Cuban Rumba Guaguanco Music And Dance (information & Videos)

joséito's hideaway, Dec 13, 2023

From Cuban Rumba directed & edited by Yvonne Payne Daniel PhD 1992.

Originally accompanied a doctoral dissertation entitled Ethnography of Rumba: Dance and Social Change in Contemporary Cuba.
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Excerpt of this video's auto-generated transcript (given without time stamps and including punctuation and some spelling corrections)

[the first dance] -"Here we see Rumba Yambu from Matanzas, the chase of a male and female dancer epitomizing the beauty and graciousness of the woman and the virtuosity and sensuality of the male. 

[the second dance beginning at .047] This is Rumba Guaguanco performed by dancers from Losito De Matas Baro= Ramos and Anna Perez and including many gestures from ritual as well as popular dance."...

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about Cuba's Rumba Guaguanco dance and showcases four YouTube videos of that music and dance.

The content of that post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the producers and publishers of these videos. 

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INFORMATION ABOUT GUAGUANCO
Excerpt #1
From https://cubansinamerica.us/web/cuban-music/guaguanco/
"Guaguancó

A type of rumba. Originating in the aftermath of the abolition of slavery on the island in 1886, guaguancó represents the fusion of several Afro-Cuban profane rituals, known as rumbas. The other two important varieties are yambú and columbia. Guaguancó’s dancers, moving to the beat of percussion instruments and surrounded by a chorus with a lead singer, perform a figurative erotic choreography. The male pursues the female with strong pelvic movements of a mimetic nature. She, in turn, evades and repels him, until ultimately surrendering.  The final symbolic act of possession is known as the vacunao.

Many, if not most, guaguancós were anonymous compositions. The oldest, dating from late Spanish colonial era, are known as rumbas “de tiempo España.” Though African in rhythm, the guaguancó reveals certain Spanish influences, especially by way of flamenco and the rural décimas, in the text of its songs. According to Mongo Santamaría (b. 1927), one of the genre’s leading interpreters, guaguancó came about when Afro­- Cubans tried to sing flamenco.

Founded in the 1950s, the ensemble “Muñequitos de Matanzas” has performed traditional rumba, especially guaguancó, in the urban Matanzas style. Since the late 1990s, authentic Cuban rumba has experienced an international revival, largely due to groups like the “Muñequitos de Matanzas,” Los Papines, AfroCuba, and others."

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Excerpt #2
"From https://everythingsoulful.com/what-is-guaguanco/
"Guaguancó is one of the most popular styles of rumba that is still danced today. Rumba developed among the different African ethnic groups, primarily from Central and West Africa, who were brought to Cuba as slaves.  Guaguancó, like the other rumba styles Yambu and Columbia, developed in the middle 1800’s.  Guaguancó is played in 2/4 or 4/4 tempo giving it a moderate to fast tempo. Guaguanco is danced by a male-female couple and consists of a flirtatious, sexual game with a distinctive body movement called the vacunao (“pelvic thrust) performed by the male dancer. Dance historians have noted that the vacunao is found in other African based dances in Latin America and the Guaguancó maybe derived from the “yuka”, a secular dance of the Bantu people.

“The couple begins to dance…the male dancer is more active as he circles around her without touching her. The dance climaxes as the male attempts to give the vacuano when the female is unprepared to avoid it. Much of her dancing expertise resides in her ability to entice the male while skillfully avoiding being touched by his vacunao.” (Boggs 1992)

By the turn of the century, rumba had migrated to the black working class neighborhoods of Cuban cities. The music consisted mainly of percussive instruments including drums, wooden boxes (cajones), tables and chairs, spoons and jars. During the first half of the 20th century rumba bands were comprised of singers, one or more large drums (tumbadoa-conga and tumbadora-salidor), a small conga drum (quinto) and a pair of wooden sticks (palitos) that were beaten against the side of one of the drums.

