American Experience; Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory; Interview with Toni Anderson, Music Historian

the students that started off as members of this group and the students that ended up as members of this group where were greatly different there was an evolution that occurred throughout the history the fisk jubilee singers in many different tell on many different levels but particularly for the students they have evolved from being students who were started off with a mission of saving their institution who had never been exposed to life much outside the rural south on to students or singers and what i really should say it's polished professionals who hobnob with the rich and famous of england who had been before the president of the united states before all the crowned heads of europe alm had dined with the prime minister of england they were cultured and refined they were educated be at the kind of education that comes outside of the classroom

and soak the mission in terms of education at the ama was realized even those students weren't back at home in the classroom because what they became in the end is exactly what fisk university desire for them to become they were educated and polished cultured refined knowledgeable traveled all of those things that go into making a person of stature but the cause that fact cause problems for george white and for the ama because in a sense you have to understand at the beginning the fisk jubilee singers mistaken that fact alone did cause problems for george white and for the ama in the beginning the suit is that he took on tour were not paid and they were very dependent on george white for

leadership remember for housing for lodging for their daily provisions george white was leader and father to them in a very real sense they needed him it died and lead them through this excursion through this bit to accomplish this mission but after the first year george weightman sure that his singers receive a salary and it was a very substantial salary and remember we get five hundred dollars for the first year a second year are returning member we get seven hundred dollars and that was a very good salary for those days especially when you compare it to some fisk teachers there was one teacher associate with ma who made only fifteen dollars a month and here with the fisk jubilee singers making five or seven hundred dollars annual salary without money they were able to buy homes and a status themselves and save money so

as long as a singer continued with the jubilee singers they were able to earn a living as well as established career as well as iran gain exposure to different cultures and different kinds of people different languages it was a great experience for them but what i did in the end was change the entire nature of the group because what had begun as a student group evolved into a professional touring company and as the students or the members i should say students because not all of the worst were actually students at fisk university but as the membership of the group changed and throughout the years they developed the self confidence self esteem and understanding and great musicianship so by the end as this evolution occurred the city's had opinions they had opinions not only about what should be done with the

troop but they had opinions about how much they should be paid and now what is that what was their working hours what were their working hours and all of these different things began to factor into the equation george white was used to running the group and giving clear directions and mandating how things are going to go but as the membership and as the group involved in became a professional organization the individual members had ideas equally about how things should go and they often clashed with george white snow white when he met what he would call a troublemaker his inclination was to pack them up and send them home and get a replacement and i suppose you can do that for a while but when even when opinions and individual members start have opinions in mass you can send the whole group home and so he had to start to deal with these differences of opinions in these different personalities and that these members who are merging to be

as equally musically talented as he was and so that created some of the tension other things that created tension in the group was a difference in a sense of understanding about the group's purpose while all of the membership of the fisk jubilee singers all a spouse because all saying but knowing that they were raising money for the ama an especially for fisk university it doesn't say so in history and similar ones say i'm an interesting to commit every second on all of the members of the fisk university all the members of his jubilee singers and listed full well what they may cause was and i

think they all embrace that cause they all believed in education they all believed of course and emancipation and art of creating opportunities for newly freed blacks to progress in society and become equal members of the society and so they of course all a spouse that cause but the ama you must remember was a missionary organization and had very much a missionary mindset george white gb pike other people associated with jubilee singers were first missionaries before they became a business agents for performing choral ensemble they were used to deprivation sacrifice on and all of the out of this of what goes into being at creating the image either of a missionary and they expected the jubilee singers to be missionaries also what you're in lice

attention while they were espousing in and singing for missionary cause at the same time they were being courted and entertained and these palaces and mansions and i'm going to breakfast with the prime minister and being waited on by servants i am that has created a real tension and the reality of their life as well as the understanding of their cause singers had evolved to become professional musicians they were used to a certain lifestyle and he and pike a marsh and excuse me george white and pike were a little upset about this evolution so it took some of the control away from them i do the european tour's were very difficult ones for george white

