Old Chicora, located approximately 40 miles southeast of Tampa, FL, on the far eastern edge of Hillsborough County, has been home to Sacred Harp singing since the late 1800s. Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church has been the site since the early 1920s, hosting singing every fifth Sunday from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm, with dinner on the grounds at noon. Most years have four months with five Sundays, but this year we were fortunate to have five.

The congregation was incorporated in 1871, but singings weren’t held in the church until May 1924. The earliest singers met in homes, and later at the Johnson School about 2 miles away from the present site. (The schoolhouse is no longer standing.) The first church building was constructed of logs. (One singer recalls hat racks on the walls, in an era when men wore hats and suits to most public events.) The present concrete-block structure was constructed in 1960.

In years past, Sacred Harp singings were also held in nearby areas of Central Florida, including Vero Beach and Winter Garden. The latter was home to the Florida State Convention before it moved to its current home in Panama City.

As with any activity in Florida, attendance varies with the season. In recent years, attendance in winter has been as high as 45, and attendance in the off-season averages 20 to 25. We’ve been fortunate to have the occasional participation of singers from the Tallahassee and Gainesville (Micanopy) areas as well as Georgia.

This past April, I was among 20 or so singers at Bethlehem. Though our group wasn’t large, we had a good day of strong singing. As usual, I led “Exhortation” (p. 171 in both The Sacred Harp, 1991 Edition and the Cooper book). When leading this song at Bethlehem—a Cooper book singing—I bring printouts from the 1991 Edition, which has two verses (Cooper has only one). In my early days singing here, this song was unknown to most of the group—but it is now a well-known part of our repertoire.

I discovered the Old Chicora group through fasola.org soon after purchasing a second home in the Sarasota area in 2004. For several years, while working in New York City (my introduction to Sacred Harp), I planned regular Florida “mini-vacations” to coincide with the fifth-Sunday singings. Now actively retired, I frequently travel to sing wherever and whenever the Spirit leads (and finances allow), but have a special bond with Bethlehem.

Many of the Bethlehem singers have roots in Sacred Harp singing in the area going back several generations. Moderator Janice Clenney has attended singings for over 70 years, first as a small child accompanying her parents. Her maternal grandfather Jesse Arthur Albritton sang Sacred Harp. When Jesse’s daughter Ella Mae (Janice’s mother) married Uriel Benton, Jesse requested that his new son-in-law bring Ella Mae back for singings, and Uriel did so faithfully.

Janice’s earliest Sacred Harp memories are of playing with her dolls on the floor near her family while they sang. When she heard “Send A Blessing” (p. 369), she knew it was time for dinner. (The tradition of singing “Send A Blessing” before breaking for the meal continues today.) Janice’s husband Jeril accompanies her to the singings, and their daughters and granddaughters are often with them.

Ernestine Albritton Mann Stalvey, age 90, has also been singing Sacred Harp in Bethlehem since she was a small child accompanying her parents. Her father, Jefferson F. Albritton, was Jesse Arthur ’s brother. Ernestine’s son Terry Mann and daughter Claudia McCormick now bring their mother to the singings, sometimes with Claudia’s daughters.

Eileen Moody and LeeAnn Aycock are sisters who sing at Bethlehem. Their late mother, Iris Albritton Yarbrough, shown leading in 1979 in the attached photo, was Janice Clenney’s aunt.

Joining this stalwart supporters of Sacred Harp singing in our area this April were some singers. Among these was Kathryn Keller, who was introduced to Sacred Harp in a class at a junior college in the Gainesville area. Her teacher was Pat Morse, moderator of the Micanopy Sacred Harp group. James Kushner, also in attendance, was introduced to Sacred Harp while in school in Southern California, and has been singing with Central Florida groups since the late 1990s. We were also joined by some first-time visitors. Among these were two retired couples; one couple rides their motorcycles all over the country (and had ridden them to the singing that day)!

A meaningful part of every Bethlehem singing—in addition to the music and fellowship—is dinner on the grounds. To cover the table, the Clenneys bring tablecloths made from feed sacks that have been in the family for generations. These tablecloths are made from bright cotton prints, large squares stitched together and laid end to end. Some women remember, as children, wearing dresses their mothers sewed from feed sacks. (Younger readers may not be familiar with the bright, colorfully patterned, high-quality cotton material that feed sacks were made of back in the day.)