Claves (two hardwood sticks that are struck together) and the cajones were often added to the ensemble. You can still see remnants of guaguanco in the hip and pelvic motions of of today’s salsa dancers when the couple separates and each person dances “freestyle”."

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Excerpt #3
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaguanc%C3%B3
"Guaguancó (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwaɣwaŋˈko]) is a subgenre of Cuban rumba, combining percussion, voices, and dance. There are two main styles: Havana and Matanzas.

Percussion

battery of three conga drummers: the tumba (lowest), tres dos (middle, playing a counter-clave), and quinto (highest, and lead drum). These parts may also be played on cajones, wooden boxes.

claves usually played by a singer

guagua (aka Catà) (hollowed piece of bamboo)

maraca and/or a chekeré playing the main beats

Other instruments may be used on occasion, for example spoons, palitos (wooden sticks striking the side of the drum), and tables and walls played like drums.

Song

The term guaguancó originally referred to a narrative song style (coros de guaguancó) which emerged from the coros de claves of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Rogelio Martínez Furé states: "[The] old folks contend that strictly speaking, the guaguancó is the narrative."[6] The guaguancó song often begins with the soloist singing meaningless syllables, which is called the diana. According to Larry Crook, the diana is important because it "... also contains the first choral refrain. The lead singer provides a phrase or motive for the choral sections, or they may present new, but related material. Parallel harmonies are usually built above or below a melodic line, with thirds, sixths, and octaves most common."[7] Therefore, the singer who is presented with singing the diana initiates the beginning of the guaguancó. He then may proceed to improvise lyrics stating the reason for holding the present rumba ('decimar'; span.: to make ten-line stanzas), During the verses of the song the quinto is capable of sublime creativity, while musically subordinate to the lead vocalist. There are natural pauses in the cadence of the verses, typically one or two measures in length, where the quinto can play succinct phrases in the "holes" left by the singer. Once the chorus (or montuno section) of the song begins, the phrases of the quinto interact with the dancers more than the lead singer.

Dance

Guaguancó is an Afro Cuban couple dance of sexual competition between the male and female. The male periodically attempts to "catch" his partner with a single thrust of his pelvis. This erotic movement is called the vacunao (‘vaccination’ or more specifically ‘injection’), a gesture derived from yuka and makuta [dances], symbolizing sexual penetration. The vacunao can also be expressed with a sudden gesture made by the hand or foot. The quinto often accents the vacunao, usually as the resolution to a phrase spanning more than one cycle of clave. Holding onto the ends of her skirt while seductively moving her upper and lower body in contrary motion, the female "opens" and "closes" her skirt in rhythmic cadence with the music. The male attempts to distract the female with fancy (often counter-metric) steps, accented by the quinto, until he is in position to "inject" her. The female reacts by quickly turning away, bringing the ends of her skirts together, or covering her groin area with her hand (botao), symbolically blocking the "injection." Most of the time the male dancer does not succeed in "catching" his partner. The dance is performed with good-natured humor—David Peñalosa.[8]

Vernon Boggs states that the woman's "dancing expertise resides in her ability to entice the male while skillfully avoiding being touched by his vacunao."[9] The pattern of quinto strokes and the pattern of the man's dance steps are at times identical, and at other times, imaginatively matched. The quinto player must be able to switch phrases immediately in response to the dancer’s ever-changing steps.”…

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YOUTUBE VIDEOS
These videos are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

VIDEO #1
This video is embedded at the top of this post.

