We enjoyed going to the Sacred Harp National Convention in Birmingham, Alabama, for our Date Day this last Friday. This was the third year we've gone to it, and it's been a treat each time.
I'm not a good judge of numbers, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were several hundred people singing, plus lots of others like us who were there just to listen. The church was full, and it's a good size church. We do bring our song book that I bought after that first year, but they have loaner copies for anyone who wants to follow along as they sing.
Some people who go to the "sangin's" are interested in it as a Folk Art, but many, as we do, consider it a way to sing praises to God and connect to our church roots. The lyrics show just how different people's attitudes toward God, heaven, and death were back in the 1800's, when most of the songs were written. Most of the tunes are variations of English songs brought over by the original European settlers in the South. Many of the arrangements have a haunting sound to them, because a lot of them are set in a minor key.
Personally, I like the slower more majestic songs the best, but there are plenty of Rounds and fast tempo songs for those who like their music peppy.
The offering plate is always passed around a couple of times during the service, and we come prepared to give generously, as they provide a very good communal meal in the church's gymnasium/fellowship hall. We chatted with one lady from the UK, a couple from Texas, and a gentleman from Huntsville, Alabama during lunch. They were all singers and very active in the Sacred Harp movement.
There's no way to put into words the worship I always experience in listening to such beautiful music sung to God's Glory. And I know we'll be there next year, too, if at all possible.
Showing posts with label Sacred Harp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sacred Harp. Show all posts
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sacred Harp Shaped Notes Convention
For our second year we spent an enjoyable day at the local convention of Sacred Harps singers. There were several hundred singers, plus several more hundred people who were there just to listen. They provide loaner hymn books, so we tried to follow along as best we could while they called number after number and sang on and on. They started singing about 9AM or so, took one morning and one afternoon break, and stopped for lunch, but the rest of the time until about 3PM they were singing their hearts out.
This is a music tradition that has been preserved in the Deep South for the last 200 plus years. It has found new life as people all over the United States, and even in other parts of the world, have taken up the singing of these ancient Christian hymns. It's based on 4 shaped notes: fa is a triangle; sol is an oval; la is a rectangle; and mi is a diamond. The whole octave goes like this - fa sol la fa sol la mi fa, unlike music notation most people are used to that goes do, re, mi,etc.
It's a little hard to explain just how powerfully some of these hymns hit me. I could feel tears welling up, as I was taken to a level of praise of God that I rarely feel from music. Now I'm not saying I like all the hymns, but my hubby and I both enjoyed ourselves immensely! It made for a wonderful Date Day.
We bought a cd set that is supposed to teach the rudiments of Sacred Harp music, so maybe by the time next year's convention comes around we'll be able to sing along more than our weak attempts this year. Yes, both of us made efforts to sing with quite a few of the hymns - pitiful, but still better than we did last year.
One thing's for sure, those of us who were not participating in the convention didn't have to worry about our voices "ruining" the sound of the singers. If there's a one word description for this style of music ... it's LOUD! We get there early so we can sit on the back pew of the church, and it still reverberates in the ears. I don't know how their voices can sustain such a long day of singing at that volume, but they do.
Our first introduction to this ancient singing was from the movie Cold Mountain. There were several Sacred Harp hymns in the sound track, if you have it. One is sung by a group in Alabama, where we live. I prefer the slower, more majestic tunes, but a lot of them are very lively.
If you'd like to learn more about this ole time singing style, the Wikipedia entry on Sacred Harp music is excellent.
This is a music tradition that has been preserved in the Deep South for the last 200 plus years. It has found new life as people all over the United States, and even in other parts of the world, have taken up the singing of these ancient Christian hymns. It's based on 4 shaped notes: fa is a triangle; sol is an oval; la is a rectangle; and mi is a diamond. The whole octave goes like this - fa sol la fa sol la mi fa, unlike music notation most people are used to that goes do, re, mi,etc.
It's a little hard to explain just how powerfully some of these hymns hit me. I could feel tears welling up, as I was taken to a level of praise of God that I rarely feel from music. Now I'm not saying I like all the hymns, but my hubby and I both enjoyed ourselves immensely! It made for a wonderful Date Day.
