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.

Introducing Vol. 4, No. 2 of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter

Posted on December 31, 2015 by and

The ninth issue of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter shares stories from Sacred Harp’s past, explores the leading choices of singers today, and offers thoughts on how our singings continue to expand as well as suggestions for how each … Continue reading →

Posted in Introduction | 1 Comment

Regional Roots: Growing Sacred Harp in the Netherlands, Alaska, and British Columbia

Posted on December 31, 2015 by

Introduction Sacred Harp’s first wave of expansion beyond the southern United States was boosted by the dedication of dozens of long-time southern singers who traveled repeatedly to sing with newcomers across the country. These emissaries exemplified the sincere fellowship and … Continue reading →

Posted in Singing Reports | Leave a comment

Seasonal Songs

Posted on December 31, 2015 by and

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Number, Measure, Weight | 1 Comment

Introducing Vol. 4, No. 1 of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter

Posted on May 28, 2015 by and

The eighth issue of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter features the experiences of singing school teachers and students (young and old, on both sides of the Atlantic), shares a new documentary on Sacred Harp in Ireland, and commemorates the … Continue reading →

Posted in Introduction | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Introduction | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in News | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Introduction | Leave a comment