Learning sacred harp now shall my inward joys arise. Ordering the sacred harp buy yourself a copy of the sacred harp, 1991 edition songbook. The story of the sacred harp is a documentary about sacred harp singing, a haunting form of a cappella, shape note hymn singing with deep roots in the american south. Shmhas interests include singing schools, singingsconventions, traditional singing practices, and the history and. Sacred harp singing, based on four notes, or shapenotes sung in different octaves and a cappella rounds to form otherworldly harmonies, has survived since early colonists rebelled against a musical dearth caused by puritanism by inventing this lovely congregational singing style. The story of the sacred harp, the critically acclaimed documentary as seen on pbs stations and featured on npr, in time magazine, pitchfork, the chicago tribune, atlanta journal, the oregonian, etc. Sacred harp singing is not accompanied by harps or any other instruments. Anyone is welcome who can enjoy these tunes and their 18th and 19th century lyrics. Sacred harp museum the sacred harp publishing company. To support guidelines to help limit the spread of covid19 we are suspending orders of physical songbooks and recordings. With jim carnes, judy caudle, richard delong, carlene griffin. If you enjoy singing sacred harp music, you may want to learn more about the tradition. The sacred harp museum, with support from georgia humanities, is launching a new exhibition, sacred harp.
Original sacred harp included all the songs in the 1870 sacred harp, the last edition sacred harp cocompiler b. A short piece on pgtc about the renewed interest in sacred harp singing among younger singers, especially those who live in cities and college towns. The story of the sacred harp upcoming screening in atlanta ga. New exhibition opening at carrollton center for the arts. My current project is to include the lyrics of each hymn on the webpage with the score. I have always had a fascination with sacred harp singing, and though ive never experienced it myself in its traditional, most pure sense, have sung many of the hymns. The other three thursdays of the month, we will still sing from denson, but also from the missouri harmony, shenandoah harmony, and norumbega harmony. Sacred harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music that originated in new england and was later perpetuated and carried on in the american south of the united states. The sacred harp is a shapenote tunebook first published in 1844 in hamilton, georgia, and used for congregational singing.
Meanwhile, the poetry of the 1991 revision is available in chris thormans online index. Peruse copies of rare sacred harp and other shapenote songbooks, explore the library and our collection of books about sacred harp history, listen to and watch audio and video recordings of hundreds of singings. My soul shall quit this mournful vale, and soar to worlds on high. We occasionally round up a group of volunteer singers for demonstrations of sacred harp singing for other organizations and events. The tunes of the sacred harp do have a melody part, the tenor, but it coexists with three other parts in no way merely supportive of a dominant melody.
In addition, it restored two thirds of the songs removed from the songbook in the nineteenth century, and introduced new songs that are among the most loved in the book today including present joys, praise. In july 2015 the ephemeral stringband recorded 378b never. Sacred harp singing has been interdenominational since it began. This commemorative edition celebrates the century that has passed since the 1911 publication of original sacred harp, the direct progenitor of the sacred harp publishing companys sacred harp, 1991 edition. Oct 21, 2008 since watching the 2006 documentary awake, my soul.
The name is derived from the sacred harp, a ubiquitous and historically important tunebook printed in shape notes. Shmhas interests include singing schools, singingsconventions, traditional singing practices, and the history and traditions of sacred harp. At my old church job, was the oldest and only colonial church built in washington, d. There is singing in the hyde park neighborhood every thursday. Published on jan 6, 2007 awake, my soul is the first feature documentary about the sacred harp singers, a lost tonal tribe who, in the deep south, continue to sing some of the oldest songs in. The united sacred harp musical association the sacred harp. Awake, my soul is the first feature documentary about the sacred harp singers, a lost tonal tribe who, in the deep south, continue to sing some of the oldest songs in america. Shmha publishes the directory and minutes of sacred harp singings, sponsors camp fasola, hosts the. The sacred harp musical heritage association is delegated the responsibility for the publication, printing, and distribution of the directory and minutes of sacred harp singings by the alabama state sacred harp convention. The parts in shapenote singing are so distinct that traditional tune books like the sacred harp print them on separate staves, displaying what is called dispersed harmony. The united sacred harp musical association the sacred. Various artists awake my soulhelp me to sing amazon.
Buy yourself a copy of the sacred harp, 1991 edition. Sacred harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music that originated in the american south of the united states. If you are brand new to sacred harp, its a great time to start coming as we prepare for the swarens allday singing on march 21st. Sacred harp musical heritage association the sacred harp musical heritage association shmha is a nonprofit 501c3 organization whose purpose is the perpetuation and preservation of sacred harp singing and its traditions.
In recent years, sacred harp singing has experienced a resurgence in popularity, as it is discovered by new participants who did not grow up in the tradition. May 31, 2017 hugh mcgraw 20 february 1931 28 may 2017 was a leading figure in contemporary sacred harp singing. Meaning and change in okefenokee sacred harp singing was selected for the 2009 southern spaces series documentary expression and the american south, a collection of innovative, interdisciplinary scholarship about documentary work and original documentary projects that engage with regions and places in the us south. The story of the sacred harp twodisc special edition at.