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VIDEO #2 - Rumba Guaguanco Dance - Domingo Pau & Dayana Torres

Socioswing - Boogalu Productions, Jun 26, 2013

Rumba Guaguanco Dance - Domingo Pau & Dayana Torres

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VIDEO #3 - RUMBA GUAGUANCO- "Calle Damas 713" ► VIADANZA CUBA 2020 ► VIDEO CLIP IN OLD HAVANA 

SalseandoChevere Cuba, Premiered Dec 1, 2020

RUMBA GUAGUANCO

Video: Pedro A. Rodríguez Díaz

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VIDEO #4 - Rumba Guaguancó, , Los Angeles, California

 

Patricia Vision, Sep 1, 2022

Una de las expresiones más  populares  de la música Cubana que le ha dado al mundo, es la Rumba Guaguancó.  El hombre  hace los movimientos pelvicos  para "vacunar" a la mujer ya sea con el pañuelo, la mano, el pie y ella sensualmente sacude con su pañuelo  que él no la pudo "vacunar".  Los tamboreros son también parte de la conversación  ya que ellos siguen el ritmo, cantos  y enfatizan  con toques agudos cuándo el hombre "vacuna".  

You are   watching one of the most popular expressions of the many musical gifts Cuba has given to the world. Watch for the way the male dancer tries to catch the female dancer off guard so that he can "vacunar" her with his foot, his hand or a pelvic thrust and the way she flirtatiously cleans herself with the scarf or skirt to prove that he wasn't quick or slick enough to succeed. The drummers are also part of the conversation as they contribute to the pace and accentuate the movements of the dancers.
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Here's Google translate's Spanish to English translation of the summary that is given in Spanish:
"One of the most popular expressions of Cuban music that it has given to the world is the Rumba Guaguancó. The man makes pelvic movements to "vaccinate" the woman either with his handkerchief, his hand, or her foot and she sensually shakes him with her handkerchief because he could not "vaccinate" her. The drummers are also part of the conversation since they follow the rhythm, sing and emphasize with high-pitched touches when the man "vaccinates."

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Information About The Claves Musical Instrument (video & English language transcript)

Smithsonian Folkways, Aug 28, 2020

Following the release of The John Santos Sextet’s album ‘Art of the Descarga,’ John Santos teaches us about the rhythms and melodies of claves. Produced by Michelle Mehrtens Directed and Edited by Charlie Weber Photography by Michael G. Stewart [...] Built on the Afro-Caribbean past, forged by visionaries such as John Santos and his comrades, and steeled by its rootedness in American life, Latin jazz is a major force shaping contemporary American musical culture. Over decades of performing, arranging, producing, and teaching, Santos has helped make the San Francisco Bay area a Latin jazz stronghold. "In Art of the Descarga", The John Santos Sextet and a parade of stellar guests mine the music’s imaginative motherlode,... -snip- This video is narrated in English with Spanish captions. **** Edited by Azizi Powell Latest revisions - April 24, 2024 This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of a percussionist explaining the claves musical instrument in a conversational manner. This post includes the auto-generated transcript that accompanied that video. The Addendum to this post presents my unofficial explanatory notes and some brief online quotes about parts of this video's explanation about claves. The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes. All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to John Santos for his musical legacy and thanks for sharing information about the claves [CLAH-vays] musical instrument. **** TRANSCRIPTION OF THIS VIDEO

Pancocojams Editor's note-This auto-generated transcript of this video is given “as is” except for time stamps and except for adding punctuation, and making some corrections of the auto-generated spelling.  

“The claves -fascinating instrument, perhaps one of the first that humans picked up-two sticks.

Strike them. And they've evolved a lot.
What's important about the claves is the concept of the clave.
There's a lot of variations of rhythm and sound the claves. You know if you if you hold them correctly by making a little cup with one hand like a little bit of a resonating chamber and sitting the clave up there like so as opposed to grabbing it it's a big difference in the sound because then the wood resonates. Here's the difference between this and this.

