Gospel Music: Tracing Back Its Roots

Ever since some cognitive human beings have set foot on Earth, music has greatly taken part of their lives. The folks belonging to the days of yore created their own musical arrangements by plucking strings and hitting things like wood, hide, or stone. The sounds of nature have also served as one pleasant musical sound for them. They undoubtedly took pleasure listening to the sound of the waterfalls, the animals, and even the weather-related reverberations.

Music has then taken a further course. Throughout the passing of time, people have invented creative means of creating music. From the schools to the churches, there is music. The music industry has also created varied genres of music for all occasions.

You will often see or hear people preaching about the word of God. The gospel of the Lord is being delivered through the means of other people who serve as His own instruments. Simply listening to His words enlightens your spirit, right? God has often reminded His people to love one another as he loves everyone. He places every creation he has made under His care. Although every person has been created in His image and likeness, still no one leads a perfect life. To put it in a much simpler term, no one is as perfect as God is.

One’s spirituality and faith can thus be manifested by several means.  Reading the bible, following the ten commandments of God, praying, singing gospel music, and attending mass are among the typical ways by which one’s spirituality is nourished. They often say that those who sing praise twice. Thus, by singing the gospel music, you are praising twice!

What is gospel music?

Gospel music is a religious music that contains the word of God. Gospel music is at all times used as one medium to praise God Almighty. In varying tunes and arrangements, gospel music can always be heard during the celebration of the mass, praise and worship activities, and healing mass.

There is no limit as to the use of gospel music. You can even make it as your morning praise habit. You can listen to it while driving your car. Or you can let it resound in your house. Some gospel music singers perform the genre in nightclubs and secular settings. These days, more and more gospel music are hence becoming danceable therefore making the enlightening of the spirit more effective.

The Roots of Gospel Music

The gospel music was first popularized by the African-American churches way back in the 1930s. Two styles of the gospel music emerged in those days—that of the black people and that of the white southerners.  Despite the two separate styles, gospel music still traces its roots from the Methodist hymnal. There came a time when the artists from the two separate categories sang the gospel music of each other.

The onset of gospel music has marked a phenomenon in America regardless of the distinction between the while and black churches. Indeed, gospel music has reached Australia that gave birth to the gospel choirs of Jonah and The Whalers and The Elementals plus the beginning of the Australian Gospel Music Festival. Norway also gave rise to both the Oslo Gospel Choir and the Ansgar Gospel Choir.

The Influences of Gospel

The trendy pop music had greatly influenced the gospel artists. In turn, gospel music has also influenced the rhythm and blues singers of the 1940s up to the 1950s.

Gospel music has reached the peek of its popularity. Until now, several other gospel musical artists are gaining their own fame for the genre and a lot other patrons are getting drawn on them.

Nintendo Welcomes Wii

Most gamers may know it as Nintendo Revolution, but the new name is Wii (pronounced as “we”). As of April 27th, Nintendo’s seventh-generation video game console, their fifth home console, became the newest successor to Nintendo GameCube. Wii is unique with the Wii Remote, or “Wii-mote”, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and as detecting motion in three dimensions. The controller contains a speaker and a rumbling device which provides sensory feedback.

As of June 2006, an exact release date has yet to be confirmed. Nintendo’s most recent statements confirm that Nintendo plans to release Wii in the 4th quarter of 2006. Internationally, Nintendo hopes to launch with no more than four months difference between the first and last launching regions. At a June 2006 briefing in Japan, it was stated that a precise release date and price would be announced by September.

It was confirmed that Wii will cost no more than $250. A Nintendo spokesman said that the price in the U. K. will be in line with Japanese and US prices. Nintendo has intentions to have approximately 6 million console units and 17 million software units by March 31, 2007.

Wii is Nintendo’s smallest home game console yet, at approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together. The console has been confirmed to have the ability to stand either horizontally or vertically. Nintendo has stated that a small attachment can be equipped to play on DVD Video.

Nintendo has displayed Wii in various colors: platinum, lime green, white, black, blue and red. The final colors of the console are still to be announced. The systems shown at E3 2006 and in different trailers appear to have several small changes from the original design. Nintendo not only had branding on the case which replaced the Wii logo, but the disc loading slot is enlarged slightly as the reset button is moved from next to the eject button to the power button. The power indicator light is moved from next to the power button inside the button. The port for the sensor bar, a device used for the Wii Remote’s three dimensional sensing is found at the rear of the console. This port did not appear in any of the former Wii hardware images, including the images in Nintendo’s E3 media press kit.


At E3 2006, Nintendo announced WiiConnect24, a feature of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection that will permit the user to remain connected to the Internet in standby mode. Some possibilities of this newest feature that were mentioned at E3 2006 included allowing friends to visit the player’s village in games like Animal Crossing, and downloading new updates for games while in standby mode. It would also be possible to download DS promotional demos using WiiConnect24 and later transfer it to Nintendo DS.

Wii will support wireless connectivity with the Nintendo DS. It’s been stated that Nintendo was still ironing out details when features using this connectivity would be available to the public.

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