Author Archives: Nathan Rees

About Nathan Rees

Nathan Rees is a member of the Board of Directors of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company and associate editor of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter. Originally from Utah, he lives in Carrollton, Georgia, where he is assistant professor of art history at the University of West Georgia.

Introducing Vol. 6, No. 2 of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter

Posted on December 31, 2017 by and

The thirteenth issue of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter shares Sacred Harp’s long history in Mississippi as well as the story of its more recent arrival in Illinois. It features tributes to departed friends and offers new insights on … Continue reading →

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Introducing Vol. 6, No. 1 of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter

Posted on September 1, 2017 by and

The twelfth issue of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter shares the stories of composers and singers, printers and cooks who contributed to Sacred Harp in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—some well-known and others largely forgotten. It also features the … Continue reading →

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Tubby Walton, “An Indispensable Head Waiter” at the 1935 United Convention

Posted on September 1, 2017 by

A note in the minutes of the 1935 United Sacred Harp Musical Association suggests that the hardships of holding an urban Sacred Harp convention were as real eighty years ago as they are today. Singers today may be surprised to … Continue reading →

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From the Collection: An Earlier Sacred Harp

Posted on September 1, 2017 by

The Sacred Harp that we sing from today was not the first book by that name. In fact, it was not even the first oblong shape-note tunebook with that title. A decade before B. F. White published the first edition … Continue reading →

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Introducing Vol. 5, No. 1 of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter

Posted on August 22, 2016 by and

The tenth issue of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter looks behind the scenes, exploring fascinating processes of composing, singing, and documenting Sacred Harp. Our issue opens with Andy Ditzler’s interview with prolific Sacred Harp photographer Robert Chambless, showing how … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Harmony Primitive Baptist Church Singing, November 19, 1995: “The Traditional Window Opening”

Posted on December 31, 2015 by

With their standardized formatting and regimented lists of leaders and songs, the minutes might give the impression of a greater degree of order than actually reigns at any given singing. Longtime singers will attest that conventions don’t always proceed according … Continue reading →

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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 →

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The Advancement of Sacred Harp Music

Posted on May 28, 2015 by and

Introduction An exceptional singer and unparalleled supporter of Sacred Harp, Ruth Denson Edwards was also one of the most eloquent chroniclers of the music and its community. Singers today who were not fortunate enough to have known her might recognize her … Continue reading →

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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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