Now that kind of a pattern also comes into um Latin American music through African music, through African sacred music because a similar pattern would be played usually in triple meter on a bell, on some kind of a metallic instrument -a bell of some kind. And that is used as the timeline to accompany most sacred music in the Congo tradition, Yoruba tradition, and Arará tradition.  That, that's a commonality so you could take a rhythm usually played on bell that sounds like this for example that's used to accompany sacred music um

[Music]

oh

[Music]

The rhythm of the melody- it's very important how it adheres and it uses the bell pattern as its base basis. It’s a very specific way that the song fits rhythmically with the pattern. That idea has made its way into popular music into the rumba ,into the son, and into the idea of composing and arranging.  That's where it's really evolved.  So the melodies of these traditional sacred songs carry the rhythm of the claves.
And if i play that slow, you could kind of see that.  If i go like this, you could see how the rhythms are interlaced
[Music]

with

[Music]

right on top of this rhythmically.. And if you try to mess with that, you're you're you're wrong.  You're out of, You're ”out of claves” so to speak.  If you try to play that on the other side of the rhythm, it won't fit. It fights, you know, if you put it anywhere else on the rhythm. It's going to fight.  So basically that's the concept with claves in Cuba.

The term claves and the use of this instrument really took a big height in a lot of other countries.  It didn't go as far-and [but] even in the United states it's very present- in what we do in the United States because it's a Western Central African phenomenon that the rhythms are based on.

This kind of yin-yang thing that there's this side of the clave and this side

[Music]

and the…and the melodic rhythmic figures adhere to this kind of balance.  People get very upset if you mess up the count.  And other people say “Oh, i don't care about the clave and the clave is like this restriction.  I don't need to have that. And other people from other countries will say “No our music doesn't have claves, but it does you know.. A lot of times it happens in-I hear it happen a lot with Brazilian music.  The Brazilian musicians don't study clave per se as part of their music,  But their music is very much “in clave.” The music- it makes sense with the concept of the clave. The rhythms they play adhere to the melodies.  And they're very conscious about it.
And if you play it wrong, they'll stop you in a moment and say you got the rhythm wrong.  They won't tell you “You're out of clave” because that's a term, that's a terminology that kind of comes out of the Cuban music tradition. But the music is “in clave”..That's where the concept of the clave becomes important-that it's about matching melody to the to the rhythm of the claves.

In a nutshell, you have to take your melody, figure out the best way the claves goes with it, lock it into that, then you're free to build your arrangement around that and and counterpoint.   It is very important you could put counterpoint rhythm, but but you can't mess with the idea of the melody and the collaboration-that has to be a certain way.  You can't mess with that.
Now in New Orleans, the claves is there. But they often cross the claves because it didn't get hammered home the way it did with the more African traditions and African instruments that happened in Cuba. For example. So in New Orleans music you hear it played all over the place in in second line music they played on the on on the snare in Mardi Gras with the accent on the klamath [climax ?]. And the music though is “in clave” again. Some of you may have heard this song before in New Orleans...thing that goes “Oh my grandma and your grandma sitting by fire.

My grandma said to your grandma”...

[Music]

That was a big hit when i was a kid.  And then somebody made a hip-hop version of it a while back. But that melody is totally “in clave”.  And sometimes you'll hear um in New Orleans music you know they don't , they're not paying attention so much to the collaboration. The music is automatically, naturally “in clave”. And they'll play it that way, but sometimes it'll be crossed and they're not tripping on it. 

In Cuban music, if it gets crossed, somebody's gonna like stop you or give you a weird look or something because it it's really paramount in Cuban music.. That said, there's some Cuban music that's “out of clave” too, but just understanding the concept of the clave and as a composer/arranger, you have to keep the claves in mind. You can't randomly write parts that rhythmically don't have the clave in mind. And there's an idea of writing in clave where a certain section of the tune the claves can change, but you have to build your arrangement so it happens naturally.  So that if you were playing clobbering through the piece, you wouldn't have to stop or jump the clave or change the rhythm in order to adhere it to the melody. Instead, the composition works around the rhythm of the claves.

