ipl-logo

Lift Every Voice And Sing By James Weldon Johnson: Song Analysis

556 Words3 Pages

“Lift Every Voice & Sing” was a poem, written by James Weldon Johnson, that soon became a history-making song. This song has been a part of history every since the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a time in which culture was being spread, giving the attention to African Americans. Poets, writers, musicians photographers and more have all been given the chance to stand out. Even with many other people releasing all sorts of things, James Weldon Johnson's poem, Lift Every Voice & Sing, was the one that stood out the most. Johnson was a 29-year-old school principal that wrote: “Lift Every Voice & Sing”. It was first performed by 500 colored children in Jacksonville, FL in 1900. They sang it on the occasion of a massive celebration for President Lincoln’s birthday. The celebration was organized by James himself. James wrote the poem with the purpose of getting an impact on society, but to make sure the message was given, he wanted to add music into it. He asked his brother John Rosamond Johnson, a trained composer, to create music to join his words. As soon as it was performed, the song began to be very important to many people. The song was being passed on throughout generations. As the students learned the …show more content…

Former NAACP chairman, Julian Bond, stated that the song held very deep meaning to the Civil Rights Movement. Many people felt a strong connection with the song. It has been over 100 years since the song was written, and the people still sing it in numerous occasions. People would listen to the song and hold on to because of their personal connections. So much emotion was involved in all parts of the song. At this point, the song was respected everywhere. When people sang it, they had to stand up, people would have to take off their hats, and so forth. The importance of the song was so overwhelming, people could not let go if it’s

Show More
Related
3313 Words | 14 Pages

Daniel Decatur Emmett was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio in the fall of 1815. Emmett was a composer who worked as a drummer in a traveling circus, then a minstrel troupe after being discharged from the Army because he falsified his age to enlist. Emmett wrote many of what are now considered to be Confederate anthems, “…much to the chagrin of Emmett who was anything but a Southern sympathizer…” Emmett wrote these songs as walk-arounds, a dance number that was performed at the end of a show that featured the entire company of musicians in the minstrel troupe.

Read More
276 Words | 2 Pages

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, artistic, and musical explosion that took place in Harlem, New York, in the 1920s. This time period, was also known as the "New Negro Movement", named by Alain Locke. The Movement included new African American expressions of their culture. These changes took place across areas in the Northeast and Midwest United States that were affected by the African-American Great Migration, in which Harlem was by far the biggest. The Harlem Renaissance is considered to be the rebirth of African-American arts.

Read More
930 Words | 4 Pages

The fact that he was given the opportunity to become a great musician and he seized it, It helped me begin my

Read More
531 Words | 3 Pages

Music was his escape from reality and helped him forget all the bad things that have happened in his life. James was recommended to go to Europe with the band and was sponsored by The Dawson’s. He had to work for The Dawson’s and in return they would pay for him to travel to Europe. Music is what got him into Oberlin College in Ohio because his SAT scores were not that

Read More
690 Words | 3 Pages

He was a great help with the leadership of Black America. He had a talent that not many had and that was political writing which he became prominent doing so. He went on to write many many other songs such as “Sence You Went Away”, : O Black and Unknown Bards”, “fifty Years”, “Brothers”,

Read More
1087 Words | 5 Pages

Savage was commissioned to sculpt portraits of famous black nationalists, both pieces were commended for their impact vigor. Because of Savages’ bravado, she earned a Fellowship that allowed her to study in Paris in 1929. In 1939, Savage was commissioned to create a piece influenced by James Weldon Johnson’s poem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. It was Savage’s most known work, and was called, “The Harp”. Regrettably, the piece and many others were not cast and were ruined or lost.

Read More
1282 Words | 6 Pages

Also, the song was even used by the Republican Party as their theme song (D). Obviously, many people would come to honor John Brown. But some

Read More
1053 Words | 5 Pages

(Macy, 1884). The song continues its theme of rallying support around this cause with the chorus repeating,

Read More
571 Words | 3 Pages

For instance, after the tragic Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States, an abundance of songs were released in support of the natural disaster that destroyed so many lives. Singers produced music that the American people felt compassion towards whether they were directly related or not. They still felt connected to the music because the whole country was affected by it, even those thousands of miles away, who watched for the the catastrophe take place for days straight via their televisions. Concerts for hurricane relief were also held to raise money for the destruction caused. One of the popular Hurricane Katrina was called “All These People” by singer and songwriter Harry Connick,

Read More
861 Words | 4 Pages

He was great at expressing his soul and love through his music, which was exactly what the black community had during

Read More
1255 Words | 6 Pages

That man was Martin Luther King Jr. By comparing “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and his “I Have a Dream” speech, two of his most famous pieces, you will notice how strong and powerful his words are and how much passion he used to persuade people to go the right direction in his fight for equality. On August 28,

Read More
771 Words | 4 Pages

As America progressed during 1865 to 1932, African Americans have experienced a variety of American liberty. There were many hurdles African Americans had to overcome before they reached any type of freedom. The first challenge they had to overcome was that they were slaves and considered to be property, not a person. Once this was outlawed, they had to overcome the discrimination from the government and other Americans. They finally achieved some of the benefits of American freedom by being able to vote, work in industrial jobs, and express themselves through art.

Read More
875 Words | 4 Pages

The main song they would sing together was known by the name ‘We shall overcome’ and this became a unique unofficial anthem showing of the of African American’s struggle through the inequality of civil rights. Music was that one thing that the African American’s could turn to for help in strengthening and motivation to unite as an African nation in American and abolish the inequality and segregation in the country. Many musicians and music groups would perform at concerts to raise money towards the civil rights organizations formed to help spread the word for

Read More
512 Words | 3 Pages

That speech was an inspiration to millions of African-American people. One line in the speech that was very inspirational was “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together in the table of brotherhood”(King263). In this line he is trying to say that segregation will end. When it does it will not matter what color you are we are all equal. This also helps because if the marches are peaceful, people will come together in a nonviolent way.

Read More
661 Words | 3 Pages

I did not understand the meaning of the lyrics being sung, or better yet screamed. The rhythms and melodies’ did not come across as pleasing as Disney songs, and they definitely did not carry my imagination to an enchanted world. During my youth, Gospel music was something I became a fan of, only because of the fact that I looked up to my grandma; I wanted to be just like my grandma and becoming a fan of Gospel music made me feel as if I was closer to being just like her. I was a big fan of the music my mom listened to: country and pop. It was something that brought my mother and I together.

Read More

More about Lift Every Voice And Sing By James Weldon Johnson: Song Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document