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Go Tell It on the Mountain
A spiritual first printed in 1909: the verse “When I was a seeker” and the refrain “Go tell it on the mountain,” with dotted rhythms and a closing “Christ is born” in a triplet.
Go Tell It on the Mountain is an African American spiritual first printed in 1909 in the Hampton Institute's collection of spirituals. You sing the verse “When I was a seeker” as it appears in R. Nathaniel Dett's 1927 edition, then the famous refrain, with the old dialect spelling written as plain English. The refrain uses dotted rhythms and repeated notes and ends with “Christ is born” in a triplet. It has 57 notes and takes about 50 seconds.
How to do it
- Wait for the count-in; the piano plays the opening phrase alone, then plays with you.
- Sing the verse calmly and let “way” rise through three notes into the refrain.
- Hold the long “Go,” then sing “tell it on the” long-short, falling to the low note on “moun-.”
- Keep “over the hills” on one pitch and sing the last “Christ is” as three even notes.
Coach's tip: Sing the dotted “tell it on the” long-short, not even. Lean into the held “Go,” and keep the four repeated notes of “over the hills” at exactly one height.
What to watch out for
The dotted rhythm in the refrain is easy to flatten into even notes, which takes away its swing, so keep the long-short feel. The run from “Go” down to the low note on “moun-” covers a sixth, and that low note often lands flat. The four repeated notes of “over the hills” tend to drift, so hold them at one height. Give the final “born” its full four beats with steady air.
Who it's for
Level 2, for singers who like gospel and want rhythm practice inside a well-known tune. Sing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and Interval: major sixth first. No program lists it. The daily training brings it up more often if you chose the R&B / soul style. Use it in the main block or as an upbeat closing song.
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