Every Time I Feel the Spirit
The spiritual as Hampton Institute sang it, for 2 to 4 singers: everyone sings the refrain in harmony, twice, and the alto sings each verse alone. The refrain, two verses, and the refrain after each, at an easy walking pace.
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The first verse
Words: traditional spiritual, as sung at Hampton Institute (printed 1909)Tune: traditional spiritual, as sung at Hampton Institute (printed 1909)
Ev'ry time I feel the Spiritmoving in my heart I will pray.Ev'ry time I feel the Spiritmoving in my heart I will pray.
About Every Time I Feel the Spirit
Every Time I Feel the Spirit is a spiritual as Hampton Institute sang it. R. Nathaniel Dett, who edited the school's songbook in 1927, wrote that its tunes and harmonies were set down as the students sang them, in a tradition going back to 1868. Our tune and words are read from that book, where it is called Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit, in E-flat as printed; the four parts are our own, checked against its chords. This is the refrain, sung twice as its repeat marks say, and two of its three verses, each followed by the refrain, for 2 to 4 singers, at an easy walking pace: the alto sings each verse alone.
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