American Experience Season 12 Episode 8 Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory

At the end of the Civil War, Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee was in financial turmoil. Hoping to raise money for the school, its treasurer George White organized a choir of young former slaves to tour the northern states. The group, known as the Fisk Jubilee Singers, embarked on a grueling journey that would ultimately change the course of American music history.

American Experience's "Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory" tells the story of this iconic group, tracing their origins as fledgling singers to their triumphant performances before royalty in Europe. Through interviews with music historians, cultural experts and descendants of the original ensemble, the documentary offers a captivating look at a chapter in American history that has often gone overlooked.

The Jubilee Singers' journey began inauspiciously. Under White's guidance, a choir of nine students was assembled, most of them former slaves who had spent their childhoods picking cotton and toiling on southern plantations. But despite their lack of formal training, the singers had an undeniable talent for harmony, and with White's encouragement, they began a tour of churches and meeting halls throughout the northern states.

At the time, the United States was still deeply divided by race, with many northerners harboring deeply-held prejudices against their African American counterparts. For the Jubilee Singers, touring the country meant contending not only with the challenges of travel and performance, but also overcoming the racism and discrimination that often greeted them in their travels.

Despite these obstacles, the group persevered, mesmerizing audiences with their soulful renditions of spirituals and hymns. Largely drawn from the oral traditions of African American communities, these songs reflected the singers' own experiences of slavery and oppression, and captured the pain and hope of a people struggling to find their way in a new era.

As word of the Jubilee Singers' talent spread, they attracted the attention of musical luminaries such as Henry Ward Beecher and Mark Twain, who championed their cause and helped raise funds for Fisk University. But it was a chance encounter with Queen Victoria that would catapult the group to international fame.

In 1871, the Jubilee Singers traveled to England to perform before the queen and a host of aristocrats. The performance was a sensation, inspiring a level of adoration and acclaim that few Americans, let alone African Americans, had ever experienced. The Jubilee Singers went on to perform before dozens of heads of state and dignitaries, including President Ulysses S. Grant and Russian tsar Alexander II.

Beyond their musical achievements, the Jubilee Singers made an indelible impact on American culture, helping to popularize spirituals and inspiring a wave of black activism and cultural expression that would flourish in the decades to come. The documentary concludes by reflecting on the lasting legacy of the Jubilee Singers, and how their music and mission continue to resonate with listeners and performers around the world.

"Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory" is a moving tribute to a group of unsung heroes who made history with their voices, their perseverance, and their unyielding commitment to a vision of a better world. With its rich historical detail, evocative archival footage, and inspiring interviews with experts and descendants, this episode of American Experience offers an unforgettable glimpse into a momentous chapter in American and global music history.