arm not only because of the evolution of the group in the end the tension that continue to mount but on a personal level when they were and glass got his wife laura took sick and end in hebei and stop to nurse her he left her there because of this itinerary that the singer's captain it was so important to keep the schedule he went ahead with the singers and that you receive a telegram back saying that his wife was very very ill and you return as quickly as he could back to class gown just in time to be by her bedside as she died so this led lights bereave bereaved and grieving he had three children and so this was a very difficult time for him also and it's not probably unusual to understand that afterwards he took sick and he really battled illness illness played this group during their trips throughout england and scotland and ireland and that's understandable to when

you look at how grueling their schedule was there was very little time for rest so there was constant trouble with one singer another being sick and i'm having to leave them behind and that eventually catch up with with with the group on our shepherd took sick during this time and one time had to stay in a convent and be nursed for two or three months before she could catch up with the group so important what she to the group's success though end to its instability that george white man refused to keep going on without her he needed her to be part of the group to keep the group alive mr tyrone owens is a sense of whether it's a game of camera facts and to stay there all said that i am sick the eldest is a civilization it's hard to write a complete right

let's just part ok so many so often during throughout their trip during his campaign in europe the city during the three years of their campaigns for outing and ireland scotland illness really played the group so many times and part of this is due to their grueling schedule and the seniors have very little time for rest relaxation and so it was hard to keep keep a complete unit going because many times i would have one two or even three members absent the newspapers will note this often saying that many of the singers are several the singers were not able to perform because of an illness and while i'm sure that that really bothered george white because he wanted a complete santa complete ensemble and he had worked you know to see this complete ensemble perform at the same time it didn't seem to bother the audience the music still charmed the audience and captivated its listeners

it's interesting crew cut when they wear on their final campaign in england and eighteen seventy five crevasse joins the group as a business manager an interesting turn of events considering he was the one that was so hesitant to start this group in here near the end for several years later he's joining us the business agent and business manager it was key came at a difficult time for the ensemble probably at om so that's right you know what it was a concern if i became it was it was in germany so excuse me ask you something else fb and perhaps of all the singers our shepherd embodied that

missionary spirit that the ama a spouse and ends in a sense that's evidenced by the way that she continually gave of her of the money that she read i realized as a singer has a salary she took her money and she was able to find her birth mother and i her sister and she supported them while she was still touring with the jubilee singers she also many home to fisk to start our scholarship for musically gifted student and incredibly when she came home when the two hours and didn't she returned to nashville she brought her birth mother and her sister and built in the home right off the fisk campus where she cared for them just a cure for her stepmother or the second mother but she had had during those days of slavery later she married george moore who was also an agent of the ama missionary in a preacher and she cared for years neiss says she was remarkable in the fact that that she was always giving

to others at at at her own expense she made sure that her loved ones received an education even though our shepherd never receive a diploma from fisk during her lifetime she made sure that her younger sister went to fisk her husband's niece went to fisk her two sounds graduated from desk and so it's due to her sacrifice and her oversight that so many of her loved ones were able to get degrees from first and yet she never got a degree herself she figured our shepherd was the first black person to be listed as an instructor at fisk university whitehead recognized her talents and hired her as an snl music assistant so she was one of the first black instructor she was the first black instructor to be listed in the catalog at his university

and it was the summer it is not about religion and as you know we talk first about my stomach while into journalism after three years an england and throughout the united kingdom it was about time for new field so the ama wonder they began to question whether or not singing the spirituals in another country that did not speak english or understand english if they would be as appreciated as they had been throughout the united kingdom to settle that question may decide to take a on an excursion into holland to see whether or not to see how they were received it was a it was a good experience what happened is that the people in

holland the audience members were still reduced to tears still were incredibly moved by the performances of the jubilee singers and when asked how could you how could you respond like this when you don't even understand what we're singing the people would answer that it was the music the music moved to them and they could feel and they could empathize with the meaning and expression that was being poured forth from the jubilee singers so then they begin to question whether or not they could quote make it in germany yet some say at this time that the the absolute highest attainment musical attainment to be had was the star of her you have to realize at this time that germany was the ultimate test for music for a musician for for musical taste and scale europeans generally judged whether the quality of music and whether not music was truly art by german standards so to make it in germany would be easy

