Gospel Gold- "Did You Stop to Pray This Morning"

Gospel Gold- "Did You Stop to Pray This Morning"

At the time of the slave trade, singing was virtually continual in Africa. The lyrics Africans sang concerned every facet of their lives, of events hundreds of years ago, of the mundane tasks of daily life, of the glories of their natural world. The physical and spiritual worlds were interchangeable—all songs were sacred, all songs were profane, all were important. 

The Kentucky Jubilee Singers were formed sometime early in the 1870's, not long after the Fisk Jubilee Singers began to tour and make Jubilee (spiritual) singing popular. As a group the Kentucky singers had a long career, still performing into the 1890's. This sheet music, "The Kentucky Jubilee Singers' Schottische," was written in their honor and became a quite popular number in its own right. The composer, Frederick Carnes, was from San Francisco and wrote works for other African-American acts, including soprano, Maria Selika. While the Kentucky Jubilee Singers were well-known from shows and tours, very little is still known about them. Minnie Maurice is the only member of the group whose name has survived. And, while the group did make a some cylinder recordings, very few still exist. 

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