Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-01-07
NEGR0CHURCH SONGS
AN INTERESTING FEATURE OF THE
 CONGRESS ON AFRICA.

Some Typical Religious Airs Sung at the Atlanta Exposition--"RIse and Shine. ''swing Low, Sweet Chariot,r and All the Old Favorites Given by a Negro Chorus. The recent congress on Africa at the Atlanta exposition presented some new and unusual aspects It also presented some things which to the people who know the negro in the south are not new, and among these things was the music. While the proceedings of the gathering were strongly characterized by a ripeness of thought and culture oreditable to the s4Aoe, the musical fea- ture was made up 0 those primitive ne- gro melodies which bear the stamp of the negro imagination and which are peculiarly suited to the expression of the religious feelings of the race. These songs are African in their ori gin and mold. They were written by ne- groes and are strong types of the music al literature of the people. As such it is encouraging to note that the intelligent minds which directed the congress fully appreciated them. The singing of the songs was Q feature of the congress They were sung by an appreciatiye choir of energetic students of one of the pro- gressive colored schools
 The airs are the popular church airs of the negroes-the race generally. Of course the city churches do not use them so much, but throughout the south they are sung by the colored people The more polished and ambitions efforts of the negroes are far less popular with the race. The songs Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. '' "Steal Way" "Rise and Shine, Brother, Pm A-rolling, ""H He Rose From the Dead' and others are fa- miliar to nearly every grown up member of the race The rendition of these songs proved to be striking feature of the congress.
 Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,'' is one of the most popular of all the songs Follow the drift:
 Swing low, sweet chariot,
 Coming for to carry me home,
 Swing low, sweet chariot,
 Coming for to carry me home.
 I looked over Jordan and what did see,
 C0Ining TOT 10 carry me homef
 A band of angels coming after me,
 Coming for to carry me home.
 If you get there before do,
 Coming for to carry ns home,
 Tell all my friends I'm coming, too
 Coming for to carry me home.
 I'm sometimes up and sometimes down,
 Coming for to carry me home,
 But still my soul feels heavenly bound,
 Coming for to carry me home. "SteaI Away" is scarcely less popu- lar. A few sample verses:
 Steal away, steal away,
 Steal away to Jesusl
 Steal away, steal away home
 haint got long to stay here.
 My Lord calls me-
 He calls me by the thunder;
 The trumpet sounds it in my soul
 l hain't got long to stay here.
 Green trees are bending,
 Poor sinners stand trembling;
 The trumpet sounds it in my soul . I haint got long to stay here.
 Tombstones are bursting,
 Poor sinners are trembling;
 The trumpet sounds 1t in my soul
 hain't got long to stay here. "I'm A-Rolling' is another of tht typical melodies, running:
 I'm a-rolling. Pm a-rolling, I'm arolling thro' an unfrtendly world I'm arolling, I'm a-rolling, I'm rolling thro' an unfriendly world O brothers, won't you help me.
 o sisters, won't you help me to pray. o preachers, won't you help me to fight
 Won't you help me in the service of tn
 Lordf
 The song that stirs up the religiou activities of the race more than any oth CT perhaps is "Rise and Shine" It fl sung universally. It runs o brethren, rise and shine and give God tn, glory, glory; Rise and shine and give God the glory glory 1; Rise and shine and give God the glory for tn, year of jubilee. ' Don't you want to be a soldier, soldier, sol dier, soldier2
 Don't you want to be soldier, soldier, sol dierf
 Don't you want to be a soldier, soldier for ths year of jubilee9
 Do you think will make soldier For the year of jubilee? Yes, think you will make soldier For the year of jubilee.
 Atlanta Constitution.