The role of choral music in the lives of marginalized groups in their march toward social justice

Much has been written about protest songs and their role in bringing about social change, but little scholarship has been devoted to choral music's role in this same march toward social justice. Choral music occupies a unique position in that the joined voices can speak more powerfully than a single voice, and can demonstrate greater solidarity. When music is written and/or presented by marginalized groups, and when it speaks to the grievances of the group, then the role of choral music changes from entertainment to roles which vary from commemoration of an event or time, to resistance. This paper investigates many of the roles played by choral music that was written and/or performed by selected marginalized groups as they worked toward social justice. Music of the exiled Hebrews, the Risorgimento, Abolition, American slavery, the Anti-Apartheid Movement, Women's Rights, Gay Rights, and the American Civil Rights Movement are discussed focusing on the roles of the choral music used by each of these groups. While the music fulfills several roles simultaneously, communication, as the over-arching role, together with education and solidarity permeate the choral music of marginalized groups. Other roles such as commemoration, resistance, prayer, giving direction (coded lyrics), encouragement, and reinforcing personal values also play a part. Further, the music we hear today may be significantly different from the original or source music. The text of music often takes on a different meaning when sung by different groups, and often the words get changed. The marginalized group singing in concert may mean something entirely different than the surface meaning of the words may seem to indicate, and so the role of the music is determined by the needs of the group