It was around the turn of the century (1900) at a southern African-American university (Fisk University Nashville, TN). Every Christmas morning began with song. The Jubilee Singers, a choir that was known across the United States, was based at this school. They would get up at 5 o-clock Christmas morning and stroll through the campus singing Christmas songs. Among them was this old spiritual.
The chorus to this song had been around for many generations. However, John Work added the three stanzas of the refrain which we sing today. John Work had graduated from Fisk University and returned to teach Latin and Greek there. He also arranged music for the Jubilee Singers. Along with his brother, Frederick, he was a major force in the collecting and arranging of American spirituals.
The chorus reminds us of Isaiah 40:9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, here is your God! (NIV)
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! . . . The Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Isaiah 52:7, 10 KJV
This is our mission. . . . Go Tell It on the Mountain!
