Gospel music is a genre of American Protestant music rooted in 19th-century religious revivals. It evolved differently within white and Black communities in the United States, spreading through publications, concerts, recordings, and broadcasts.
White gospel music combines European American musical traditions, featuring strophic verses, refrains, personal religious experiences, and four-part harmony. Black gospel music emerged alongside ragtime, blues, and jazz, drawing from Black spirituals and white hymnody. Black gospel music incorporates syncopation, expressive delivery, and such instruments as tambourines and guitars.