What is the musical genre "Negro spirituals" called today?

Well the Library of Congress calls them African American Spirituals

“Negro” is not the “N” word. It’s true it’s not currently used for Black people but it doesn’t have the same prohibition as the other “N-word.” However, more current usage should probably be what @Tropical_Willie cites, “Black Spirituals” or even perhaps just “Gospel music.”

Often they are just called “spirituals,” though I have seen “black spirituals” and “African-American spirituals” as well. Since the genre is narrowly defined by music historians and ethnomusicologists, there aren’t really any non-black spirituals to confuse them with.

@janbb Gospel, including black gospel, is generally considered a descendant of spiritual music rather than a subset of it. One key difference is that spirituals always contain references to slavery, whereas gospel need not. Gospel music can mention slavery, of course, but it can also be purely religious.

@SavoirFaire I didn’t know that. Thanks.

With respect to gospel music, I grew up singing gospel music in church—rightly distinguished from hymns. (Our hymnals included both.) When we heard spirituals, it was usually in a performance or concert setting.

Slavery itself is frequently mentioned in gospel songs as a metaphor for sin, and freedom for salvation. Sometimes Egypt is named specifically. (In the Bible, mentions are often more literal than figurative.) I always supposed that most of that imagery could go and had gone both ways.

“Slavery,” in it’s use in the Bible, doesn’t mean Black people specifically, or at all, but can be so implied, generally speaking.

The hymnals and songbooks for the past 30–40 years say African American Spirituals.

Many of these tunes, and the style of music, are related to African harmolodics

OK, thanks, everybody!