Author: David Wright
The “Stacked Fourths” Chord: A Canonical Discord in The Sacred Harp
The rudiments of The Sacred Harp and other shape-note tunebooks have traditionally categorized the intervals between any two degrees of the scale, or dyads, as either concords, “which produce harmony when sounded together,” or discords, “which, when sounded together, produce a disagreeable sound to the ear.” The concords were fifths and octaves (or unisons), which…
The Variety of Influence: Forms of Craftsmanship in the 1960 Edition
Introduction The Original Sacred Harp: Denson Revision, 1960 Edition, produced by an august music committee consisting of A. M. Cagle (chairman), H. N. McGraw, T. B. McGraw, Elmer Kitchens, Hugh McGraw, and Ruth Denson Edwards and edited by Owel Denson, is remembered today partly as the subject of extramusical anecdotes. Singers were displeased to find…
