A Band of Angels: A Story Inspired by the Jubilee Singers by Deborah Hopkinson PDF

A Band of Angels is fiction, however it relies on actual occasions and folks. the nature of Ella used to be encouraged by means of Ella Sheppard Moore, who was once born February four, 1851, in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father used to be capable of loose himself and younger Ella from slavery, yet ahead of he might purchase freedom for Ella’s mom she was once bought away. Ella was once raised in Cincinnati, the place she took tune classes. At fifteen, she used to be left penniless while her father died. She arrived at Fisk university in 1868 with simply six dollars.

Fisk used to be opened in 1866 as a college for former slaves and started delivering collage sessions in 1871. That yr, in a determined try and store Fisk from final, a song instructor named George White set out with a bunch of scholars on a making a song travel to elevate cash. even if at the beginning they just sang renowned tune of the day, they quickly grew to become recognized for introducing spirituals to the world.

Ella Sheppard used to be the pianist for the Jubilee Singers on their historical live performance excursions, which raised sufficient cash to avoid wasting the college and construct Jubilee corridor, the 1st everlasting constitution within the South for the schooling of black scholars. Ella later married George Moore, had 3 young ones, and found her mom and a sister. She died in 1914. this day her great-granddaughter is a librarian at Fisk collage who stocks the heritage of the Jubilee Singers with visitors.

Although none graduated from Fisk, the unique Jubilee Singers have been famous with honorary levels in 1978. this present day, Jubilee Singers at Fisk collage proceed to maintain alive a wealthy musical culture that incorporates such songs as “Swing Low, candy Chariot,” “Many Thousand Gone,” and “Go Down, Moses.”