Amazing Grace is the best known anthem of all time. And now it’s making a huge comeback in popularity on YouTube, thanks to Wintley Phipps, who is one of my favorite gospel singers. I have owned your cassettes and CDs for over 25 years. He is also president of The US Dream Academy, an organization for children of prisoners.
He claims that most black spirituals were written with the black keys of the piano, and then he proves it. Play “Every Time I Feel the Spirit”, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, and then “Amazing Grace”, a so-called “White Spiritual”. White Spirituals were written by white composers who used only the black keys.
As I am a music teacher, I know that those five keys (notes) are called the pentatonic scale, but in the early years of America they were called the “slave scale.” They build the power and pathos of black spirituals with their unique West African Song of Sorrow sound.
Amazing Grace’s words were written by John Newton, a former slave ship captain. After Newton came to salvation through Jesus Christ, he heard a melody coming from the belly of the ship, and it is believed that it was with that painful melody that he wrote the words and called it Amazing Grace. Go to the Copyright Office and you will see “Words, John Newton. Music, Unknown.”
Wintley says he believes that God intended it to be written that way to remind us that we are all human in common, no matter what race, creed, or color we are. We are all connected by the amazing grace of God.
In her deep, passionate voice, Wintley begins, wordlessly, to sing Amazing Grace the way she imagines John Newton first heard her come out of the belly of the ship. His pathos is overwhelming and his natural talent for singing puts him above all else. If you haven’t seen the video, you are depriving yourself of an encouraging inspiration that transcends words.
Amazing grace, Wintley Phipps
To date, 2.5 million people have watched the video, and most of them have never realized how powerful this song really is, played with just the black piano keys.
In case you want to sing, or have never heard all the verses, here you have them.
amazing grace
Words of John Newton 1779
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
Who saved a wretch like me!
Once I was lost, but now I am found
I was blind, but now I see.
It was grace that taught my heart to fear
And Grace eased my fears.
How precious that grace seemed
The hour when I first believed.
In the dangers, toils and traps
I’ve already come.
‘Tis Grace has brought me safe so far
And grace will take me home.
The Lord has promised me good.
His Word assures my hope.
He will be my shield and my portion
As long as life lasts.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining like the sun
We have no fewer days to sing praises to God
That when we started
May God bless you as you listen to Wintley Phipps, a beautiful African American singer, who sings only the black notes.
(c) 2008 April Lorier
