Steve and Tipper
Go Tell It On The Mountain is one of my favorite Christmas songs. As a child I had a Christmas record with the song on it. I’d play Go Tell It On The Mountain over and over on my Holly Hobby Record Player during the Christmas Season. The song has an unusually powerful feel to it.
Chitter and Chatter sang Go Tell It On The Mountain in a Christmas Play last year-and are singing it again in a play this year.
I discovered Go Tell It On The Mountain is an old African American Spiritual. After learning where the song originated-I can see why there is such power and emotion in the song-the words and melody are straight out of a slave’s life. A few other details about Go Tell It On The Mountain:
- The song was discovered by John Wesley Work-who is thought to be the first African American collector of Black Folk songs
- Few African American Spirituals were written about Christmas-this one being the most famous
- The song was first performed on a national scale by the Fisk Jubilee Singers in the 1880s
- In 1909 the song was first published in the book Religious Folk Songs of the Negro as Sung on the Plantations
Amazing how the old spirituals survived the passage of time. The songs were truly spread by word of mouth- it was very rare for a slave to read or write. My all time favorite Negro Spiritual is Jesus Won’t You Stop By Here. Pap sings it-truly a song with such despair, hope, and longing-if you hear it you’ll never forget it.
For this week’s Pickin’ & Grinnin’ In The Kitchen Spot we have the same guitar, a different picker, a different kitchen and different singers. Chitter, Chatter, and Uncle Henry performing Go Tell It On The Mountain.
Hope you enjoyed the song and the history!
Tipper
I think I told you this in an email but in case I didn’t . . . those girls are sooo talented. 🙂
A fascinating and interesting post, Tipper!
Chitter and Chatter were wonderful! Do they Christmas carol? What a treat that would be around here!
I’ve been playing and singing carols continuously and am still not tired of them. I completely forgot about “Go Tell It on the Mountain”. But you don’t want to hear me sing! :)) I’ll leave the singing for your family!
Blessings to you!
That is a great song…and well done!
It’s hard to not be moved by songs like that esp when you know the history
Love the girls singing! I wanted to stop by and wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season, Tipper. Merry, merry Christmas from my home to yours.
Chitter and Chatter did an awesome job. Your family is so talented. Speaking of talent BT and I got a very cute homemade card from someone your way too….thank you Tipper. Happy holiday to you and yours
Friends Patti and BT
I love it!! The girls are fabulous, beautiful, talented, clever, and smart! They are the best Christmas Gift ever! And Henry is good too!
I didn’t know Chitter and Chatter sang also. Delightful to hear them and Uncle Henry. Much talent in your family.
And that is one of my favorite songs also.
That is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Thanks for the lesson.
A beautiful song and I enjoyed your girls singing of it.
This is one of my favorites too.
I can’t get my computer to play it from your video so I’m hoping that you’ll put it on your blog music list. That seems to work ok for me.
I also love this song. The girls rendition brought tears to my eyes. Tell them how beautiful they are to me will ya!
Tipper – this is also one of my favorite songs. When I was in a Catholic grammer school (way back when)we had an anual Christmas show for parents and community. One year we sang Go Tell it to the Mountain. Each of us in the choir put on white cotton gloves that were previously painted with a flourescent paint and dried until a light bulb to allow the gloves to glow in the dark. When it came time for us to perform the song – the lights were turned off, we put on our gloves, the music and singing began. The audience only saw the clapping and rythmic movements of our hands in the darkened auditorium. I remember it vividly as the entire audience rose to their feet with cheer. It was absolutely fantastic!
I love it, Tipper! That is a favorite of mine, too. It is amazing how things endured without pen and paper. Or maybe it’s amazing they survive with it since paper becomes an alternative to memory.
This song has a lot of heart and hope.
I enjoyed the history of this . One of my favorites from the country churches of my youth is O beautiful star of bethlehem.
I love the postcard of the cottonfield near Houston. My husband’s grandfather was an overseer for a cotton field near Houston, so it was great to see it! We have his journal as an overseer dated 1875-1930!
What a beautiful performance. The girls have gorgeous voices. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas!
Tipper, I throughly enjoyed the history behind one of my favorite songs. Your girls are lovely and what wonderful voices! This has to be my favorite video that you have posted and I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
Wow…what a way to start my Saturday! The girls are great, just great.
Go Tell It on The Mountain is one of my favorite
Christmas songs. I enjoyed hearing Chitter and Chatter singing it, Merry Christmas.
You have two talented daughters. Glad to hear that you are getting some use out of that pink shirt! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas.
Uncle Henry, too! You have talent all over the place in your family!
I loved the girls rendition of “Go Tell It On The Mountain”.
They are quite the little song birds. But how could they not be, with all that pickin’ and grinnin’ going on around them?!