Spontaneity as a skill
Improvisation, derived from the Latin word "improvisus" ("unplanned"), is by no means a lack of planning. It is a fundamental creative act that encompasses action, design, and thinking without prior detailed planning or fixed guidelines. However, it can also be based on a plan or guideline, which is then partially or even completely disregarded in order to be creative.
Essentially, it is about responding spontaneously to a given situation or an impulsive idea by flexibly and often intuitively recombining and applying existing knowledge, skills, and experience. This ability to adapt and create spontaneously has become a key competence in our global and dynamic world.
The essence of improvisation lies in several characteristic features that distinguish it from pure reproduction or strict execution of a plan:
Spontaneity
The improvised action or statement arises in the here and now, immediately and without (sufficient) preparation. This requires a high level of presence and a willingness to surrender to the moment.
Flexibility
Improvisation requires the ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances and find alternative solutions when the original approach no longer works or new information becomes available.
Creativity
In the improvisational process, novel ideas or forms are generated on the spot. It is the art of creating something new and unique from what already exists.
Adaptability
Existing resources – whether knowledge, skills or materials – are used in the context of the current situation and often transformed in order to achieve a goal or overcome a challenge.
Tolerance for uncertainty
Improvisation always involves an element of unpredictability. Dealing with this uncertainty and accepting potential "mistakes" as part of the learning and creative process is crucial.
Process orientation
The focus is less on a predefined end product and more on the dynamic creative process itself. The result is often a snapshot that emerges from the interaction and flow.
Although the term is often associated with artistic fields, improvisation is a ubiquitous phenomenon that is crucial in numerous disciplines and areas of life:
Art and music
In art, and especially in music (e.g., jazz, free improvisation), theater (improvisational theater, improv comedy), and dance, improvisation is an art form in its own right. Musicians spontaneously develop melodies and harmonies, actors create dialogues and characters on the spot, and dancers create movements in harmony with the music or the space. Here, improvisation serves not only as entertainment, but also as a means of self-discovery, discovering new forms of expression, and interacting with the audience or other artists.
Science and technology
Improvisation also plays an important role in science and technology. In research and development, unexpected problems often arise that require quick, ad hoc solutions. Engineers develop temporary approaches to keep a machine running or spontaneously adapt test setups to investigate unexpected data. Here, the ability to improvise is crucial in order to respond flexibly to new findings and prevent progress from stalling.
Everyday life and management
Improvisation is an indispensable skill in everyday life, especially in management. Whether it's responding to unforeseen events in your personal life, finding pragmatic solutions to sudden challenges at work, or spontaneously adapting planned processes, the ability to improvise enables you to remain capable of acting and to do so efficiently. Managers who can improvise are often more resilient and successful in dealing with crises and rapid market changes.
Mahalia Jackson's career illustrates the tension between her religious beliefs and her socioeconomic desires. While she turned down lucrative offers to perform in entertainment venues, she was also willing to include popular religious songs in her repertoire in order to reach a wider audience. She justified this theologically by emphasizing that songs about love and unity, such as "Danny Boy," were just as important because you cannot love God without loving people. Despite her fame, she continued to experience racial discrimination, as evidenced by her inability to enter certain restaurants. For example, she supported City Councilman William L. Dawson and Franklin Roosevelt, changing song lyrics to promote their candidacies. She was unusually open to performing at progressive political events, including those organized by the left-wing folk song organization People's Artists.
In the early 1950s, religion was aggressively promoted, including through "religious pop," as a tool for anti-communist national unity and in response to Cold War fears (e.g., McCarthyism, the "bomb," and the Korean War). The music industry marketed religious pop songs such as "Let's Go to Church Next Sunday Morning" as a means of promoting religious values in the face of the "current world situation," which required a "return to religion." Church leaders even suggested sending Mahalia Jackson on a "peace mission of song" behind the Iron Curtain, believing that her impact would surpass any words.
Improvisation is deliberately used as a method in education. Improvised games, role-playing, and creative exercises not only promote creativity and problem-solving skills in learners, but also train social skills such as empathy and communication. They learn to adapt to the unexpected and act spontaneously as part of a team.
It is important to emphasize that improvisation is by no means synonymous with arbitrariness or lack of planning. Quite the contrary: it usually requires a high degree of competence, experience, and intuitive understanding of the context. The seemingly effortless, spontaneous reaction is based on a deep reservoir of internalized knowledge and skills. Those who improvise draw on what they have learned, but combine it in new and often surprising ways.
In a world that is changing ever more rapidly and in which complexity and uncertainty are increasing, the ability to improvise is becoming an indispensable skill. It enables us to remain flexible, find creative solutions, and act confidently even in unpredictable situations. Improvisation is therefore not a stopgap solution, but a highly developed form of adaptation and creation that enables us to succeed in a constantly changing environment.
