Singing from the Sacred Harp

Since it appears to be the fashion to announce our FGC Gathering workshop choices, allow me to invite you to consider #36, Singing from the Sacred Harp which I am co-leading with Robin Fox. As I reread the extended description of the workshop, I realize that it is a pretty good summary of why I love to sing this music and how it has reenergized my spiritual life. Here's an edited version of the short and extended descriptions:

Singing from the Sacred Harp. The Sacred Harp is a vigorous, four-part, a cappella hymn singing tradition that many Friends find to be a powerful spiritual practice. New singers will learn and experienced singers will grow in their appreciation of the Sacred Harp. Emphasis will be given to connecting the Sacred Harp to Quaker practice.

(P/T, D-I) Percentage of time: Worship/worship sharing 10; Lecture 5; Discussion 5; Experiential 80

The Sacred Harp is a living tradition of four-part acapella hymn singing. Begun in New England more than 200 years ago, the tradition took root in the southern United States and has been sung continuously ever since. Sacred Harp singing now occurs regularly in many communities outside of the South and is experiencing a rejuvenation and renaissance. The tradition is characterized by its full-voiced vigor, democratic participatory ethic, unique harmonies and system of musical notation, eclectic religious imagery, and strong sense of historic continuity and community.

The Sacred Harp is also the name given to the most popular collection of shape note songs where the notation of music is printed on a standard musical staff but in four shapes (triangle, oval, square, and diamond) instead of the more common oval. The Scared Harp we will sing from was first published in 1844 and most recently revised in 1991. It contains more than 500 songs expressing a wide range of musical styles, poetic imagery, and theological perspectives, though the texts are predominantly evangelical Christian in flavor and orientation. The book is available for $20 by mail order through Quaker Books at FGC and at the Gathering. Participants should acquire a copy prior to the workshop.

This is a participatory workshop open to new, beginning, and experienced singers alike. While there will be brief periods of silent worship to begin and end each session, most of the workshop and worship will take the form of singing. We will have worship-sharing each day, but there will be relatively little time for individual, personal expression as compared to other workshops. Nearly all of the activities will be done with the entire group.

The principal objectives of the workshop are that:

1. New singers will learn the rudiments of Sacred Harp singing and its traditions;
2. Experienced singers will grow in their skill and appreciation of the tradition;
3. All singers will be led to deeper understanding of how Sacred Harp singing fits into their lives as Friends.

Early in the week, we will cover the rudiments of shape-note singing: the names of the shapes; the major and minor scales; how to sing the shapes; how to beat time and lead a song; how to sing vigorously and with an open heart; etc. As the week progresses, there will be less explicit instruction and more learning by singing. The leaders will take care to progress to more complex or difficult songs at a pace that will be comfortable for most singers, especially newer ones.

Woven throughout the week and the singing will be very brief lectures or discussion of certain non-musical aspects of the Sacred Harp tradition, especially its history and practices, in order to help Friends place the tradition into its historical, religious, sociological, and musicological contexts. This information is helpful to help deepen participant's appreciation of the singing, but is of secondary importance and will not predominate the workshop.

Each day, we will have worship-sharing during which time Friends can ponder and share with others how Sacred Harp singing (or music in general) has affected their spiritual lives and lives as Quakers. On the second-to-last day, we will hold a "memorial lesson" to remember Friends and family who have died, are shut-in, or are otherwise in need of prayer.

No specific preparation is necessary, but Friends who are unfamiliar with Sacred Harp singing may wish to learn a little about it before enrolling in the workshop. If Friends can arrange to attend a Sacred Harp singing in their home communities before the Gathering, it will be very helpful preparation. The times and location of local singings can be found at www.fasola.org Participants may also wish to visit that site to locate additional information and resources, including recordings that they may listen to before the workshop.

I have felt called to share and teach Sacred Harp singing with Friends for many years, ever since learned to sing at an afternoon session at the 1987 Gathering. I knew from the start that Sacred Harp singing was going to be a part of my religious and spiritual life as a Friend, and that has proven to be true. I have a strong voice and a gift for teaching and have used them to help other Friends to learn and enjoy Sacred Harp singing.

In the experience of singing itself, I have felt the power of God knitting a diverse group of individual voices into a single, harmonious choir. I believe that the texts of the songs in the Sacred Harp which are eclectic but heavily influenced by Biblical texts are an important resource to Friends who, in general, tend to be unfamiliar with the Bible. By learning these texts through singing, and internalizing their powerful imagery and language, I believe God is helping Friends rediscover and reclaim the Biblical narrative as their own.