Go Down Moses

Go Down Moses is an African American spiritual that originated in the 1800’s during slavery, with the earliest written version found in 1853. Like many spirituals of that time, it was believed that this song was used to reference the Underground Railroad. Published by the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University in 1872, the song has various iterations, including a jazz version performed by Louis Armstrong in 1958. Voices of Imani was founded in 1977 by Professor Hubert Walters, and is the only gospel choir at Boston College to-date. The group welcomes anyone who loves to sing, learn, and carry on the traditions of spirituals and gospel music. This version of Go Down Moses has been passed down through previous generations of students and music directors in Voices of Imani. We credit the arrangement and performance of this modern form to those who came before us and paved the way for this iteration to take place today. This song captures the essence of Black history; the struggles, oppression and resilience of a community that created music as a form of expression and protest. Spirituals are the foundation upon which all contemporary American music stands on, and we hope to have honored that history through this video. Performance Credits Shannon Jacob - Keys, Director; Voices of Imani Gospel Choir Laura Sekarputri - Bass Ming Tan - Electric Drew Dorman - Drums Voices Of Imani Gia Mitcham Kae'la Cobbs Lydia Lee Jecca Pelaez Ellie Shaker Tessa Dearing Esther Cadet Abigail Nadeau Claire Bolarinwa Heather Lee TeRoncé Williams Joey Zama-Lenfest Christian Hawkins Kwamena Hayfron-Benjamin Luke Zvara - Video and Edit Cody O’Loughlin - Camera Operator Alex Leiva - Recording, Mixing and Mastering Engineer Emily Cao - Assistant Recording Engineer Voices of Imani would like to thank the Institute of Liberal Arts at Boston College for awarding a Minor Grant towards this project.