Go down moses Continue This article is about the song. The book by William Faulkner can be found under Go Down, Moses (book). Go Down, MosesSong by Fisk Jubilee Singers (early testified)GenreNegro spiritualSongwriter(s)Unknown Go Down Moses problems playing this file? See Media Help. Go down Moses is a spiritual proposition that describes the events in the Old Testament of the Bible, especially Exodus 8:1: And the LORD said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh and say to him, Thus says the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me, in which God commands Moses to demand the deliverance of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. The opening verse that the Jubilee Singers published in 1872: When Israel was in the Egyptian land, let my people go so hard that they couldn't stand Let my people go: Go down, Moses Way down into Egypt's land Say to the old Pharaoh, let my people go The lyrics of the song stand for the liberation of the ancient Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. In an interpretation of the song, Israel depicts enslaved African-Americans, while Egypt and Pharaoh represent the slave master. [1] The descent into Egypt is derived from the Bible; the Old Testament recognizes the Nile Valley as lower than Jerusalem and the Promised Land; so it means going to Egypt to go down[2] while going away from Egypt is ascending. [3] In the context of American slavery, this old sense of down converged with the concept of down the river (the Mississippi), where the conditions of slaves were notoriously worse, a situation that led to the idiom selling someone down the river in today's English. [4] Oh! Let My People Go See also: Songs of the Underground Railroad Oh! Let My People GoSheet Music Cover, 1862SongPublished1862GenreNegro spiritualSongwriter(s)Unknown Although usually considered spiritual, the earliest recorded use of the song was as a rally anthem for the contrabands in Fort Monroe sometime before July 1862. Early authorities suspected it was assembled by them. [5] Notes were titled Oh! Let My People Go: The Song of the Contrabands, arranged by Horace Waters. L.C. Lockwood, chaplain of the Contrabands, stated in the notes that the song was from Virginia, which was dated around 1853. [6] The introductory verse, as recorded by Lockwood, reads: The Lord of Moses said to Pharaoh, Oh! Let my people go If not, I will say your firstborn dead— Oh! Let my people go Oh! Go down, Moses' way in Egypt's land and say King Pharaoh, let my people go Sarah Bradford's authorized biography of Harriet Tubman, Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman (1869), quotes Tubman as saying she used Go Down Moses as one of two code songs used to use Slaves fleeing Maryland. [7] Tubman began her subway work in 1850 and lasted until the beginning of the Civil War, so it is possible that Tubman's use of the song originated before the origin. Comes. Lockwood. [8] In Popular Culture This section contains a list of various information. Please move all relevant information to other sections or articles. (February 2017) Films Al Jolson sings it in Alan Crosland's film Big Boy (1930). Used briefly in Kid Millions (1934). Jess Lee Brooks sings it in Preston Sturges' 1941 film Sullivan's Travels. Gregory Miller (played by Sidney Poitier) sang the song in the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle. In the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), reference is made to the song when a bedridden Cameron Frye sings: When Cameron was in Egypt's land, let my Cameron go. Sergei Bodrov Jr. and Oleg Menshikov, who play the two main characters in Sergei Bodrov's film (1996; Prisoner of the Mountains) dance to the Louis Armstrong version. The teen comedy film Easy A (2010) remixed this song with a fast guitar and beats. Originally released as an original soundtrack, the song is listed on IMDb. [9] Literature William Faulkner titled his novel Go Down, Moses (1942) after the song. In her groundbreaking novel Nightwood, Djuna Barnes titled go down, Matthew as a nod to the song's title. In Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind, slaves from georgia plantation Tara in Atlanta are to dig chest work for the soldiers, and they sing Go Down, Moses as they march down a street. Music The song was made famous by Paul Robeson, whose deep voice was said by Robert O'Meally to have accepted the power and authority of God. On February 7, 1958, the song was recorded in New York City and sung by Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver's Orchestra. It was recorded by Doris Akers and the Sky Pilot Choir. [Quote Required] [12] The song