Tesar prompt #3: Spirtual

 For this assignment, I chose "We are climbing Jacob's ladder," sometimes just referred to as Jacob's ladder. This song, as the name implies, references the story of Jacob's ladder from the Book of Genesis. Jacob's ladder is a connector between heaven and earth. Symbolically, it's about spiritual development and growth in the Christian tradition.

The song was popular during the Civil War era, and its exact origins are largely unknown. It is a song of complete call-and-response, with some individual variation in the contour of the responses. A major message of the song seems to be striving for spiritual fulfillment through the series of "tests" that were faced by African Americans.

I chose it because I was intrigued by the name. I had some prior knowledge about the symbolism of Jacob's ladder. The first recordings that I listened to were very "work-song" esque, which the song likely was. I certainly liked those recordings, but here's one I especially liked. Bass-baritone Paul Robeson is performing live. Interestingly, he sings solo with piano accompaniment until later on. When the supporting vocals do come in, the effect is increased.