Category: Features
The Making of The Georgian Harmony
We had sung both “Lloyd” and “Christian’s Farewell” (pp. 503 and 347 in The Sacred Harp) late in the singing at Haynes Creek on the first Sunday of September, 2005, and as we left the building I told Raymond how much I had enjoyed his songs in The Sacred Harp, and especially those two songs.…
Documenting Cork’s Sacred Harp Community
I first heard of Sacred Harp singing in Cork about four years ago. I’m not sure how or where. I had a very vague awareness of shape-note singing, but more how the shape-notes worked than what it sounded like. I remember around late 2011 or early 2012 a group of Cork singers came to Limerick…
The Old World Seeks the Old Paths: Observing Our Transnationally Expanding Singing Community
In 1982, Alan Lomax, the controversial ethnomusicologist and folklorist, predicted that thousands of Americans would be singing from The Sacred Harp across the country in the following years. He cited Sacred Harp singing’s rich sound, democratic ideals, and generous community as portending its future as a national singing phenomenon. In a winded spout of inspiration…
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…