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WATCH: A Chicago Choir Performs Three Gospel Songs

Trinity United Church of Christ Ensemble performing on stage

WATCH: A Chicago Choir Performs Three Gospel Songs

Ise Oluwa

The Trinity United Church of Christ Ensemble performs “Ise Oluwa,” a religious spiritual with roots in Western Africa sung in the Yoruba language. Its lyrics, “Ise Oluwa ko le baje o,” loosely translate as “The creator’s work can never be destroyed.”

Amazing Grace

The Trinity United Church of Christ Ensemble performs “Amazing Grace” in two different ways. First, it is sung in the way it was written. The second version is the African American interpretation that features more vocal improvisation. An English clergyman named John Newton wrote “Amazing Grace” in the late-eighteenth century. Newton was a former captain of a slave trade ship who later became a priest in the Church of England and an abolitionist.

I’m A Soldier in the Army of the Lord

The Trinity United Church of Christ Ensemble performs “I’m A Soldier in the Army of the Lord.” The author of the song is unknown. This song uses a call-and-response style in which the leader calls, “I’m a soldier,” and the congregation responds, “in the army of the Lord.”