Monthly Archives: November 2014

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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Come Sound His Praise Abroad: A Report on the First Germany Sacred Harp Convention

Posted on November 12, 2014 by

Editor’s Note: On the first Sunday in June and the Saturday before, Germany joined the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Poland as the fourth European country to hold an annual Sacred Harp convention. Sacred Harp singings have been held in Germany … Continue reading →

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The Old World Seeks the Old Paths: Observing Our Transnationally Expanding Singing Community

Posted on November 12, 2014 by

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 … Continue reading →

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American Tunes in West Gallery Sources

Posted on November 12, 2014 by

The conventional model of the flow of hymn tunes across the Atlantic is that music went from the United Kingdom to America in the years before the American Revolution and that American tunes came across to Britain in the 1860s … Continue reading →

Posted in Read the Old Paths | 1 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

There’s an App for That: A Review of the “FaSoLa Minutes” App

Posted on November 12, 2014 by

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Number, Measure, Weight | 3 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 →

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Our Hope for Years to Come: Digitizing Recordings at the Sacred Harp Museum

Posted on November 12, 2014 by

As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the security and accessibility of our collections, the Sacred Harp Museum has partnered with Osiris Studio in Atlanta to digitize all of the museum’s open-reel tapes. Ranging in date from the 1960s … Continue reading →

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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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