One of the most amazing things is that in the Cuban Rumba groups. the claves is essential and who plays it usually is the lead singer. It’s amazing the lead singer has to improvise rhythmically and melodically while holding this rhythm.
[Music]

Well, the phrasing is like you know all around.  But the clarity has to be solid, locking with the drums.  So you find a degree of independence that's created by learning Rumba songs that are kind of free, you know sometimes from the claves. But when you come to the antiphonal part - the call and response- that response has to be in the right place with the claves.  And if it's not, immediately almost before the words out of your mouth, they're like “No, you know “Mistake”, you know like, “Be careful”, you know, “You’re, you’re out of line if you come out with the claves in the wrong spot.

[Music]”…

-end of video- **** ADDENDUM Here are my explanatory notes and explanatory quotes about points about parts of this video. These notes are given in the order that they appear in this video and are numbered for referencing purposes only. DISCLAIMER: I'm not from Cuba. Therefore, my guesses about the meanings of some of the Cuban terms that are listed below may not be correct. Additions and corrections are welcome for all of the terms given in this Addendum.

1. "Yoruba tradition" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_people -a West African ethnic group in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo; In the context of this video about the claves musical instrument. "the Yoruba tradition" refers to the Yoruba ethnic groups' religion, music, and dance traditions of enslaved Africans and their descendants in Cuba retained and express/ed in their traditions.

** 2. "the Congo tradition" - in the context of this video about the claves musical instrument, " the Congo tradition" refers to the religion, music, and dance traditions that enslaved Africans and their descendants in Cuba who were from that Central African geographical region retained and express/ed in their traditions. **.

3. "Arará tradition" From https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/research/secrets-under-the-skin/ethnographic.cshtml "In Cuba, the term Arará has a complex history. In general, "national descriptors" dependent on geographical locations in West Africa were applied to enslaved Africans arriving in Cuba by slave traders and owners as if they were proper ethnonyms (Brandon 1993). Thus, the broad name Arará was given to the enslaved Ewe and Fon people who arrived in Cuba from West Africa as late as the 1860s from an area known as Alladah in former Dahomey (present day Benin and parts of Togo). Arará has no historical usage in West Africa. The Arará were largely enslaved to do work at the sugar mills in Matanzas Province (Basso 1995; Daniel 2005; Fernández Martínez 2005). Enslavement was not abolished in Cuba until 1886."...

**
4. the meaning of the word "son" in the sentence "That idea has made its way into popular music into the rumba ,into the son, and into the idea of composing and arranging." 
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_cubano
"Son cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. Among its fundamental Hispanic components are the vocal style, lyrical metre and the primacy of the tres, derived from the Spanish guitar. On the other hand, its characteristic clave rhythm, call and response structure and percussion section (bongo, maracas, etc.) are all rooted in traditions of Bantu origin.[1]"

**

5. "out of clave" - This is a Cuban colloquial term. My guess is that it means that the musician isn't playing the claves correctly and/or the other musicians aren't playing in time with the claves' beat. This term may be similar to the United States music terms "being off beat":

Here's a comment from that video's discussion thread about being "out of clave":

@pierrezapata90, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htz94NNaUfo
"Just as he explains around the middle of the video- the Claves are so simple that they can often be overlooked by some as silly, but the truth is, the clave is so important for setting the rhythm that the melodies are forced to follow.

The piercing sound over a mix can make an entire ensemble stop if the clave rhythm is messed up."
** 6. "in clave" - This is a Cuban colloquial term that is the opposite of being "out of clave". My guess is that it means that that the musician is playing the claves correctly and/or other musicians are playing their instruments correctly with the claves. "In clave" may also mean the same thing or something similar as the African American term being "in the groove" (performing very well, excellent).

** 7. the word "collaboration" you can't mess with the idea of the melody and the collaboration-that has to be a certain way" = "arrangement" (how the parts of the tune mix together

**

8. the meaning of "it's going to fight" in the sentence "If you try to play that on the other side of the rhythm, it won't fit. It fights, you know, if you put it anywhere else on the rhythm. It's going to fight." - It messes up the rhythm/ messes up the beat.

