Writing about “Negro Music” in 1892, an observer warned that slave songs were
... practices than were the hymns of Sherwood or the earlier black songwriters, ...
The hymns written by Tindley carried a campmeeting intensity and fervor that
would inspire the later development and crystallization of the black gospel style.

In truth no other event in U.S. history inspired so much music. ... Root, the North
seemed to possess the best songwriters, judging from the quality of the rival ...
music that included camp-meeting spirituals, slave spirituals, Sunday school
songs, ...

Listen to examples of Fisk University vocal groups singing “Swing Low, Sweet
Chariot,” “Roll Jordan Roll,” and “Great Camp Meeting” on the “Experiencing
Jazz ... 3 At this point, Americans still looked to Europe for inspiration, guidance,
and ... music with solo singers/songwriters who often improvised the melody and
lyrics, ...