Author Archives: Jesse P. Karlsberg

About Jesse P. Karlsberg

Jesse P. Karlsberg is the vice president of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company. He edits the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter. Born in Boston, he lives in Atlanta and is senior digital scholarship strategist at Emory University.

Old Strings on a New Harp

Posted on May 28, 2015 by

On Valentine’s Day, 2015, over one hundred people gathered at Cannon Chapel on the Emory University campus in Atlanta, Georgia, to celebrate the publication of the new Centennial Edition of Joseph Stephen James’s Original Sacred Harp, the 1911 precursor of … Continue reading →

Posted in Singing Reports | Leave a comment

Introducing Vol. 3, No. 2 of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter

Posted on November 12, 2014 by and

The seventh issue of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter documents the continuing spread of Sacred Harp singing in Europe, sheds new light on important moments in Sacred Harp’s early history, and reports on recent developments at the Sacred Harp … Continue reading →

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Elphrey Heritage: Northern Contributor to the Nineteenth-century Sacred Harp

Posted on November 12, 2014 by and

All of the direct contributors to the nineteenth-century editions of The Sacred Harp lived in Georgia or Alabama with one exception: Elphrey Heritage, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.1 Heritage contributed two songs to the 1870 fourth edition of The Sacred Harp: “Warning” … Continue reading →

Posted in Read the Old Paths | 4 Comments

The Chattahoochee Convention, August 1, 1880: Memorial for Benjamin Franklin White

Posted on November 12, 2014 by

Benjamin Franklin White, co-compiler of The Sacred Harp, prolific composer, and the person largely responsible for building the traditions that continue to define Sacred Harp singing, died on December 5, 1879. The following year, the Chattahoochee Musical Convention, at that … Continue reading →

Posted in Just a Minute, Read the Old Paths | Leave a comment

A Brief History of A Brief History of the Sacred Harp

Posted on November 12, 2014 by

Trenton, Georgia, singer David Saylor recently came across an extraordinary piece of Sacred Harp history. A friend of David’s saw a thin book for sale at a used bookstore. Noting the name “Sacred Harp” in the book’s title, and remembering … Continue reading →

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Introducing Vol. 3, No. 1 of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter

Posted on May 12, 2014 by and

The sixth issue of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter features stories about key figures and events from Sacred Harp’s history and celebrates the Sacred Harp Museum’s rich collection of songbooks, papers, and recordings. Our issue begins with company executive … Continue reading →

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Honoring Jeff and Shelbie Sheppard: 2014 Citation Awards

Posted on May 12, 2014 by and

On April 12, 2014, at the annual State Line Singing, the Sacred Harp Publishing Company presented Pam Nunn and Rene Greene with citation awards recognizing the contributions of their parents, Jeff and Shelbie Sheppard, to Sacred Harp singing. Jeff and … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends Who've Gone Before | Leave a comment

Seeking a Volunteer to Help Lay Out Print Versions of the Newsletter

Posted on May 12, 2014 by

The Sacred Harp Publishing Company is seeking a volunteer to create printable PDF versions of issues of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter. The PDFs will complement the online version of the newsletter. They will be made freely available through … Continue reading →

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Introducing Vol. 2, No. 3 of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter

Posted on December 31, 2013 by and

The fifth issue of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter recounts the extraordinary lives and achievements of significant figures across Sacred Harp’s history and presents new insights drawn from the minutes of Sacred Harp singings. Our issue begins with Sacred Harp Publishing … Continue reading →

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The Cold Mountain Bump: Hollywood’s Effect on Sacred Harp Songs and Singers

Posted on December 31, 2013 by , and

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Number, Measure, Weight | 4 Comments