The "My grandma and your grandma sitting by fire" lyrics that John Santos sung were popularized by The Dixie Cups record entitled "Iko Iko" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBl2G8Bd-aI ** 9. John Santos' reference to the Hip Hop version of this song probably is Justin Wellington - Iko Iko (My Bestie) feat. Small Jam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzwqnlYMqIg

**
10. "out of line" in the sentence "You’re out of line if you come out with the claves in the wrong spot means "you're off-beat".

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Some Early Versions Of The African American Gospel Song "Where Shall I Be When That First Trumpet Sounds"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on the African American Gispel song "Where Shall I Be When That First Trumpet Sounds" (also given as "Where Shall I Be".

This post presents a few early versions by African Americans of the African American Gospel song "Where Shall I Be When That First Trumpet Sounds" (also given as "Where Shall I Be").

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/04/youtube-examples-of-where-shall-i-be.html for Part I of this series. That post presents five YouTube examples of the African American Gospel Song "Where Shall I Be When That First Trumpet Sounds" (also given as "Where Shall I Be").

The content of this post is presented for religious, historical, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composers of this song. Thanks to Charles Price Jones, the African American minister whose 1895 adaptation of this Spiritual is credited as the source for later examples of this song. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. 

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SOME EARLY VERSIONS BY AFRICAN AMERICANS OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN GOSPEL SONG* "WHERE WILL I BE WHEN THAT FIRST TRUMPET SOUNDS (with lyrics)

*Most online sources categorize this religious song as a Spiritual. However, I consider African American religious songs that were originally composed or adapted after the 1870s to be early Gospel songs. Maybe the versions of this song that are given here are examples of gospelized Spirituals. 

1895

1 When judgment day is drawing nigh,
Where shall I be?
When God the works of men shall try,
Where shall I be?
When east and west the fire shall roll,
Where shall I be?
How will it be with my poor soul;
Where shall I be?

Refrain:

Oh, where shall I be when the first trumpet sounds,
Oh, where shall I be when it sounds so loud?
When it sounds so loud as to wake up the dead?
Oh, where shall I be when it sounds?

2 When wicked men His wrath shall see,
Where shall I be?
And to the rocks and mountains flee,
Where shall I be?
When hills and mountains flee away,
Where shall I be?
When all the works of men decay,
Where shall I be? [Refrain]

3 When heav'n and earth as some great scroll,
Where shall I be?
Shall from God's angry presence roll,
Where shall I be?
When all the saints redeemed shall stand,
Where shall I be?
Forever blest at God's right hand,
Where shall I be? [Refrain]

4 All trouble done, all conflict past,
Where shall I be?
And old Apolyon bound at last,
Where shall I be?
When Christ shall reign from shore to shore,
Where shall I be?
And peace abide forevermore,
Where shall I be? [Refrain]

Source: One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism: an African American ecumenical hymnal #601

Adapter: Charles Price Jones [African American], adapted from earlier African American Spiritual around 1895

Charles Price Jones born December 9, 1865, near Rome, Georgia. He grew up in Kingston, Georgia, and attended the Baptist church. He was converted in 1884 while living in Cat Island, Arkansas. In 1885 he was called to the ministry and began preaching. In 1888 he attended Arkansas Baptist College and taught school in Grant County, Arkansas. He preached and pastored several Baptist churches. After asking God for a deeper experience of grace and fasting and praying for three days, Jones experienced a closeness with God, and in 1895, along with other Baptist holiness adherents, who taught that a second work of grace can cleanse the Christian of original sin. They started a holiness movement in the Baptist church, and he began teaching holiness"
-African American minister Charles Price Jones adapts an earlier African American Spiritual. The first verse and the refrain (chorus) for this version has become standard lyrics for that Spiritual. 