Sacred harp art works by ethel wright mohamed and bethanne hill, and a west gallery painting by thomas webster. Welcome to the michigan regional shape note singing site. Somehow i missed the original airing on pbs, but a few weeks ago stumbled across a site that mentioned this documentary awake my soul and i had to. Awake, my soul the story of the sacred harp youtube. He consulted on the music for the movie cold mountain. The story of the sacred harp and listening to the justreleased soundtrack, ive been trying to imagine what it would be like to hear a sacred. The story of the sacred harp upcoming screening in atlanta ga friday, march 26 2010 7. Well refund your credit card or we can credit your fandango account to use for another movie. He was the general chairman of the committee that created the 1991 denson revision of the. Shmhas interests include singing schools, singingsconventions, traditional singing practices, and the. The work was first published in 1844 and has reappeared in multiple editions ever since. At least two books entitled the sacred harp were published before 1844.
In the 1991 denson revision, used today and in this film, 179 of 560 songs were included the 1844 sacred harp. The carrollton center for the arts, 251 alabama street, carrollton, ga, will host a special community opening featuring demonstration singing on friday, september 7, 2018, from 57pm. Masons sacred harp or eclectic harmony 1835 edition pdf download a pdf of the american church harp from 1856 1860 sacred harp download movie trailer for awake my soul. Jan 06, 2007 awake, my soul is the first feature documentary about the sacred harp singers, a lost tonal tribe who, in the deep south, continue to sing some of the oldest songs in america. A small book of songs published in 1934, the existence of the colored sacred harp is a further example of the strength and place of shapenote singing among the africanamerican population of southeast alabama in the 1930s. While judge jackson is given credit for its authorship, the colored sacred harp is best described as a community effort. Seven years of filmic devotion by directors matt and erica hinton poured into awake my soul, a thorough examination of the history of sacred harp singing. We sing from both the 1991 revision the sacred harp and the shenandoah harmony.
Each song in the book includes a historical note written by james. The first thursday of the month will be a two book singing with the 1991 edition of the denson sacred harp and the cooper book. The cooper edition is a tunebook descended from the 19thcentury sacred harp and initially published in 1902 by w. Ordering information to support guidelines to help continue reading. Technically, our style of singing is shape note singing because the musical notation uses note heads in 4 distinct shapes to aid in sightreading, but it is often called sacred harp singing because the books that most singers use today are called the sacred harp, with the most prominent of these being the 1991 denson edition. The alabama sacred harp singers were a choir speciallising in gospel music that were active during the 1940s. Dont panic the foot washing tradition is not actively practiced in australian sacred harp singings. The story of the united convention offers a fascinating perspective on the history of sacred harp singing in the twentieth century and beyond. A documentary about the sacred harp tradition which is kept alive by amateur singers in the south. Music film awake, my soul reveals gospels wall of sound. Sacred harp in contemporary culture sacred harp australia. Sep 24, 2006 directed by erica hinton, matt hinton. Plus ad hoc singings from the shenandoah harmony or alternative sources please click on the calendar above to see details of which songbook will be used for each singing held at this venue.
There are many online videos that show experienced singers leading a class. They are most commonly referenced alongside alan lomax, who toured the southern states amongst other areas recording rural music. Alabama sacred harp singers music, videos, stats, and. Sacred harp singing, based on four notes, or shapenotes sung in different octaves and a cappella rounds to form otherworldly harmonies, has survived since early colonists rebelled against. Sacred harp in the wiregrass african american rural. The soundtrack includes traditional sacred harp singing, as recorded in rural georgia and alabama. For more information, visit the cdc website on the coronavirus buy yourself a copy of the sacred harp, 1991 edition. Awake, my soul is a feature documentary that explores the history, music, and traditions of sacred harp singing, the oldest surviving american music. Since watching the 2006 documentary awake, my soul. Awake, my soul is a documentary about the sacred harp tradition, kept alive by amateur shapenote singers in the rural south.
A few years ago a friend in georgia told me about a documentary that featured his sacred harp group, about the history of sacred harp shape note singing, etc. It has been traditionally used in the florida panhandle, the southern regions of georgia, alabama, and mississippi, and in texas. The museum also makes an excellent addition to a trip to a west georgia sacred harp singing. Welcome to the sacred harp publishing company the sacred. In 2008 they recorded a cover of weeping pilgrim for awake my soul, help me to sing the soundtrack to the movie awake my soul. This publication has an annual circulation of more than 3,000. Sacred harp books generally contain a section on rudiments, describing the basics of music and sacred harp singing. Ordering the sacred harp the sacred harp publishing. He was the general chairman of the committee that created the. Please let me know about all errors in this website. Nov 18, 2009 a short piece on pgtc about the renewed interest in sacred harp singing among younger singers, especially those who live in cities and college towns. It is really that original book that constitutes the sacred harp of awake, my soul a tunebook that preserved a singing tradition, a compositional style, and also a religious practice.
The story of the sacred harp and listening to the justreleased soundtrack, ive been trying to imagine what it. For many sacred harp singers, the real fun is going to allday singings. Since its first session in atlanta in 1905, the united sacred harp musical association, commonly known as the united convention, has stood out as more than just an ordinary sacred harp singing. Some presentday singers interpret the term sacred harp to refer to the human voice in general, or the vocal cords in particular. Its roots lie in the singing school movement begun in new england during the 1720s, in which singing masters compiled books of music instruction designed to teach note reading for singing in churches. Hugh mcgraw 20 february 1931 28 may 2017 was a leading figure in contemporary sacred harp singing. This is the first ever collection of popular music adaptations of sacred harp songs. It follows the folk tradition of sacred harp singing, a type of shapenote singing, kept alive by amateur singers in the rural american south. To obtain copies of the sacred harp and other song books, see steven sabols tunebooks, music books, and hymnals. Sacred harp singings sacred harp and shape note singing. Memorable quotes and exchanges from movies, tv series and more. Youll have to complete your refund and exchange before the posted showtime indicated on your ticket.