Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
“The tumbling down of the walls of Jericho was a power evocation of the derided crumbling of the walls of slavery” (Chenu).
Another example of Negro slaves glorifying Biblical leaders is Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho. After the death of Moses in the book of Joshua, God called Moses’ assistant as his chosen vessel. The Israelites had wandered in the desert for forty years when they came upon the city of Jericho. The gates of Jericho were tightly shut and no one was allowed in or out. But the Lord told Joshua “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors.” God told Joshua to march his warriors around the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day, they were to march seven times, blowing their horns and shouting. This would bring the walls down.
There is some heavy symbolism in this story of victory without battle. Negro slaves, who had no power in their situation trusted that God would lead them out of slavery and to a place of victory, just as He promised Moses and just as He promised Joshua. “The tumbling down of the walls of Jericho was a power evocation of the derided crumbling of the walls of slavery” (Chenu, 153). Negro slaves believed that there was a Promised Land within their reach if they put their faith in God. The first recorded version of this song was in 1922 by the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
This is another one of my favourite spirituals. I love the quickly moving lyrical line and the percussiveness of the Js in “Joshua” and “Jericho.” The falling phrase of “the walls come tumblin’ down” is a great example of text painting, which was seen in classical lieder. This is the idea of imitating the text in the melody. Typically, this song, like many of the other spirituals, is swung with quintessential uneven eighths, leading with natural progression to American jazz.
Notable Arrangements
Fisk Jubilee Singers*
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
Mahalia Jackson*
Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho-Mahalia Jackson
Sidney Bechet*
Joshua Fit De Battle of Jericho
Moses Hogan*
The Moses Hogan Singers - Joshua Fit De Battle of Jericho
Rollo Dilworth*
Joshua (SATB Choir) - Arranged by Rollo Dilworth
Florence Price*
Florence Price's "Joshua fit the Battle of Jericho"
L. E. Bolden*
https://lebolden.bandcamp.com/track/joshua
*African American Composer
Sources:
Chenu, Bruno. The Trouble I’ve Seen: The Big Book of Negro Spirituals. Judson Press, 2003.
1873-1954., Johnson, J. Rosamond (John Rosamond), et al. The Books of American Negro Spirituals: Including The Book of American Negro Spirituals and the Second Book of Negro Spirituals. Da Capo Press, 1926.