ultimate seal of approval on the jubilee singers campaign and so they were hesitant about going certainly george white one and then to take to succeed if they went to germany that would be the ultimate seal of approval on his work and after having had such past experiences and holland they decided that they would try out germany well what was wonderful about it was that again once again the critics just were profuse in their praise of the group and called their music art and said that he met all of the standards and ideals of what is the highest taste in in music so they succeeded what did they say no they wouldn't they started to deteriorate with that i can remember that there is still the best oversee the approval the ability i know

that this is true of the cities of the care sure what if any of this is me this for years ok alan shepard was also it's up in syria it's also remarkable when you think about el shepherds role in the jubilee singers to realize that she was the primary agent for not

only arranging spirituals but even introducing the spirituals george why didn't know spirituals that was not his cultural background our shepherd and the members of the spirituals as alan shepard that brought the spirit of george white course he had heard them he heard the student singing these songs and of course he encouraged them to perform them publicly but our shepherd is the one that brought the spirituals and brought an arranged the spirituals and i think credit lies solely with her out for the spirits are becoming the trademark of the ensemble jewish lawyers appointed to play by the time the singers are performing in germany the ensemble was a critical point

they basically because so many tensions had arisen within the group and squabbling was at an all time high and there was much quarreling some of the quarreling had to do with salaries some of the singers especially the new members to the group who were making less than the older members questioned the equity that they were doing just as much work as anybody else why couldn't they receive the same salary so there was that kind of friction about many so i singers were were being overworked this the schedule was growling and they were tired they had battled illness over and over and over again and all of this starts to affect the morale of the group george white this point had also suffered tremendously he had lost his life he had himself faced a really extensive illness their head they hadn't taken a real toll on his health and here they were in germany

things had blossom to the point to where why didn't always have total control kravitz was there and he exercised a lot of control at a lot of oversight of the group things just weren't working well george white always coupled bad things happening with the group this internal tension with the quality of the music he felt that if the seniors were quarrelling and bickering he also felt that the musical performance suffered and so he was not happy he was not a happy choir director because he felt like they were doing their best and here they were in germany where he wanted to do the absolute best they ever done and it just it was sour to him soured relationships end of the musical quality was not what he desired during all of this time that he became too became very disillusioned and are disgruntled with the way things just were happening in general what happens though is

that white eventually offers arm almost threatens to resign if the if the ice kettle is not just word for run down listen to previous thank you that's a good word george white the sides are and second george white finally threatens cravath that if the schedules not reduced he just my resign and he was reluctant to do this because he knew that if he resigned over shepherd would have to assume all of the musical management and he knew that she was he felt that she was frail he knew that she'd been sick and he didn't want to burden her in this way it at the same time he needed something to change so he thought these threats possibly resigning as the musical director improv of takes them out on that and accept his resignation which was a

tremendous blow to george white and was also very much surprising tell a shepherd well so she didn't want to assume all of that responsibility but she was willing to do so if the time frame was small she told crevices she would accept that responsibility if if they could decide on an ending date for the campaign credit had big plans he wanted to extend the campaign and didn't want to take on out a lot more concerts for the next few months no sugar was not willing to do that she asked them to please consider a deadline date crab business read her misjudged her improbably owing to the tensions that were just mounting it blew up and said if she wanted to serve the group like that she could just go ahead and do so that's not what she intended and it really hurt her feelings and she pours forth that sentiment in her diary nevertheless what finally happens is white and his wife do leave the group the last few months our shepherd assumes the full responsibility and cravath agrees to deadline date

so the group and the company as it is now on the stands in april eighteen seventy seven is that right that's seventy eight patients die as allison's in a sense the typical co writer she's just been ill with her says not right places when kravis blew up at out at ellis shepherd in this confrontation occurred this was it this was very damaging to tell a separate psyche this was hard for her she had given me years to this group she is she was the only one that had to continue with the group since its

inception and here was a high official with the american missionary association innocence accusing her of possibly discerning the group leaving the cause of almost in an act of disloyalty i think it was it was very obvious from her diary that she was deeply hurt by this accusation because it did a sensitive question her loyalty not only to fisk university which your whole life is a testimony of her loyalty to the institution but also to the ama which again her whole life is a testimony to her loyalty to the institution fb