"Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow"
Song
ReleasedUnknown; documented to 1891
GenreSpiritual, hymn
Songwriter(s)Unknown

"Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow" is a song telling the story of Christmas morning, describing a "star in the East" that will lead to the birthplace of Christ. The title derives from a lyric repeated throughout the song. Depending on how the song is arranged and performed, it is known variously as a spiritual, hymn, carol, gospel song, or folk song.

"Rise Up, Shepherd" was first documented in a short story by Ruth McEnery Stuart in 1891, where she likely transcribed a song overheard from plantation laborers.[1] The song has since become a popular standard for spiritual and Christmas music, performed by numerous choirs as well as artists as wide-ranging as Odetta,[2] Pete Seeger,[3] Mary J. Blige,[4] and the Muppets.[5]

History

The exact origin of "Rise Up, Shepherd" is unknown. Although likely a folk song created and passed down by black laborers in the American South, the song cannot be dated to before Reconstruction.[6] At least one source dates the song to 1867,[7] highlighting its proximity to the Civil War.

The song first appears in print in 1891. The January–June volume of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine contains a short story titled "Christmas Gifts" by Ruth McEnery Stuart that depicts a scene where black slaves sing for their owner. The song is part of a Christmas celebration on a Louisiana plantation and includes two verses.

Stuart (left) published the first known lyrics in 1891. Dett (right) published an influential version of the song in 1927.

Stuart's lyrics employ heavy dialect in imitation of the slaves' speech (such as "foller" for "follow"). The song is untitled in her story, and other publications offered various titles such as "Plantation Christmas Carol."[8] Subsequent publications continued this use of dialect, but over time song books adopted standard English spelling and settled on the common title "Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow."

Kate Douglas Wiggin is the first known source of written music for "Rise Up, Shepherd." The song appeared in Nine Love Songs and a Carol as the aforementioned "Plantation Christmas Carol." Wiggin credits Stuart for the lyrics and notes that the song should be performed in the "fashion of a plantation melody," but it is unknown how much she drew from actual plantation laborers versus her own composition.[1]

Canadian-American composer and professor R. Nathaniel Dett published a collection of spirituals in 1927 titled Religious Folksongs of the Negro that included "Rise Up, Shepherd." His version of the song would become the basis for most modern renditions.[1]

Legacy

"Rise Up, Shepherd" has become a popular song in a variety of traditions, appearing in collections of black spirituals, hymns, and Christmas carols. One source states its popularity grew in the 1980s during a revived interest in black spiritual music.[6]

In particular, the song's relationship and probable origin with Civil War–era black Americans has given the song special meaning in the context of black history. For example, it appears in the poet and playwright Langston Hughes' Black Nativity,[9] an adaptation of the Nativity story staged with an all-black cast that has played continually since its release in 1961.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fenner, Chris. "Rise up, shepherd, and follow". Hymnology Archive. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Odetta – Christmas Spirituals". Discogs. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "Pete Seeger – Traditional Christmas Carols". Discogs. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Black Nativity - Music From The Motion Picture". Discogs. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "'Rise Up Shepherd and Follow' lyrics". BBC Music Magazine. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  6. 1 2 Hawn, C. Michael. "History of Hymns: 'Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow'". Discipleship Ministries. United Methodist Church. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  7. ↑ Studwell, William E. (2012). The Christmas Carol Reader. Taylor & Francis. p. 114. ISBN 9781136591457. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Wiggin, Kate (1896). Nine Love Songs and a Carol. Houghton, Mifflin & Company. p. 54. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  9. ↑ Hughes, Langston (1992). Black Nativity. Woodstock, IL: Dramatic Pub. p. 24. ISBN 0871291924. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
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