has become a jazz standard, recorded by Grant Green, Fats Waller, Archie Shepp, Hampton Hawes and many others. [13] It is one of the five spirituals of the oratorio A Child of Our Time, which was premiered in 1944 by the English classical composer Michael Tippett (1905–98). It is contained in some Seders in the United States and is printed in Meyers' An Israel Haggadah for Passover. [14] The song was recorded by the Deep River Boys in Oslo on September 26, 1960. It was published on the extended piece Negro Spirituals No. 3 (HMV 7EGN 39). The song, or a modified version of it, was used in the Roger Jones musical From Pharaoh to Freedom[when?] [Quote Required] The French singer Claude Nougaro used his melody for his homage to Louis Armstrong in French under the name Armstrong (1965). Go Down Moses was sometimes called Let My People Go and performed by a variety of music artists, including RebbeSoul The song strongly influenced Get Down Moses by Joe Strummer & Mescaleros on her album Streetcore (2003). The song was performed by the choir of the Russian Ministry of the Interior (MVD). [15] Jazz Jazz Tony Vittia released a swing version under the name Own The Night (2013). The set Go Down Moses is included in the chorus of the John Craigie song Will Not Fight (2009). The song Go Down Moses is sung by Pops Staples in the song The Weight in The Last Waltz film by The Band (1976). The usual text is actually Go down Miss Moses. [16] The avant-garde singer-songwriter and composer Diamanda Gales recorded a version for her fifth album, You Must Be Certain of the Devil (1988), the final part of a trilogy about the AIDS epidemic, which includes songs influenced by American gospel music and biblical themes. The song All You Zombies by the Hooters begins with these familiar words: Saint Moses met Pharaoh, yes, he tried to straighten him, looked him in the eye: 'Let my people go.' [17] Television The NBC television comedy The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air used the song twice for comedic effect. First and foremost, Will Smith's character sings the song after he and his cousin Carlton Banks are thrown into prison (Smith sings the first two lines, Banks delivers the chorus, then a prisoner sings the last four lines with an operatic voice.) [18] In the second instance, Banks prepares for an Easter service and tries to prove his skills by singing the last two lines of the choir; Smith responds with his own version, in which he makes a joke about Carlton's height (... Let my cousin grow!). [Quote Required] In Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist is sung by Katz and Ben during the credits of the episode Thanksgiving (season 5, episode 18). Della Reese sings it in episode 424, Elijah, by Touched by an Angel, which Bruce Davison Eliyahu sings. In episode 2 episode 3 of Life on Mars, the lawyer sings for his client's release. Recordings The Tuskegee Institute Singers recorded the song for Victor in 1914. [19] The Kelly Family recorded the song twice: the live version is included on their album Live (1988) and a studio version on New World (1990). The latter also feature on her compilation album The Very Best - Over 10 Years (1993). The Golden Gate Quartet (duration: 3:05; recorded 1957 for their album Spirituals). [20] Go Down Moses was recorded by Robert Shaw Chorale on RCA Victor 33 record LM/LSC 2580, Copyright 1964, first side, second band, lasts 4 minutes and 22 seconds. liner notes by the well-known African-American author Langston Hughes. [21] See also Christian Children's Prayer - Spirituals Let My People Go References - Cornelius, Steven (2004). Music of the Civil War. Greenwood Publishing Group. 118. ISBN 0313320810 - For example, in Genesis 42:2 Jacob commands his sons to go to Egypt to buy grain. In Exodus 1:10, Pharaoh expresses the that the Hebrews join Egypt's enemies and go up from the land Phrases.org.uk editorial table. The Continental Monthly. 2: 2: Juli 1862 – über die Cornell University. Wir sind Clarks Schulbesucher für den folgenden Song der Contrabands, der unter den letzteren entstanden ist und zuerst von ihnen gesungen wurde, bei der Anhörung von weißen Leuten in der Festung Monroe, wo es von ihrem Kaplan, Rev. L.C. Lockwood, notiert wurde, zu verdanken. Lockwood, Oh! Let My People Go, S. 5: Dieses Lied wird seit etwa neun Jahren von den Sklaven von Virginia gesungen. Bradford, Sarah (1869). Szenen im Leben von Harriet Tubman. Dennis Brothers & Co. S. 26–27. Archiviert vom Original am 13. Juni 2017 – über die University of North Carolina: Documenting the American South. * Summary of Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman. docsouth.unc.edu.