1866-1945: from EMANCIPATION to JIM CROW
The Many Forms of Black Church Music

God is praised in black churches in many ways; not all music sung there is gospel music. There are gospel songs, traditional hymns, spirituals, and "lined hymns," also called "Dr. Watts." The latter are hymns raised from the floor by a leader who sings or hums out the hymn's lines with the congregation responding in a choral surge. These tunes are usually sung in minor keys. In the Southeast they can still be heard today, particularly in Baptist churches. In addition, a growing number of black composers write in the Euro-American style. "Lift Every Voice and sing," known as the Black National Anthem, is as popular as Handel's "Messiah."