The improvisational aesthetic of gospel music draws on a rich store of cultural and religious traditions:
West African traditions
Gospel as a performance aesthetic is a direct product of West African rhythmic, emotional, and improvisational precursors. The "spirit-led" singing practiced in the early Azusa Street services was rooted in these traditions. It encouraged the participation of all church members, regardless of their musical background, and laid the foundation for collective musical expression.
Sanctified Churches
For members of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), music was by definition improvised and could manifest itself at any time, inspired by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Church services here were lively, informal, and emotional, reflecting the community spirit of Southern worship, the spontaneity of Azusa, and West African religious traditions.
Early recordings
Pioneers such as Arizona Dranes, considered the first female gospel pianist, reflected the improvised verve of sacred worship in her early recordings. She used antiphonal singing (call and response) and secular styles such as barrelhouse piano, laying the foundation for gospel music.
Development in Chicago
In the early 1930s, Baptist institutions in Chicago attempted to attract young adults to the church through more appealing musical services. Thomas A. Dorsey, who was a blues pianist before devoting himself entirely to gospel music, played a decisive role in this and became an influential catalyst for this musical renewal by introducing blues elements into gospel.
The voice as an instrument of faith
Gospel singers use a wide range of vocal techniques to improvise and express deep emotions:
Melodic embellishments
Artists such as Mahalia Jackson often slowed down the tempo of old spirituals to stretch syllables and play with them. They used trills and melismas (a syllable sung at several pitches) to create rubato-style melodies. Humming was also an element that Mahalia liked to use. She even hummed entire verses. A well-known example is "Come Sunday" on the recording "Black, Brown & Beige" with Duke Ellington.
Rhythmic freedom
Mahalia's singing was characterized by a distinctive "bounce" that was rhythmically energetic. She herself attributed much of this "swing" to her musical background. Some observers even heard a percussive style in her singing that reflected her unconscious effort to imitate the "percussive ticks" of the drum beats, but I think that's a bit of a stretch. I think she instinctively heard and felt these rhythms inside her and then responded to them with her singing.
Vocal effects
Gospel singing draws on the entire spectrum of human vocal production – from raw blues sounds to half-screaming, half-recitative tones to genuine cries and shouts. But warm, delicate, and soft tones were also part of the repertoire of Mahalia Jackson in particular. It is an art form that makes virtuoso use of melismas, glissandi, vibrati, and blue notes.
Call-and-Response
The "gospel rocker" is a metrical and rhythmic aspect rooted in the dialogue between a soloist and an accompanying group, with lead and backing singers alternating phrases. But soloists also use this form by varying the "question and answer" pattern. This can be achieved, for example, through dynamic gradation, with the question being loud and the answer soft, or by changing the timbre of the voice.
Flexibility of phrasing
Hattie Parker demonstrated a generous use of glissandos and grace notes, as well as short, angular phrasing that demonstrated the "freedom of a Baptist hymn singer." Mahalia Jackson divided words into as many syllables as she wanted and repeated or extended the ends of phrases to enhance the effect.
Mahalia Jackson's singing was the epitome of improvisational mastery and a deeply personal and spiritual form of expression that was inextricably linked to her roots in New Orleans and the experiences of the African American community.
Melodic ornamentation and phrasing
Mahalia Jackson was known for embellishing melodies in ballads, spirituals, and hymns in rubato style. She stretched syllables and played with them, used trills and moans, often hummed entire verses, and employed extended melismas (multiple pitches on a single syllable). Her singing displayed "melodic dexterity" and her flexible phrasing allowed for the expressive use of vocal runs. She could break words into any number of syllables or repeat and extend the ends of phrases to heighten the effect. This type of embellishment was not part of the European vocal tradition, which underscores Mahalia's spontaneity.
Rhythmic freedom and "bounce"
Mahalia Jackson's singing was characterized by a distinctive "bounce" that was rhythmically energetic. She accelerated the beat and put joy in her voice. While some sources claim that she never accelerated the tempo of a song, others show that her tempo could vary considerably and accelerate over the course of a song. Her improvisational skills were also evident in her ability to shift the beat at will.
Vocal effects and expression
Her singing utilized the full range of the human voice: from raw blues growls to half-screaming, half-recitative middle tones to screams, shouts, harsh tones, broad vibratos, and high, shrill notes. She employed semitones, grace notes, glissandos, and blue notes. Her diction ranged from precise to the almost complete dissolution of word meaning in sound, sometimes academic, sometimes in a broad Southern dialect. Her ability to sing at full voice ("belting") was a trademark of her Apollo recordings and demonstrated her impressive potential.
