospel Magazine in 1775.
...Traditionally, it is held that Toplady drew his inspiration from an incident in the gorge of Burrington Combe in the Mendip Hills in England. Toplady, a preacher in the nearby village of Blagdon, was travelling along the gorge when he was caught in a storm. Finding shelter in a gap in the gorge, he was struck by the title and scribbled down the initial lyrics on a playing card.
The fissure that is believed to have sheltered Toplady is now marked as the "Rock of Ages", both on the rock itself and on some maps, and is also reflected in the name of a nearby tea shop."
-snip-
Click http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh361.sht for the lyrics for that song.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are posted in chronlogical order based on their posting date, with the oldest video posted first.)
Example #1: Hide Me, Rock of Ages - The Statesmen Quartet
statesmenfan, Uploaded on Oct 29, 2008
-snip-
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Statesmen_Quartet
"The Statesmen Quartet was a southern gospel music group founded in 1948 by Hovie Lister. Along with the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen Quartet is considered the most successful and influential gospel quartet of the 1950s.[1]...Along with hits spanning many decades, The Statesmen Quartet had many notable successes including being the first Gospel group to receive endorsement deals. Additionally, they made television commercials, appeared on numerous radio and TV shows, and were signed to RCA Victor before launching their own label, Skylite Records, with The Blackwood Brothers."
-snip-
The music genre given to this group on that Wikipedia page is "Southern Gospel". It seems obvious to me that the genre of "Southern Gospel" was heavily influenced by African American Quartet singing. Click http://www.kusp.org/playlists/crosscurrents/history.html for information about the history of African American religious music in general, and African American Quartet singing in particular.
****
Example #2: Union Baptist Church Gospel Choir Singing "Rock of Ages" 02.22.09-11A.M.
BaptistBoi, Uploaded on Feb 24, 2009
-snip-
I'd categorize this rendition of "Rock Of Ages" as an African American Gospelized hymn.
According to a commenter in this video's viewer comment thread, it appears that this arrangement was originally done by Truth Ministry (TM) Youth Mass* Choir.
*In African American Baptist churches the term "mass choirs" usually means members of all of the church's choirs combined in one choir. In the case of the Truth Ministry choir, the term "mass" choir may mean "a combination of several youth choir from that church or from several churches".
By the way, "Union Baptist" is a common name for African American Baptist churches. In the 1950s and 1960s I was a member of a church with that name in Atlantic City, New Jersey (actually "Union Baptist Temple"). At that church then & now, the song "Rock Of Ages" is sung as a hymn. Indeed, when I was attending that church-if not now- to "gospelize" that hymn in the way that choir in the video did would have probably been frowned upon and considered to be sacriligious.
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Example #3: Rock of Ages cleft for me (Acapela)
calvarymennonite, Uploaded on Mar 28, 2010
Rock of Ages cleft for me (Acapela) as sung by Calvary Mennonite Youth Group
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This is the traditional rendition of the hymn "Rock Of Ages".
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Example #4: "Rock of Ages" | Northwestern High School Reunion Choir
The_Music_Note, Uploaded on Jul 22, 2011
The Northwestern High School Reunion Choir perform a classic favorite of ours, "Rock of Ages", at the 2009 Reunion Benefit Concert at the Northwestern High School Auditorium. The song rocks on forever and ever thanks to alumnus and former student director, Mr. Sevron Howard, Class of 1999.
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This is another example of the gospelized version of "Rock Of Ages". Notice that the differences in the performance of this predominately African American choir and the African American choir in Example #2 of this post (for instance, the lack of accompanying handclapping and rhythmical movement in the beginning of Video #4.)
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One commenter on this video's viewer comment thread http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHTcHAytXy4 wrote: "with all the respect, this is a song to sing with a slower music.
this kind of music takes the peace of the song away."
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My response to that comment was "It seems to me that people who like this rendition of that song could gather just as much peace from it as they could gather from the traditional, slower rendition. And/or those people or some other people might not get any sense of peace from the traditional, slower rendition of "Rock Of Ages" because that rendition doesn't conform to their musical aesthetics.
In other words, it's okay for musical taste to vary in religious music as well as other music."
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Thanks to the composer of "Rock Of Ages". Thanks also to those who are quoted in this post, thanks to those choir members and musicians who appeared in these videos, and thanks to the publisher of these featured videos.
This post presents American Sign Language (ASL) interpretations of nine religious songs.
Links to the most of these songs' lyrics are also provided in this post or are included in the uploader's summary.
The content of this post is presented for religious, inspirational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
DISCLAIMER: I don't know American Sign Language. The signs used in these videos may not be done correctly, or may not be the most current accepted way of making those signs.
