Author: Robert T. Kelley
Bound Together: What Makes an Effective Pairing of Text and Tune
In a skillfully composed [nineteenth-century American] composition, the whole acquired a larger significance not foreseeable by merely reading the words or examining the air. —Nicholas E. Tawa Why do the text and tune of certain Sacred Harp songs go so well together? How do I look for poetry to go with a particular air or melody?…
Harmonious Union: How Sacred Harp Brings People Together
I recently gave a talk at Camp Fasola about the community-building aspects of the Sacred Harp tradition, and I would like to share my ideas again here. Shape-note singers, of course, already know very well the fellowship and bonding that comes from singing together, so I know that I am “preaching to the choir” so…