The Central Florida fifth-Sunday singing warmly welcomes singers from near and far to join us. But our winters are especially inviting to northerners, midwesterners, northeasterners (etc.) tired of digging out of snowdrifts and shivering in below-zero temperatures.

Sacred Harp music is no stranger to southern Georgia. Its haunting melodies and messages have echoed through the generations bringing tears of joy and sorrow to countless singers. Unfortunately, the decades have taken their toll on this beloved tradition in this region. Where once singings were numerous, loud, and vibrant, now only a few remain. Though small in number, these singings still possess the same passion that any large singing could muster up.

The annual singing held at Mount Pisgah Primitive Baptist church is one of the few singings that remains active in southwest Georgia. This singing is held on the second fifth Sunday of the year. Set back on a country road several miles out of the small town of Sylvester, this singing is off the beaten path and has been forgotten by many. For me, the singing at Mount Pisgah is very special. It is my “homecoming” singing. It was several years ago at this location where I attended my first all day Sacred Harp singing.

This year’s singing was held on April 29. The official time to commence was set at 10:30 though it was almost 10:45 before we started. Lauren Harrison once told me the farther south, the later the singing starts. Singers are arranged in the traditional hollow square. The exception is that no altos fill their spot below the pulpit. While we pray for this section to be filled, we don’t stress. After all—much of the original music in The Sacred Harp was written without alto lines anyways.

The singing was called to order by Louis Hughes Jr. leading “Tribulation” (p. 29b) and “Ogletree” (p. 138b). The opening prayer was offered myself (Trent Peachey). Singers were called to the square by Tim Meeks who served as secretary for the day. It is traditional at this singing to lead two tunes during a lesson. By the time we were a few tunes into the singing, it was clear that even though small in number, the spirit of Sacred Harp was alive and well within this group. Oscar McGuire led “Irwinton” (p. 229). The words of this song do a good job of describing the singers at Mount Pisgah: though small in number, a poor, despised company, these children of the King sing loudly and with joy. By the time lunch had arrived, we had sung through our list of leaders. This stands in contrast to some larger singings when you may each person may only lead one song all day.

Lunch was the usual dinner on the ground, with each cook proudly bringing their contributions to the spread. If anybody left hungry it was because of their own negligence and certainly no fault of the cooks. Adding to the good food were the joys of catching up with friends. Topped off with a piece of delicious caramel cake, the lunch hour was soon over.

The afternoon session was called back to order by Louis Hughes, Jr. This session was very interesting to me as a relative newcomer to Sacred Harp. The singers shared memories of times past and how they used to drive all over the states of Georgia and Alabama to attend singings. George Ann Corbin shared memories of singers coming down from Atlanta to teach singing schools and staying at her parents’ house when she was a little girl. Before leading us in “My Shepherd Guides” (p. 490), Lamar Robinson encouraged us to sing the music not only for its pleasing sound, but to pay attention to the message of the songs and to allow them to speak to us. For me this is the greatest appeal of singings in our area. Many of the singers in southern Georgia are descendents of generation of Sacred Harp singers. Their families and lives are woven into the very core of this music. Such individuals are often singing not only for the sake of the music, but for the message. Singing in such company, I sometimes almost feel as if I could catch a glimpse of the beliefs of the composers of this music.

Our lack of alto and small numbers certainly didn’t keep us from the fuging tunes in the afternoon. We enjoy trying out numbers like “Present Joys” (p. 318), “Homeward Bound” (p. 373), and even “Easter Anthem” (p.  236). Tim Meeks—our lone treble—made his presence known on “Eternal Day” (p. 383). In closing we sang Raymond Hamrick’s “Christian’s Farewell” (p. 347) and took the parting hand, hoping and trusting that we would once more gather to sing these tunes that have stood the test of time.