FEATURED VIDEOS
(These examples are posted in chronological order based on the date of their posting on YouTube with the oldest date presented first.)
Example #1: Watch the Lamb
Wwwwhenyoubelieveorg,Uploaded on Jul 1, 2007
Raymont Anderson of BELIEVE performs Watch the Lamb at the 2005 Gallaudet University gospel concert.
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Example #3: It Is Well With My Soul - The Glory Hands
Vernado Harrison, Uploaded on Jul 29, 2008
Hi everyone!
My name is Vernado and I from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I graduated from OKLAHOMA BAPTIST COLLEGE where in Oklahoma City.
I am Deaf and I can speak well as Hard of hearing. I use Sign language for communication with the Deaf people the way what they are doing communcation like Hearing people.
I love the Christian music because I love the Lord. The Christian music will help you from the wrong music. I hope that you will enjoy to listen and watch what I am doing with the song.
Thank u for your time and God bless you.
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Example #7: Nobody Greater by VaShawn Mitchell interpreted by Valerie Johnson.wmv
Valerie Johnson, Uploaded on Apr 26, 2011
Valerie Johnson signs VaShawn Mitchell's song "Nobody Greater" at the annual fundraiser event for Touching The Nations, Inc. (www.touchingthenations.net) in Feb. 2011. The event was held at POWER Center Church International, located in Belleville, Michigan…
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Click http://www.urbanlyrics.com/lyrics/vashawnmitchell/nobodygreater.html for the lyrics to this song.
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Example #8: Byron Cage - Broken But Healed: Sign Language - PSE
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to those persons who signed in this videos. Thanks also to the composers, vocalists, and musicians who recorded these featured songs. Also, thanks to the uploaders of these featured videos.
This post presents the words and a sound file of Nikki Giovanni's 1972 composition "Poem for a Lady of Leisure Now Retired".
The content of this post is presented for inspirational and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remains with their owners.
FEATURED SOUND FILE
Nikki Govanni's "Poem for a Lady of Leisure..." (Must Jesus...) - A T Short #18 (480p HQ)
ATBigger, Uploaded on Aug 1, 2010
Video number eighteen in the A T Short series: Nikki Giovanni reads her poem "Poem for a Lady of Leisure Now Retired" accompanied by the music of the New York Community Choir. Each A T Short has its own message (sometimes two: one musical and one visual), and because each A T Short video has a different message, you may not like all of them, but you will like enough of them.
WORDS TO "A LADY OF LEISURE NOW RETIRED"
(Nikki Giovanni)
This is a poem for an old prostitute that I know
who lives at the top of my building.
Some small island birthed her
and a big probably White ship took her from mother
to come to America’s re creation.
She lives in the top of my building.
I only know her through her eyes.
She is old now
not only from years
but from aging.
One gets the impression she was most beautiful
and like a good wine or a semi precious jewel
touted out for the pleasure of those who could afford
her re creation.
Her head is high
but the set of her mouth shows it’s not easy.
She asks nothing,
seems to have something to give,
but no one to give it to
if ever she gave it to anyone.
Age requires happy memories,
like Lavinia smiled when she died.
And though her doctor had told her not to
there was pork cooking on the stove.
There’s so many new mistakes for a lady of pleasure
that can be made.
It shouldn’t be necessary to repeat the old ones.
And it was cold on the elevator that morning
when I spoke to her and foolishly asked
“How are you?”
She smiled and tilted her head.
“At least” I said “the sun is shining”.
And her eyes smiled “Yes”.
And I was glad to be there to say to her
through spirits,
there is a new creation”.
EDITORIAL COMMENT:
I believe that the "new creation" in the last line of this poem is an oblique reference for Newark, New Jersey, a large metropolitan community that is near New York City. In the late 1960s and 1970s Newark was the site of a Black cultural nationalist organization, the Committee For Unified Newark" [CFUN], that was headed by the well known poet/playright/activist Amiri Baraka (Le Roi Jones). As such, and in no small part because of the positive connotations that could easily be made from that city's name, Newark, New Jersey was considered by Nikki Giovanni and some other persons in the Black cultural nationalists movement as a prototype for a city where [some] Black people had knowledge of and pride in their African heritage, and strived to adhere to the values of unity, self-determination, collective work & responsibility and other principles that are incapsulated in Maulana Karenga's Nguza Saba.*
Notice how Nikki Giovanni uses "new ark" - a form of the name "Newark" in her poem "Ego Trippin":
"My son noah built new/ark/..." http://nikki-giovanni.com/page_51.shtml
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Nikki Giovanni for composing this poem and other poems. Thanks to the New York Community Choir for their performance of the Gospel song "Must Jesus Bare The Cross Alone". My thanks also for the producer & uploader of this video.
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