Call-and-Response
The "gospel seesaw" was an important rhythmic aspect based on the dialogue between a soloist and an accompanying group. Mahalia used this structure to alternate phrases between herself and the accompanists.
Flexibility of phrasing
Hattie Parker demonstrated a generous use of glissandos and grace notes, as well as short, angular phrasing that demonstrated the "freedom of a Baptist hymn singer." Mahalia Jackson divided words into as many syllables as she wanted and repeated or extended the ends of phrases to enhance the effect.
Mahalia Jackson's unique improvisational style was influenced by various sources:
New Orleans roots
Mahalia's improvisational style was strongly influenced by the music of her native New Orleans, particularly jazz orchestras, marching bands, and the "singing tone" of Baptist preachers (shouts, moans, chants). She absorbed the sounds of the Fourteenth Ward, which shaped her style.
Sanctified Churches
The Sanctified or Holiness Church had a profound influence on her life and art. The improvised musical style of these churches, with their lively and informal worship services, encouraged spontaneous participation by all members of the congregation. Their "holy dance" and physical performance, characterized by joyful freedom and inner conviction, came directly from the Sanctified Church and the New Orleans "Second Line."
Blues and jazz influences
Although Mahalia refused to sing blues or jazz because she considered them "songs of despair" that contrasted with the "hope" of gospel, her singing nevertheless reflected the influence of these genres. Her early singing style was characterized by the emotional power and improvisation of the blues. Critics often compared her style to that of blues singers such as Bessie Smith, with her voice curving and gliding in a similar way. She incorporated elements of Dixieland jazz into her interpretations and used jazzy effects in her performances.
Informal learning
Mahalia had no formal musical training. She learned by listening, especially to other singers on records such as Roland Hayes, Grace Moore, and Lawrence Tibbett, from whom she learned diction and breathing technique. She described her singing as something that came "naturally" to her.
Instrumentalists also contribute significantly to the improvisational nature of gospel music.
Spontaneity
During recordings, musicians were often instructed to use spontaneity by being given only chord changes, but no detailed sheet music.
Jazz and blues influences
Arizona Drane's piano style codified and popularized the gospel piano style, incorporating elements of boogie and ragtime. D.C. Rice's trumpeters played boldly and energetically and were familiar with the basics of jazz soloing. Thomas A. Dorsey integrated blues chords such as lowered thirds, fifths, and sevenths into his compositions, thereby significantly shaping the gospel sound.
Role of the piano and organ
The piano and Hammond organ became standard instruments in church services. The gospel piano developed from a purely accompanying role to a solo role within its chord structures. Pianists improvise with polychordal constructions and polyrhythmic elements. The sheet music for gospel music is often deliberately kept simple to give the performer plenty of scope for extensive improvisation.
Gospel music and its improvisation have close ties to secular genres:
Blues and Jazz
Thomas A. Dorsey introduced gospel music as a mixture of blues and jazz. Mahalia Jackson even claimed that bebop originated directly from gospel. She saw jazz and gospel as two forms of expression that arose from a common rhythmic and harmonic basis.
Pop and R&B
African-American pop artists such as Little Richard, Etta James, James Brown, and Jackie Wilson integrated gospel techniques into their singing and performances. The musical blend of gospel, R&B, and soul, which focuses on the theme of the human relationship with God through relationships with fellow human beings, became known as gospel pop.
Not everyone viewed the blending of gospel with secular styles and extensive improvisation in a positive light:
Resistance
Edward Boatner, choir director at Pilgrim Baptist Church, found it "degrading" to hear jazz rhythms in church. In 1939, Reverend George W. Harvey condemned the "swinging of spirituals" as "profane desecration." The National Baptist Convention called for "better knowledge of church music" and warned against "excessively theatrical" performances that placed charismatic artistry above pious integrity.
Dorsey's criticism
Thomas A. Dorsey criticized gospel singers who reworked old songs and claimed authorship, a problem that was triggered by Sister Rosetta Tharpe's adaptation of his song "Hide Me in Thy Bosom" into the swinging "Rock Me."
Adaptation
Mahalia Jackson had to adapt her performances to the tastes and worship styles of different congregations, which meant toning down her ecstatic singing for Methodist congregations. On her European tours, she also sang more in the style of a classical concert singer, without denying her roots. On the contrary, she created a new genre that only she could perform.
