“There was poured into the astonished and delighted ears of the world an indigenous music, sung by its own creators, a music as fresh as the morning, as intimate as the breath and as vital as the heartbeat.”

Celebrating the vitality and authenticity of the spiritual as a distinctive cultural contribution · On African American spirituals

• Heritage
• Music
• Vitality

“If a choir can't interpret world music, it cannot interpret Negro music. Our endeavor is to do both.”

Advocating for the integration of African American and broader musical traditions · Explanation of choral philosophy

• Heritage
• Music
• Universality

“The rhythm of the songs might very well be compared to that of the human pulse which is a series of throbs all of equal intensity.”

Highlighting the steady, unrelenting rhythmic character essential to authentic spiritual performance · Preface to Religious Folk-Songs of the Negro, 1927

• Authenticity
• Music
• Rhythm