Gospel vs. Spiritual

It's February. This means not only is the month of "love" and my mom's and two good friends' birthdays...but it's also Black History Month. For many of you who don't know me, I love the arts. Acting is my favorite. I love listening to everyone sings except for myself. Also, I love paintings and drawings, though I can't even draw a straight line without it somehow being crooked no matter how hard I try. However, my youth group thought it would be interesting to take a fieldtrip down to the Musuem of Fine Arts right here in Houston and explore around a bit until the 6:30 show about African-American culture. The thing that struck us as amusing was the title of the show, "Gospel vs. Spiritual". I always thought it was the same thing. Gospels simply having spirit. But, tonight I found out I was all wrong as I experienced an overwhelming performance of songs from a wonderful choir. I came un-prepared, so I have no pictures and no video, but the performance will always remain with me. One thing I know now is the difference between the two. Gospel is fast-paced songs that people dance to, while spiritual are all songs that African-Americans sang during slavery times. I have to say it was an interesting experience and just for a moment...I felt as though my great ancestors were sitting right beside me, singing the songs with the choir.