Category: Number, Measure, Weight
Statistical and data-driven analysis of Sacred Harp songs and singings.
The Matter of Tempo in The Sacred Harp
A note from the editor: A watch and clock repairman and jeweler by trade, Raymond C. Hamrick had an excellent sense of time. In combination with his inquisitive approach to the tradition he loved so much, it’s little surprise that “the question of proper tempo in Sacred Harp music” so aroused his curiosity. In this…
Entropy Unpacked: The Entropy Number from “FaSoLa Minutes”
Introduction Since its initial release in 2013, the “FaSoLa Minutes” iOS app has become an important component of how many singers learn and engage with Sacred Harp songs, singers, and singings. The app includes data from the Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings since 1995. A review of the app appeared in vol. 3, no. 2…
Seasonal Songs
Introduction One choice every singer at a Sacred Harp singing faces is what song to lead. The songs leaders choose are building blocks that construct our experience of the day, and how leaders make such choices is surely as individual and varied a process as any in our music. In this essay we address one…
There’s an App for That: A Review of the “FaSoLa Minutes” App
One year ago, Mark Godfrey and Lauren Bock unveiled a new smartphone app made especially for Sacred Harp singers. It’s called “FaSoLa Minutes,” and it is enhancing how we look up song, singer, and singing information. I started using the app as soon as it became available, and have found it enjoyable, easy to use, and frequently…
The Cold Mountain Bump: Hollywood’s Effect on Sacred Harp Songs and Singers
Almost every Sacred Harp singer has heard of the film Cold Mountain, the 2003 Academy-Award-winning motion picture which featured a pair of songs from The Sacred Harp: “I’m Going Home” (p. 282) and “Idumea” (p. 47b). The film led to an unprecedented surge of publicity for Sacred Harp singing. Many of us know other singers who first…