Ever since I was a little boy, Christianity was always a part of my life. From the age of four, I’ve been a member of a great African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in Virginia. Fast forward well over 20 years and you’ll see someone who has heard and performed hundreds of gospel songs and hymns. Especially hymns. My congregation’s average age is somewhere in the 50s or 60s; meaning most of the members are older. That also means that old-style hymns are an important thing to the church (as I’m sure it is for other churches as well). One of the most important hymns is one that is very near and dear to the black community. But not only that, it invites others to come together as one. Singing and rejoicing. The name of that special hymn, and one of my favorites, is “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Why this song is so near and dear to me.
Not only is this an important song to me, but it also serves that purpose for people of color (particularly Black Americans). It was initially performed as a poem written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900. The poem was performed by James’s brother John as an official song for a birthday celebration of Abraham Lincoln in 1905. Historically, Lincoln was the first president that sought after the advocation of black people by abolishing slavery. And the poem/song itself eventually served the purpose of being a cry for the liberation of black people for years and years of abuse and mistreatment. To me, all in all, it made perfect sense as to why it was performed in honor of Lincoln.
Today, the song is currently published in nearly 40 church hymnals and continues to serve the purpose of unity and liberty and justice. And it means a great deal in this day and age as people of color are the main victims of things such as prejudice and police brutality. To me, it’s a song that truly screams “liberty and justice for all” and “come together and rejoice as one.”
What made me decide to cover the song?
A couple of weeks ago was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. A day to celebrate the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his outstanding contributions toward the fight for equality for everyone. The day before, my church’s Young Adult Ministry (which I am currently the president of) did a special tribute to Dr. King during the service. The tribute included a video, poetry readings, and dance. It also included my rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Knowing what the song means and its purpose in history, there was no way that I was going to pass up the opportunity to make this a part of a tribute to such a prominent figure in U.S. history. Not to mention the song in general serves a purpose of unity.
As mentioned earlier, the song is a hymn; and anyone that has seen hymns inside of a hymnal knows that they are typically written for four-part harmony. Basically the four voice parts in a standard choir: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. I could’ve easily have performed this with a backing track and just played the melody. But I wanted to take things to another level. I wanted to do yet another multitrack video.
I’ve done a couple of these videos already, so the recording process didn’t take as long. As for the editing process…yeah that’s a different story. With me being a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to mastering my craft, this took some extreme attention to detail. Nonetheless, I still had fun making the video and felt proud of how it turned out. Check it out and see what I’m talking about!
Response Magic