Spontaneity vs. formality
"Until the spirit comes"
When Mahalia Jackson spoke of singing "until the spirit comes," she meant a moment of spiritual presence. It was a state in which she no longer saw herself as a performing artist, but as a conduit for a divine message. In that moment, it was no longer her singing, but the spirit working through her. This state is comparable to what is described as "flow" or "it's happening." One does not act consciously, but lets it happen. Thinking recedes into the background, and the music seems to flow by itself, driven by a higher power. For Mahalia, this moment was a gift, unpredictable and uncontrollable. This is why her performances varied so greatly in length. She didn't deliver a predefined show, but waited until that special moment arrived. Only then did the full power of her performance unfold, manifesting itself in extended, emotionally charged versions of her songs.
“Soli Deo Gloria” – “Glory belongs to God alone”
Johann Sebastian Bach placed the inscription "Soli Deo Gloria" (SDG) under all his works. Bach was also known to be a gifted improviser. This shows that deep humility and the understanding of using one's talent in the service of God played a central role not only in gospel music but also in classical music. Both Bach and Mahalia Jackson did not consider their extraordinary talent to be their own achievement, but rather a gift from God. They were both mediators who used their music not for their own glory, but to glorify God.
Their music was therefore not "entertainment" for themselves, but a direct communication with the divine. It was an act of faith that was intended to transport their listeners and touch them on a spiritual level. The recognition and appreciation you show for this attitude demonstrates how profound and universal the message of these two exceptional artists is.
Adaptation to new media
She found it very difficult to adapt her performances for recordings or to limit their length (often to the second), as this contradicted her interpretation of music. When she was signed by Columbia Records and appeared on television, her freedom to improvise was restricted. The producers demanded that the songs be finished in two or three minutes and that the orchestra tighten up their accompaniment. This led her to develop two performance styles: one for recordings and one for live performances. She was unhappy with the songs Columbia chose for her, which she couldn't "put herself into."
Criticism and acceptance
While some conservative church circles criticized their "rock beats" and "snake hips," their style was celebrated by others as an expression of folksy, southern singing. Their improvisational freedom and spontaneous style were often praised by critics as "unspoiled genius" and "great artist" who created an "experience" rather than mere concerts. Even skeptics in Europe were impressed by her "perfect musical beauty" and the "convincing power of her faith," even though they themselves were not Christians.
Two improvisational geniuses
Thanks to his experience as a blues musician, Thomas Dorsey had extensive improvisational skills and encouraged Mahalia to develop her abilities during her performances by giving her lyrics and playing chords while she invented melodies. Sometimes she would perform 20 or more songs in this way. She was very good at connecting with the audience and expressing emotions. Her goal was to "destroy" a church or cause a state of spiritual pandemonium among the audience, which she always succeeded in doing.
During an event, Dorsey jumped up from the piano in a moment of ecstasy and announced:
"Mahalia Jackson is the queen of gospel singers! She is the queen!
The queen!!"
In the 21st century, improvisation practices in gospel continue to evolve and reveal new facets:
Musical risk-taking
Contemporary gospel pianists take greater musical risks and cross stylistic boundaries. This is essential for development. Gospel pianists can switch seamlessly between different genres such as blues, jazz, classical, soul, funk, Latin rhythms, and R&B. This hybridity has enabled gospel music to move beyond traditional African-American markets and into the mainstream.
Virtuosity and technical brilliance
The level of skill, technical ability, and musicality among gospel pianists in the 21st century has increased dramatically. Improvisation remains a key feature of this style. Gospel pianists continue to be trained primarily through informal, auditory, and experience-based learning in church and by listening to other gospel artists and various genres. There are now also many highly trained classical musicians who are dedicated to gospel music. This undoubtedly leads to a constant evolution and change in the form of expression.
Critically viewed - heard
In my opinion, many arrangements today are overloaded in all areas. Whereas in the past a piano and an organ were enough to accompany a singer, today entire bands, small orchestras, and large choirs are often used. In addition, most arrangements are harmonically and rhythmically overloaded. Complicated (albeit ingenious) harmonic structures obscure the simple roots of many songs. Countless pianists do not accompany singers, but play "their solo" to the vocals. Every genre of music, including gospel music, has evolved and will continue to change in the future. That is a good thing. It would be desirable to see a trend toward reduction and a return to the spirit of the origins.
But yes, it already exists! I just discovered a recording that fits this description: minimalist, skillful, individual, moving, captivating, traditional, and yet forward-looking: it's the album Sarah Brown Sings Mahalia Jackson.
Dokumentation
Today, writing down music is an important step in protecting and formalizing gospel music, as it supports its transmission and preservation. It is also very easy to make audio recordings today, which used to involve much more effort and expense.
Improvisation remains a dynamic and indispensable element of gospel music, driving its development and making it a vibrant, ever-changing art form.
©Thilo Plaesser