The Air Quivered
Headmaster’s Routh Assembly Address
Monday 14th October 2019
Reading - Mary Kuvaeva (MW)
Excerpt from ‘The Air Quivered’
Singly or by twos, the black slaves slipped into the torch-lit forest grove. What they were doing was illegal. They could be whipped for it. But they had to sing, had to sing without restraint, had to pour out to God their souls' deepest prayers, longings and complaints, regardless of consequences. With bodies swaying and eyes half-closed, they sang, lifting to heaven their anguish and triumph.
“Oh, bye an' bye, bye an' bye
I'm goin' to lay down my heavy load...
I'm troubled, I'm troubled,
I'm troubled in mind
If Jesus don't help me
I surely will die. . .”
Simple the words may have been, but they expressed spiritual aspirations and sorrows as deep as any found in Christendom. What is more, they were expressed with rhythms of utmost sophistication and melodies plaintive, haunting, or oddly original. The blacks who stepped in chains from the slave ships were a musical people, used to expressing religious ideas in song. Sold into hard work, poverty and oppression in America, they turned to songs for solace, singing on every possible occasion in rhythms that had been long familiar to their race. They sang while picking cotton or shucking corn, sang on the chain gang, sang in prison, sang in church, when allowed to attend.
Good morning.
The scene that Mary has just described may sound familiar if you have ever read any of the great literature or watched one of the many famous movies about the slave era in the United States of America. Depictions of people taken by force from their homelands on the Eastern coasts of Africa, bound in chains and transported in appalling conditions below decks across the ocean, to be sold in markets to wealthy landowners, who then branded them like cattle and put them to work on the land.
By the time slavery was finally abolished as a result of the American Civil War, it is estimated that some 12 million slaves had been taken from Africa and sent to colonies around the world. 600,000 of them to the United States. There, they lived out their days picking cotton, harvesting tobacco, or cutting sugarcane from dawn until dusk on large plantations.
Brutally treated, poorly fed and forced to work in manual labour until they dropped from exhaustion. Yet, miserable as that was, in every historical account of slave life on the plantations, there is reference to mass singing.
The Africans who were taken as slaves came from an oral culture, where stories were passed down through the generations by song. Unsurprisingly, when they were abducted and taken to foreign soil, singing became a way to remember their homelands. Yet the songs of the slaves on plantations did much more than keep those memories alive. Work in the fields was monotonous and tiring. Singing together became a way to set a pace, keeping an even rhythm amongst themselves. It also provided a distraction from the pain. Sweating under the hot sun, surrounded by head-high crops, you might not be able to see your fellow slaves, but by hearing them singing in unison, you knew they were nearby. Working at the same pace, sharing the same burdens.
Those early African slave songs were in a style known as the field holler. Literally, yelling in the field. A leader would call out a line and the rest of the workers would sing back the response. That gave a continual rhythm, a beat to follow as you swung your cane knife or lifted your pitchfork. It was inclusive, everyone could join in. The leader called a line, the crowd sang back the chorus.
In fact, so rhythmic and compelling was the field holler, it became the basis for most forms of African American music that followed, and therefore, the world’s. Gospel, Jazz, the Blues, even Rap and Beatboxing all have their roots in the field hollers of the slave plantations.
Of course, African slaves were not the only people in history to use the rhythm and comfort of singing to co-ordinate their work and share their despair. Another type of slave labour, work gangs made up of prisoners, did the same.
Again, it is a common motif in many stories. The opening scene of the superb film
“O Brother Where Art Thou?” begins with a chain gang all dressed in striped prison overalls and shackled together, swinging their pickaxes as they break rocks together. The rhythm of their work comes from a sad and soulful song they are singing in unison.
Sailors on tall-masted ships would sing sea shanties in harmony from their different stations in the rigging or on the whaling boats. Tunes that ensured that they unfurled the sails or pulled the oars or raised the anchor in a synchronised way. Meanwhile, the actual words of their ditties told of the hardships they faced and the suffering they shared.
Hardship too, for soldiers being drilled in boot camp, another common scene in many war movies. Recruits on forced marches, ignoring blistered feet and the weight of their equipment by singing together. Often chants that told of bravery, courage and their loyalty to one another.
Across the ages and around the globe, mass singing has united people. Not always in times of hardship or danger, of course. Singing in unison is not just about sharing a burden, it can also be about sharing pride and joy. We encourage you to participate in Chapel because the hymns you learn there are the ones that will be sung at joyful services and weddings later in life.
Those of you who support sports teams will certainly know that invincible feeling of joining in with songs and chants at big matches. The sense of belonging that brings. Not to mention the encouragement that your masses voices sends to the players on the field.
And then there are our national anthems. No matter how badly we think we sing as individuals, everybody gives full voice when their own nation’s anthem is sung. It binds you to those who share your culture. Nothing unites as much as losing yourself in the swelling roar of hundreds of others singing with the same pride and conviction.
Which is, of course, by way of a prelude to House Song tomorrow. When your House takes their place on the stage in this Arena, I would encourage you all to remember the full name of this long-standing School tradition. Not House Song, as we abbreviate it, but Unison House Song. Tomorrow’s competition is not just about harmony and musicality (sorry Miss McCanlis). Not entirely, at least. It is about unity. Singing in union. Singing of your union. Sharing, through song, the bond that has already formed between you and the others in your House. For that reason alone, I encourage you not only to give it your all, but to enjoy what it symbolises.
