It was not necessary to wait until Sunday morning worship services to hear the soulful sound of gospel music all Ohio State students needed to do was listen to Raymond Wise and his gospel choir.
Wise and the African-American Gospel Music and Spirituals chorale sang at the Weigel Auditorium on Wednesday. The performance included famous gospel classics such as “Let It Shine,” “Hallowed By the Name” and “Hallelujah, Hallelujah.”
The chorale had about 90 members who took the stage one-by-one and were separated by voice range. They sang with passion and the audience rose to their feet and danced along with the music.
Wise’s versatility added to the entertainment, as he acted as conductor, piano player and even a vocal assistant. Between each song he explained the history of gospel music and its cultural connection to African Americans.
Wise described gospel music as praise and worship music, and he said he believes gospel music praises the Lord’s divine character. He then mentioned how gospel music is based upon improvisation and is all about the tone in the words. He then led the chorale into the song “Hallelujah, Hallelujah.” The chorale repeated the word hallelujah (which means “praise the Lord” in Hebrew), while Wise directed them to change the speed, tone and volume of the words.
Wise said the church was, at one time, the only place African-Americans could scream. It was an emotional and spiritual outlet, in addition to being a safe place for them in the time of slavery.
The audience was then instructed to stand up and start swaying their hips to the music. Wise followed by asking the lighting crew to make sure the lights were on, in order for him to see the audience members as they began praising and worshiping. Some of the audience members stood up and screamed to God, because they felt the songs were so powerful.
The chorale inspired the audience and the instrumentalists rocked the stage. Drummer Mark Lomax never missed a beat, as did keyboardist and piano player Ceylon Wise, who made sure that Wise was not missed from the piano when he got up to speak and conduct. Wise improvised a lot during the performance but Lomax never got lost.
Sweat dripped from Wise’s face, as he never stopped moving throughout the whole performance. He, along with his chorale, brought an energy to Weigel that had audience members giving up the ghost.
Wise and Co. allowed people who might have never heard gospel music to experience it through history, song and dance. It was a moving experience, figuratively and literally.