The evening of Friday, October 14th, 2011 marked the beginning of a weekend of Sacred Harp singing in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The singing was held at Rosemary Hall, right next to Belfast’s All Souls Church. The weekend of events had been co-organised by American expat Barton Creeth and William Duddy of the Belfast Trad society. Barton, who had already been in contact with the Cork Sacred Harp singers, had arranged with New York City-based singing master Aldo Ceresa to put on a workshop, which would be followed by an informal all-day singing on the Saturday. The Cork All-Day Singing would be held the following weekend.

Earlier that Friday afternoon, sixteen of the regular Cork singers set off in four cars and traveled the five hour journey to the north of Ireland. By the time the cars from Cork had arrived at 9 pm, Aldo was already in full swing with his workshop. There were approximately twenty people in attendance—seated in the traditional four-part, hollow square seating arrangement. Three quarters of those present were from Belfast. All were completely new to Sacred Harp singing, with the exception of Barton and his wife Jaime.

Also in attendance were a few singers who had travelled up from Dublin and Waterford, and three other U.S. singers, Patrick Paglen, Al McCready and Mike Nord. Al had traveled to Ireland for the Cork All-Day Singing and Mike attended after having first dropped in on the Cork singers’ weekly singing a few days earlier.

Instead of the passing a basket for donations, there was an admission charge for the workshop and all-day singing. Though this is a relatively common practice at singing schools and workshops, it was a surprise to many of the visiting singers to be asked to pay for admission to the all-day singing. The fee may have been due to the fact that the event had been organized through a trad music society rather than an established Sacred Harp singing community.

By the time all the Cork singers had arrived Aldo had finished running through the beginning rudiments and had just started leading the group in singing songs from The Sacred Harp. The Cork singers’ arrival added momentum to the flow of the workshop and, of course, contributed substantially to the volume of the singing! Enthusiasm took over the class as the evening wore on and by the time the workshop ended at approximately 10:30 pm, some of the more experienced American and Irish singers were taking turns leading examples of the different types of song in the book, at Aldo’s request. The Belfast newcomers and the Dublin contingent had both decided by the end of the night to try and start their own groups as soon as they could, with core members from each city eager to begin making plans.

The following morning at 10:30 am the all-day singing began with a continuation of the singing school during the morning session. Only a handful of Belfast singers had turned out for the singing school, but this certainly did not dampen the mood of those in attendance. After lunch Aldo went through a few more songs at the request of the remaining Belfast contingent and an informal singing then began. Aldo called the leaders beginning with the bass section and continuing around the square. With a short pause for a recess in the middle of the afternoon, and after singing 28 songs, the group finished around 4:45 pm with “Parting Friend” (414).

Eager to keep on singing the group discussed the idea with William Duddy of Belfast Trad and decided to meet up again at 11 am the following morning. William also told us that Reverend Chris Hudson from All Souls Church had heard the singing earlier in the day and had invited us to sing Sacred Harp at the end of his service the following morning for the congregation to experience.

The next morning we ran over eight songs that Aldo had suggested for the service. We then walked across the grounds through the back of the church and the Reverend introduced us to the congregation. We sang standing on the altar in a semicircle and the sound was incredible. The whole church was filled with Sacred Harp music. Being involved in the performance was quite moving and the exultant feeling took us all by surprise. There was a very warm response from the highly receptive and appreciative members of the church congregation.

After the service we were given tea, coffee, sandwiches, and cakes and made to feel very welcome. The excellent coffee was especially well received and appreciated after a long day of singing and a late evening the night before! We then gathered in the car park on the grounds of the church and sang three more songs in the blissful sunshine. This was followed by lunch and another afternoon of informal yet highly enjoyable Sacred Harp singing.

The whole weekend was intended to introduce Sacred Harp singing to Belfast and was very much a trial run for the local singers and organizers. Many plans were made to start weekly singings in Belfast and Dublin and overall the feeling was that the friendships formed and connections made during the weekend would help further the development of Sacred Harp singing on the island. We all wish Barton and the singers in Belfast the very best with their future singing. I’m sure the music will bring as much joy to you as it has done to us in Cork. Lastly, Rosemary Hall proved to be a wonderful singing venue and could be a possible consideration as the location for an Ireland Convention over the coming years. Watch this space!