Online Source: https://hymnary.org/text/when_judgment_day_is_drawing_nigh “When Judgment )

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1905

"WHERE SHALL I BE WHEN DE FIRS' TRUMPET SOUN'?

CHORUS: Where shall I be when de firs' trumpet soun'?
Where shall I be when it soun' so loud,
Soun' so loud till it wakes up de dead?
Where shall I be when it soun'?

1. Moses died in de days of old.
Where shall I be?
Where he was buried has never been told.
Where shall I be?

2. God gave de people de rainbow sign.
Where shall I be?
No more water, but fire next time.
Where shall I be?

 From Religious Folk Songs of the Negro as Sung on the Plantations: New Edition by Thomas Putnam Fenner, Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (Hampton, VA: The Institute Press, 1905), page 172—where it appears with musical notation for 4 voices:
-posted by Jim Dixon.26 April 11, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=79315 "Where Shall I Be (Spirituals)

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1909?

Where Shall I Be When de Firs' Trumpet Soun'? [title]

Refrain

Where shall I be when de firs' trumpet soun',
Where shall I be when it soun' so loud,
Soun' so loud till it wakes up the dead,
Where shall I be when it soun'?

Solo

Moses died in de days of old,
Where shall I be?
Where he was buried has never been told,
Oh Where shall I be?

God gave de people de rainbow sign,
Where shall I be?
No more water, but fire next time
Where shall I be?

With music, p. 173. This song was not in the 1874 edition, but was added in a later edition, probably that of 1909 (fifth ed.) when some 25 songs from Fisk and elsewhere were added. A new and enlarged edition had previously been published in 1891."
-posted by Q (Frank Staplin), 15 March o5, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=79315 "Where Shall I Be (Spirituals

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1925 

"Lyr. Add: WHAR SHALL I BE?

Moses lived till he got old,
Whar shall I be?
Buried in de mountain, so I'm told,
Whar shall I be?

Whar shall I be when de first trumpet sounds?
Whar shall I be when it sounds so loud?
When it sound so loud that it wake up the dead,
Whar shall I be when it sounds?

Well, God showed Noar de rainbow sign,
Whar shall I be?
No more water but fire nex' time,
Whar shall I be?

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Whar shall I be?
Tole me whar my Saviour gone,
Whar shall I be? 

John declar'd he saw a man,
Whar shall I be?
Wid seben lamps in his right han',
Whar shall I be?

The authors consider this to be a later song, "a general mixture of old songs and new songs, old traits and new traits, the Negro sings a beautiful song which he has called "Whar Shall I Be?" The usual imagery is seen."

Howard W. Odum and Guy B. Johnson, 1925 (and reprints), The Negro and His Songs," Univ. North Carolina (later Greenwood and Negro Universities Press, 1976), pp. 134-135."
-posted by Q (Frank Staplin), 15 March o5, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=79315 "Where Shall I Be (Spirituals)
-snip-
This is the first example from Q (Frank Staplin) in his comment that begins "Several versions of this spiritual, which sometimes incorporates verses from other songs". 

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1927

lyrics Of "Where Shall I Be When The First Trumpet Sounds" - recorded by African American Blues Singer Blind Lemon Jefferson (in 1927)

Where shall I be when the first trumpet sounds?
Where shall I be when it sounds so loud?
It sounds so loud, oh, and it wakes up the dead
Where shall I be when it sounds?

Look over yonder what I see
Where shall I be?
It′s a band of angels askin'
Where shall I be?

Where shall I be when the first trumpet sounds?
Where shall I be when it sounds so loud?
It sounds so loud, oh, it wakes up the dead
Where shall I be when it sounds?

I′ll be trying on my garment when the first trumpet sounds
Trying on my garment when it sounds so loud
It sounds so loud, oh, it wakes up the dead
Where shall I be when it sounds?

So little I thought he was gon' die
Where shall I be?
This cute little baby laugh and cry
Where shall I be?

