2010-06

M
Y Dad took me to my first
ever Sacred Harp Singing
Convention when I was 14
years old – I had never heard
anything like it.
Sixty voices in four-part harmony
all singing from their gut with raw
passion and energy. I had sung lots
of music and been in choirs before
but never heard anything like this.
That’s because
this was Shape Note
music. The tradition
is American, but has
its roots in early 18th
century English
choral music which
traveled over to New
England. Singing
schools were set up
to teach young
people sacred music,
and from this came
the invention of the
shaped notes, each with an
associated syllable to make sight
reading music easier. In normal
musical notation note heads are
round, but this system uses triangles
(‘fa’), squares (‘la’) and diamonds
(‘mi’) as well as the traditional circles
(‘so’). This is like the more familiar
system of ‘do re mi’ but with only four
shapes with the pattern repeating up
the scale so the reader knows the
interval between the notes. For
example, a major scale is: fa so la fa
so la mi fa.
Due to its roots as a form of
worship, Sacred Harp singing is not a
performance for an audience. We are
singing for each other so we sit in a
hollow square facing inwards, with
one side for each of the four parts –
tenor (melody line), bass, treble and
alto. Each person is given the
opportunity to ‘lead’ a song of their
choice by standing in the centre of
the square and beating time to keep
the singers together. The centre of
the square is the best place to hear a
song – a wonderful wall of sound
from all sides. Having your fellow
singers encouraging you, supporting
you, celebrating with you, or even
just simply enjoying the music with
you, can be the most uplifting and
moving of experiences.
Sings can last all day – some
even last 2 or 3! We sing as many as
80 songs per day, so
food and
refreshments are a
integral part of the
Sacred Harp tradition.
Food is provided on a
‘bring and share’
basis so everyone
gets to enjoy each
other’s cooking.
To me, Sacred Harp
singing means
community. Everyone
is welcomed,
regardless of beliefs or musical
ability. We sit with each other all day:
singing, talking and eating together,
sharing something of ourselves with
each song. After I’d been to a few
sings I started associating the music
with people, either because they’d
always choose the same song to
lead, or because a song had
particular meaning for them on a
certain day; a few of my friends sang
Sacred Harp songs at their
weddings; some songs remind me of
singers who have passed on; others
remind me of special occasions –
anniversaries, christenings, even for
getting new jobs or houses.
To me, the songs and the people
who sing them are now inseparable.
Sacred Harp singing is not just about
a bunch of great songs, it’s about the
people who come together to sing
them and the community they create
each time they sit down to “sing the
shapes”.
Carmel
St Chads Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats
email: office@stchads.org
Church Offices: 15 Camping Lane, Sheffield S8 0GB Page 10 website: www.stchads.org
Tel: (0114) 274 5086