Many thanks to Barton Creeth, William Duddy, and Aldo Ceresa for putting together the weekend, to Eimear O’Donovan for taking the minutes, to Ewan Paterson for allowing us to include his photographs with this piece, and to all the singers who made the trip to Belfast. Shout on!

Minutes for the Belfast Singing School and All-Day Singing are posted on the Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings section of the Fasola.org web site.

In October of 2011 I organized a weekend concert tour in Germany with a group of Sacred Harp tourists from the United Kingdom. Our trip itinerary included touring a medieval city and UNESCO world heritage site, looking in at an erstwhile Cistercian abbey which is now a prison, sampling local sausage in country inns in northern Bavaria, and—last but not least—assisting at two singing schools in Würzburg and Frankfurt taught by New York City-based singing master Aldo Ceresa—a good friend of mine.

Sacred Harp singing schools in the land of Bach? It all started in early 2010, when Ms. Jutta Pflugmacher contacted me to inquire about the prospect of bringing shape note singing workshops to Germany. Ms. Pflugmacher, who had lived in the U.K. during the mid-1990s and had encountered shape note music there (in the context of some of the early all-day singings held in the U.K.), had been reintroduced to the music at Northern Harmony concerts in Switzerland. She believed that shape note music could be a success in the German-speaking world.

In early 2011, local organizer Keith Macdonald (who ultimately assumed the role of chief organizer on the German side) and I discussed how and where we might hold Sacred Harp singing schools in Germany. We ultimately agreed to hold two all-day singing schools (each with an introductory demonstration singing) in the towns of Würzburg (a university town in Northern Bavaria) and Frankfurt (a major town in west-central Germany and the home of Germany’s largest international airport). Thus, in late October 2011, Aldo, Ian, Jacqui, Cath, Judy, Helen, Ted, Dave and I found ourselves in the German countryside, where we visited and sang in the famous pilgrimage church in Franconia, Northern Bavaria of Maria im Weingarten, Volkach, toured the medieval city of Bamberg for an afternoon, and acted as “ringers” at the singing schools.

We were joined in Würzburg and Frankfurt by Alison Mitchell Zunklei, a singer from Alabama who now lives in Germany, and Fynn Titford-Mock, an English singer who was also living in Germany at the time.

At the Würzburg singing school we had roughly 30 attendees, including singer Harald Grundner with an entourage of singers from the local weekly Sacred Harp singing he founded in Bremen, Germany.

At the end of the Würzburg singing school, a local friend of mine and I conducted a guided tour of the town for the attendees, and we then all went for a meal together. The next morning saw the British group packing up for an early start to drive to Frankfurt for the second all-day singing school.

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Germany—just as other places in continental Europe where Sacred Harp singing has gained a foothold in recent years (Poland, France)—is a country with its own rich indigenous linguistic, cultural, musical, and religious heritage. Sacred Harp singing is clearly a foreign import in these places. This distinguishes Germany and Poland from the U.K. and (arguably) Ireland, where there are natural points of connection with the British/Celtic origins of many of the tunes and with the religious poetry of the Sacred Harp.

Nevertheless, Jutta Pflugmacher may be proven right. Already in January 2012, the local group of singers in Bremen, Germany hosted roughly 30 singers (including me) from Ireland, Poland and the U.K. for a weekend of singing and fellowship at their singing space in Bremen—a World War II bunker.

Some of the German singers attended the Irish Convention in Cork in March 2012, along with many British singers. Dozens of singers from all of the European singing communities are planning to attend the U.K. Convention in September, Camp Fasola Europe (held the following week near Gdansk, Poland), as well as the Polish Sacred Harp Convention which will immediately follow the European session of Camp.

Through reciprocal travel between the various European Sacred Harp communities European singers are forming relationships while helping to support each other’s growing singings. These inter-European relationships mirror the personal and community ties created between singers in across the United States in the 1980s and 1990s when southern singers traveled out of their home regions to support new singings in distant parts of the United States and members of new singing groups began traveling to the South and to each other’s singings. It is an exciting time for Sacred Harp in Europe. Come sing with us!