The Story of Jubilee: An Epic Tale Based on Recorded Events
- ISBN-10
- 1720134731
- ISBN-13
- 9781720134732
- Pages
- 442
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2018-09-07
- Author
- Jamima JONES
Description
SET IN THE 18OO'S, "THE STORY OF JUBILEE" IS THE EPIC TALE OF THE BACK STORIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE ORIGINAL FISK JUBILEE SINGERS AND THEIR MUSIC TEACHER, PROFESSOR GEORGE WHITE.THOMAS RUTLING WAS SEPARATED FROM HIS MOTHER AT A SLAVE SALE AT THE AGE OF 3. HOWEVER, THE MASTER'S DAUGHTER WAS ALLOWED TO BECOME THOMAS' CARETAKER. THEREFORE, HE AND TWO OF HIS SIBLINGS WERE RAISED BY THIS MISTRESS AND TAUGHT TO READ. BECAUSE HE COULD READ, AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN, THOMAS WAS ALREADY A SURGEON'S ASSISTANT. CARRYING A LETTER OF REFERENCE FROM THE SURGEON, WHO WAS FRIENDS WITH GENERAL CLINTON B. FISK, THOMAS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST STUDENTS TO ENROLL IN THE NEWLY-FORMED FISK FREE-COLORED SCHOOL IN 1867, HE BECAME ONE OF THE ORIGINAL FISK JUBILEE SINGERS, AND HE WAS ONCE WRITTEN UP AS "THE BEST TENOR IN TENNESSEE". "SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT" WAS FIRST EVER SANG AT THE NEAR-DROWNING OF ELLA SHEPHERD AT THE HANDS OF HER OWN MOTHER. THE AUTHOR OF THIS MOST CELEBRATED SPIRITUAL IS UNKNOWN. SOON AFTER ENROLLING INTO THE FISK FREE-COLORED SCHOOL, AND BECAUSE SHE COULD PLAY PIANO, ELLA SHEPHERD SERVED AS PROFESSOR WHITE'S ASSISTANT, MAKING HER FISK'S FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN SCHOOL TEACHER. SHEPHERD IS ATTRIBUTED WITH TEACHING "SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT" TO THE ORIGINAL FISK JUBILEE SINGERS, AND IT'S THE FIRST SONG EVER RECORDED BY AFRICAN-AMERICANS. IT WAS RECORDED IN NEW YORK BY FOUR MALES FROM THE ORIGINAL FISK JUBILEE SINGERS WHEN THEY TOURED BETWEEN 1871 AND 1873. MAGGIE PORTER BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN SCHOOL TEACHER TO GRADUATE FROM FISK FREE-COLORED SCHOOL'S "NORMAL DEPARTMENT". SHE WAS ALSO A DIVA WHO WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO PERFORM HANDEL'S CANTATA IN "ESTHER". PORTER WAS ALSO ONE OF THE ORIGINAL FISK JUBILEE SINGERS DURING IT'S ENTIRE EXISTENCE, THOUGH SHE WAS SUSPENDED FROM THE TROUPE FOR SIX MONTHS BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T GET ALONG WITH ANY OF THE OTHER SINGERS. MAGGIE PORTER WAS THE LAST SURVIVING MEMBER OF THE ORIGINAL FISK JUBILEE SINGERS.FREDERICK LOUDIN WAS BORN FREE, NEVER ATTENDED THE FISK FREE-COLORED SCHOOL AND WAS MUCH OLDER THAN THE OTHER STUDENTS, BUT HE WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF THE ENSEMBLE. THOUGH BORN FREE, WHEN LOUDIN ATTEMPTED TO JOIN THE CHOIR AT HIS FAMILY'S CHURCH, HE WAS TOLD THAT "COLOREDS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SING IN THE CHURCH CHOIR." LOUDIN SPENT MOST OF HIS CAREER WITH THE FISK JUBILEE SINGERS VIEING FOR ELLA SHEPHERD'S POSITION AS THE PROFESSOR'S ASSISTANT. AFTER HE FINALLY LED THE GROUP FOR A FEW YEARS, HE FORMED HIS OWN GROUP OF JUBILEE SINGERS WHO ALL RETIRED COMFORTABLY, DUE TO THEIR EFFORTS.AMONGST THEIR MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, THESE STUDENTS WERE THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO SING SPIRITUALS AS A FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT, THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO PERFORM AT THE WHITE HOUSE WHEN THEY SANG FOR ULYSSES S. GRANT'S INAUGURATION , THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO SAIL ON AN OCEAN LINER OUTSIDE OF THE REALM OF SLAVERY AS THEY VISITED ENGLAND AS GUESTS OF QUEEN VICTORIA IN THE 1870'S, AND THEY WERE THE NEWLY-FREED TEENS THAT SAVED TODAY'S FISK UNIVERSITY FROM BANKRUPTCY. ALL ABOARD AS WE JOIN THEM ON THEIR DEBUT TOUR, WHICH RAN ALONG THE ROUTE OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. AMID DISCRIMINATION AND TOTAL DISREGARD FOR THEIR HEALTH AND WELFARE, THEY BROKE DOWN BARRIERS IN LODGING, TRANSPORTATION AND EDUCATION AS THEY PERSEVERED.