Where shall I be when the first trumpet sounds?
Where shall I be when it sounds so loud?
Sounds so loud, oh, it wakes up the dead
Where shall I be when it sounds?

I'll be trying on my robe when the first trumpet sounds
Trying on my robe when it sounds so loud

It sounds so loud, oh, it wakes up the dead
Where shall I be when it sounds?

Where shall I be when the first trumpet sounds?
Where shall I be when it sounds so loud?
It sounds so loud, oh, it wakes up the dead
Where shall I be when it sounds?

God told Noah by a rainbow sign
Where shall I be?
It′s no cool water but fire next time

Where shall I be?
Where shall I be when the first trumpet sounds?
Where shall I be when it sounds so loud?
It sounds so loud, oh, it wakes up the dead
Where shall I be when it sounds?"
-snip-
From https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Blind-Lemon-Jefferson/Where-Shall-I-Be "Where Shall I Be" BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON (1927)"

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Some YouTube Examples Of The African American Gospel Song "Where Shall I Be When That First Trumpet Sounds"

Norfolk Jazz And Jubilee Quartet - Topic, Feb 20, 2017

Norfolk Jazz And Jubilee Quartet Vol. 2 (1923-1925)
-snip-
"Jubilee" songs was an early referent for African American Spirituals.

*African American Spirituals was formerly known as "Negro Spirituals". 

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on the African American Gospel song "Where Shall I Be When That First Trumpet Sounds" (also given as "Where Shall I Be").

This post presents five YouTube examples of the African American Gospel* song "Where Shall I Be When That First Trumpet Sounds" (also given as "Where Shall I Be").

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/04/some-early-versions-of-african-american.html for Part II of this series. That post presents some early versions by African Americans of the African American Gospel song "Where Shall I Be When That First Trumpet Sounds" (also given as "Where Shall I Be").

The content of this post is presented for religious, historical, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composers of this song. Thanks to Charles Price Jones, the African American minister whose 1895 adaptation of this African American religious song is credited as the source for later examples of this song. Thanks to all those who are featured in these YouTube examples and thanks to the publishers of those examples on YouTube.

*Most online sources categorize this religious song as a Spiritual. However, I consider African American religious songs that were originally composed or adapted after the 1870s to be early Gospel songs. Maybe the versions of this song that are given here are examples of gospelized Spirituals. 

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SHOWCASE YOUTUBE EXAMPLES
These examples are given in chronological order based on their publishing dates on YouTube (except for video #1). These publishing dates aren't the same as the dates these renditions were performed.

SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #1
This example is embedded on the top of this post.

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #2 - Dan Smith - Where Shall I Be When The First Trumpet Sounds

TheBWJohnson, May 19, 2012

Good Morning Blues. 1975.

Biography by Bill Carpenter

Dan Smith sang in church and played harmonica as a child. He didn't begin his professional career until the early '60s, when he played behind folk legends Rev. Gary Davis and Pete Seeger. However, his musical style is overwhelmingly oriented to Chicago blues.

photos: George Mitchell and Larry Towell

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #3 - Where Shall I Be When The First Trumpet Sounds?

Rev. Edward W. Clayborn - Topic, Sep 24, 2014

Where Shall I Be When The First Trumpet Sounds? · Rev. Edward W. Clayborn Blind Joe Taggart Vol. 2 (1929-1934) ℗ 1993 Document Records Released on: 2005-04-12

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #4 - When The Trumpet Sounds

Release - Topic, Sep 23, 2015

When The Trumpet Sounds · F.S.U. Chamber Choir ["F.D.U." = Florida State University]

Songs From My Heart : Choral Music Of André Thomas

℗ 2004 Andre Thomas

Released on: 2004-01-01

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #5 - Where Shall I Be?

Blind Lemon Jefferson - Topic, May 26, 2022

Where Shall I Be? · Blind Lemon Jefferson

Presenting Blind Lemon Jefferson

℗ 1926 Paramount Records

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This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.