I find it extremely interesting how much history hides in some pieces of music. From children’s music, to spirituals, to heavy metal, we often find that a lot of musical pieces have huge backgrounds and tell stories much larger than the songs themselves. Many times, the history of these songs have originated in the Bible.
One example comes from our exploration of children’s music, a song we all know, titled “This Little Light of Mine.” Originally written as a hymn in the 1920s, this piece is based on a large collection of scripture. Verses from John, Matthew, Ephesians, Luke, and more all contribute to the ideas in this piece. This piece gained its popularity as a song during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s, becoming a sort of anthem of justice and equality. In 1955 Ray Charles created his own rendition of the song. Today “This Little Light of Mine” is best known as a song used to teach children about Jesus and the Bible.
Many songs from the genre known as spirituals also have very rich history leading back to the Bible. Several of these songs, such as “Go Down Moses” find origin in the Exodus. Slaves were inspired by the stories of deliverance and liberation, prompting them to create songs. Eventually, these songs they wrote were filled with instructions on how to escape servitude. Additionally, it was interesting to see the story of Exodus portrayed in a song by Metallica titled “Creeping Death.”
The Bible influences music, which influences cultures, which influences traditions, and it goes on and on.