Sobriety and Ecstasy: Ritual Dimensions in Dorsey’s Gospel Blues

Abstract

Gospel music changed the practical consciousness of both old-line and folk religion. The traditions of ecstasy and congregational participation of the agrarian southern folk tradition and the ascetic reserve of urban industrial main-line churches shaped a hybrid grammar for expressing the sacred. The creation of specialized roles brought about by the division of labor associated with producing the gospel sound, combined with changes in the orientation of experiential structures, forged new standards of authenticity and created a structure for experiencing the sacred that, within the context of performance, reconciled the tension between mystical ecstasy and ascetic sobriety.