Presentations
Academic Scholarships
Many in the Lower Sixth were quite rightly delighted by your GCSE results in August. In particular, there were a number of you who achieved near perfect scores across all subjects. This morning, we are pleased to acknowledge those exceptional scholastic feats by making Honorary Academic Scholars out of the following people, who I invite forward to receive our congratulations:
Hugh Abraham
Elizabeth Aston
Sakeenah Binte
Syed Muhammad
James Bateman
Yilia Chen
Matthew Cheng
Sadie Gardner
Lucia Goodwin
Nikhil Gour
Josh Lawson
Hermione Lawther
Ella Li
Lauren McLean
Harrison Meadows
Max Opengeym
Oliver Owen
Karin Petrescu
Radu Polschi
Jessica Rai
Max Rusling
Tundun Soyebo
Tom Stephens
Hamish Sutherland
Tavleen Toor
Geography
The Geography department once again had some fantastic entries in their annual Geographical Association photography competition. With such a wide range of entries from all around the world in many different environments judging was exceptionally difficult. Well done to all made entries; a selection of which are on display in Geography department.
Highly commended to:
Sophia Sellers Stefan Tarasov Natasha Bahra
Chris Smith Mark Florov
Third place: Theresa Vinals for fascinating view of a glacier in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland.
Second place: Grace Dieppe for a stunning photograph of the Serra del Torcal mountain range in Spain.
First place: Georgia Hancox for her superb photograph of the famous Devils Bridge arch in Antigua.
I invite those three places winners forward.
L4th House Badminton
Boys: Runners up – Elmshurst / Walters
Winners – School House
Girls: Runners up – Mary Windsor / Hazeldene
Winners – Oakley
I invite the Captains of School House and Oakley to receive the trophies.
Netball
On Saturday, we hosted two matches against the Old Bromsgrovian Netball Club and it was good to see so many old faces back on the court. Both School teams were victorious, the 1st’s winning 42-20 and the 2nd’s winning 29-19. I invite both Captain’s forward to receive the trophies.
Review
Music
Congratulations to all musicians who took part in last Tuesday’s Teatime Concert; a lovely way to end a busy day, listening to their talents on the Routh stage.
Basketball
The Senior Basketball team played Alcester Grammar School in the National Cup and drew 62-62. A good recovery after being 29 points down.
Golf
The Golf team lost a close match against Solihull School.
Hockey
Well done to the Girls’ 1st XI who beat Bablake School 6-0 in the National Cup. Also, congratulations to the U14 side who became County Champions, beating Malvern College, RGS Worcester and Kings Worcester.
Netball
Well done to our U14 netball team who won the District Tournament on Tuesday, scoring 64 goals and conceding only 11 during the competition.
Congratulations also to the U16 netball team, who beat Denstone College 60 goals to 5 in the second round of the Sisters in Sport cup.
Squash
The Squash teams lost their fixtures this week, but it was good to see so many pupils representing the School.
Table Tennis
Both the Boys’ and Girls’ teams won their fixtures against Bishop Perowne School. Well done to Darren Hui who played some super table tennis, beating higher ranked opposition whilst representing Worcestershire at the Junior County championships.
Tennis
In National Cup matches this week, the Girls’ senior team had a convincing win against Cheltenham Ladies' College. Unfortunately the U15 Boys’ team lost 4-2 against Ellesmere College, but are still to be congratulated on reaching the final stages of the region.
On Saturday, over 500 of you in this hall represented the School in 32 fixtures against Rugby School across badminton, hockey, rugby and squash.
Great success for our badminton and squash teams who comfortably won their fixtures.
In hockey, there were good performances from U14C, U14A, U15C, U16C and pride of place to the U16A team who managed to comeback to win 4-3.
On the rugby pitches, there were good wins for U15B, U15A, 2nd XV. I especially wish to commend the 1st XV, who showed a complete team performance and great character to overcome the previously unbeaten Rugby School team 28-19.
Preview
The first set of AEO Grades for the year will be published today and you will be discussing them with your tutors this afternoon.
As already mentioned, we look forward to the Unison House Song competition tomorrow afternoon; do your Houses proud. Parents can watch the proceedings live on our
Facebook Page from approximately 3.00pm. If you do not have access to Facebook, the recordings will be uploaded to YouTube later this week.
A reminder of the guest lecture from Lord Digby Jones tomorrow evening in Routh. If you are unable to join us, you can watch the lecture on our live stream
here.
Very best wishes to the DTGP Race team for their international final race at Silverstone on Thursday; we hope for victory from the Chicken.
This Thursday afternoon, we will be hosting pupils from Winterfold to a Senior School experience, please make them feel welcome.
Finally, we wish all the best to those who are looking forward to travelling on the School trips to Northern Ireland, Austria and Iceland over the break.
As for the rest of you, I trust that you feel proud of what you have accomplished over this first Half Term and that your two week holiday is restful and rewarding.
Please now stand as we say the Grace together.