Lift Every Voice and Sing

The poem and original hymn-like music of Lift Every Voice and Sing, by James and J. Rosamond Johnson, reverberate through the decades of the civil rights movement. Originally performed for Booker T. Washington in 1900, it is sometimes called the African-American National Anthem. This setting, by Bob Phillips, teaches 6/8 and uses chromatic alterations in first position. A vocal lead sheet is included in the reproducible educational packets. The cross-curricular programming possibilities are vast. (2:40)