We bought a cd set that is supposed to teach the rudiments of Sacred Harp music, so maybe by the time next year's convention comes around we'll be able to sing along more than our weak attempts this year. Yes, both of us made efforts to sing with quite a few of the hymns - pitiful, but still better than we did last year.
One thing's for sure, those of us who were not participating in the convention didn't have to worry about our voices "ruining" the sound of the singers. If there's a one word description for this style of music ... it's LOUD! We get there early so we can sit on the back pew of the church, and it still reverberates in the ears. I don't know how their voices can sustain such a long day of singing at that volume, but they do.
Our first introduction to this ancient singing was from the movie Cold Mountain. There were several Sacred Harp hymns in the sound track, if you have it. One is sung by a group in Alabama, where we live. I prefer the slower, more majestic tunes, but a lot of them are very lively.
If you'd like to learn more about this ole time singing style, the Wikipedia entry on Sacred Harp music is excellent.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Our WONDERFUL 44th Wedding ANNIVERSARY
Our wedding anniversary was yesterday, and we had a wonderful time celebrating it. Actually, we started celebrating on Thursday. The National Convention of Sacred Harp Singers was in the Birmingham area and we decided to go listen to some of it Thursday morning. We knew it would be loud, so we sat on the back pew as far away from the singers as we could get. It was still loud, but we both enjoyed ourselves tremendously.
The soundtrack from Cold Mountain is one of my favorites and had already peaked my interest in this form of music, but I was not prepared for the emotional reaction I had to many of the hymns. I cry much more easily now anyway, thanks to my medical condition, but there were several times that I had to fight back tears of emotion while we listened, particularly on some of the slower, more majestic ones. I cannot praise God enough for the wonderful improvement in my condition I have been experiencing for the last few weeks, and the music just brought all those emotions welling up to the surface.
We had expected to stay maybe an hour.... and ended up staying the whole day. There were plenty of breaks, it was easy to slip in and out to walk around for a bit, and we ate lunch there with them, too.
Then yesterday, which happened to fall on our normal Date Day, we ate out for breakfast. We both ordered what we wanted, with no regard for price or the amount of food they would serve. And we ate almost all of it, it was so good. We went to a few yard sales and one Estate Sale, did a little shopping, went to a movie, and then ate supper at a very nice restaurant not too far from our house - one that we don't normally go to due to the cost.
We told everyone we spoke to that it was our anniversary and how long we had been married, laughed, joked, and just generally had a wonderful time together. I think I was glowing like a new bride all day long. All that has happened to us medically the last couple of years, plus all the stresses of care giving that had accumulated just seemed to melt away. We were young again, dating. And it was a glorious feeling.
The soundtrack from Cold Mountain is one of my favorites and had already peaked my interest in this form of music, but I was not prepared for the emotional reaction I had to many of the hymns. I cry much more easily now anyway, thanks to my medical condition, but there were several times that I had to fight back tears of emotion while we listened, particularly on some of the slower, more majestic ones. I cannot praise God enough for the wonderful improvement in my condition I have been experiencing for the last few weeks, and the music just brought all those emotions welling up to the surface.
We had expected to stay maybe an hour.... and ended up staying the whole day. There were plenty of breaks, it was easy to slip in and out to walk around for a bit, and we ate lunch there with them, too.
Then yesterday, which happened to fall on our normal Date Day, we ate out for breakfast. We both ordered what we wanted, with no regard for price or the amount of food they would serve. And we ate almost all of it, it was so good. We went to a few yard sales and one Estate Sale, did a little shopping, went to a movie, and then ate supper at a very nice restaurant not too far from our house - one that we don't normally go to due to the cost.
We told everyone we spoke to that it was our anniversary and how long we had been married, laughed, joked, and just generally had a wonderful time together. I think I was glowing like a new bride all day long. All that has happened to us medically the last couple of years, plus all the stresses of care giving that had accumulated just seemed to melt away. We were young again, dating. And it was a glorious feeling.
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