The sacred harp that we sing from today was not the first book by that name. Denson edition of the sacred harp encyclopedia of alabama. Sep 07, 20 mall and floyd memorial singing at little flock primitive baptist church in molino, florida on september 7, 20. The cooper book sacred harp and shape note singing. Musicnotes features the worlds largest online digital sheet music catalogue with over 300,000 arrangements available to print and play instantly. Review of the makers of the sacred harp southern spaces. Wilson marion cooper december 17, 1850 july 17, 1916 of dothan, alabama, was a notable musician and music teacher within the sacred harp tradition. Sep 01, 2017 the sacred harp that we sing from today was not the first book by that name.
Recorded anthology of american music, new world records nw 804332. Sacred harp music the handbook of texas online texas state. Sacred harp music the handbook of texas online texas. 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. By 1902 the supply of sacred harp songbooks was critically low and w. Though this melody is familiar, the harmony sounds very different from the version used in modern church hymnals. The work was first published in 1844 and has reappeared in multiple editions ever since. The story of the sacred harp, 18441944 by george pullen. Cooper sh pacific northwest sacred harp singers, i.
King in 1844 and went permanently out of print following the death of b. A rather longer explanation can be found here, but essentially it is shapenote music, an american choral tradition of singing unaccompanied fourpart harmony, sometimes referred to as sacred folksong, white gospel music, or even sacred heavy metal. This familiar shape note song is also in many american hymnals in round note notation. The sacred harp was first published by benjamin franklin white and elisha j. Apr 11, 2011 sacred harp 142 stratfield 422011 carmine texas cooper book 2006 revision texas sacred harp singers a capella shape note. It was this book, now distributed in several different versions, that came to be the shape note tradition with the largest number of participants. At spoleto, notes of the sacred harp take shape artsbeat. Second fridays are held at west hill community hall on compton avenue, less that 10 minutes walk from the station. The makers of the sacred harp also includes analyses of the textual influences on the musicincluding metrical psalmody, english evangelical poets, american frontier preachers, camp meeting hymnody, and revival chorusesand essays placing the sacred harp as a product of the antebellum period with roots in religious revivalism. Jan 01, 2000 the b f white, sacred harp, 2000 revised cooper edition sacred harp book company on. A comprehensive guide to the texts and tunes of an american musical tradition. About the company the sacred harp publishing company. The sacred harp, revised cooper edition online index this index contains the lyrics of all songs in the b. A partwriting primer for shapenote hymnody robert t.
Aug 22, 2012 an introduction to sacred harp posted on august 22, 2012 by christina kenny as regular readers will know, d for dalrymple has long had its finger lodged firmly on the pulse of popular culture. White sacred harp cooper book composer index alto composers in the early editions of the sacred harp, most of the tunes were published without an alto part. This index contains the lyrics of all songs in the b. Original sacred harp denson rev 1971 by sacred harp and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The work was first published in 1844 and has reappeared. White published the first edition of the sacred harp, brothers lowell and timothy mason published their own sacred harp in. Cooper s 1902 revision, an alto part was added to all songs that did not have one. Shop our newest and most popular sacred harp sheet music such as spirit of faith, come down, or click the button above to. Cooper met the need with his revision of the 4th edition, bringing it out in that year. Sacred harp music is performed voice only, without instruments a cappella. White sacred harp cooper revision you may look up any song by title, page number, first line, composer, poet, or meter you may also look up words or verses using the word index. Shop our newest and most popular sacred harp sheet music such as spirit of faith, come down, or click the button above to browse all sacred harp sheet music.
Their shapenote system was designed to teach sightreading and enable users to sing complex, sophisticated music. May 31, 2010 but there it was on saturday morning, the start of a day of sacred harp singing here at gage hall. Sacred harp 142 stratfield 422011 carmine texas cooper book 2006 revision texas sacred harp singers a capella shape note. Compilations, albums, and other releases devoted entirely or primarily to sacred harp shape note recordings. The most common nationwide nickname for this book is cooper book, with singers in. I have been composing music in the styles of the sacred harp since 2003. There are now copies of pages from the most interesting 19th century shapenote book the hesperian harp online at berkley moores hesperian harp, and a listing of most shapenote cd and tape recordings at his recordings. Mission publishers of the sacred harp, 1991 edition, the sacred harp publishing company promotes traditional sacred harp singing, community, and culture across the united states and around the world. 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 song book, case of 10 each more details the new 2012 revised cooper edition represents a monumental covertocover retypesetting of all pages by karen willard, a seattle alto singer and shapenote music publisher. King, the book has been constantly used and occasionally revised. It has been traditionally used in the florida panhandle, the southern regions of georgia, alabama, and mississippi, and in texas. Welcome to the michigan regional shape note singing site. An introduction to sacred harp posted on august 22, 2012 by christina kenny as regular readers will know, d for dalrymple has long had its finger lodged firmly on the pulse of popular culture.
But now, the story of the sacred harp, 18441944 is back in print and available for music lovers, historians, and librarians alike. We sing shape note music from a book called the sacred harp on the last wednesday evening and the second friday evening of each month in brighton, east sussex. White published his collection of revival songs, hymns, spirituals, and fuguing songs in a longways book titled the sacred harp. About the sacred harp publishing company is a nonprofit corporation belonging to its stockholders, who continue reading. Sacred harp publishing company 1991 edition sacred harp book company revised cooper edition old harp singing in east tennessee. I also wish to thank will fitzgerald for his work on improving this website. Published first by the sacred harp publishing company, founded by alabamian tom denson in 1933, the denson edition continues to have strong alabama ties in its later. And yet, george pullen jacksons groundbreaking history of the first hundred years of the hymnal has been out of print and hard to come by for decades. Preserving the sacred harp singing tradition theres no harp in sacred harp singing in fact, no instruments at all, just the power of a room full of singers belting out fourpart harmonies. Sacred harp singing came into being with the 1844 publication of benjamin franklin white and elisha j. Columbus sacred harp sacred harp singing in columbus, ohio. Bethlehem primitive baptist church of oklahoma city.
It is still used today throughout the south wherever there are gatherings for singing school. Okc sacred harp singers is for people who live anywhere within driving distance of okc, who love to sing, or want to learn to sing, sacred harp. Marion cooper was born in henry county, alabama, the son of w. The date in the description refers to the initial release date of the album or collection, and is there because i was at a loss as to how to otherwise organize this list. The sacred harp, revised cooper edition online index. Shapenote singing from the sacred harp tunebook is one of the most vibrant and longlived singing traditions in the us south. 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. The word index is currently not available for the songs on page 195 and above. Officially titled the sacred harp, revised cooper edition, 2012. Photographs of sacred harp singings by martha beverly and robert chambless. The b f white, sacred harp, 2000 revised cooper edition sacred harp book company on.
This authoritative reference work investigates the roots of the sacred harp, the central collection of the deeply influential and longlived southern tradition of shapenote singing. This book however traces those roots back to england and even to the renaissance age. In fact, it was not even the first oblong shapenote tunebook with that title. The sacred harp, a compilation of hymns and songs written in shaped notes, was put together for congregational singing by benjamin franklin white, the brother of my great, great, great grandmother. Dan brittain, and neely bruce as well as from my fellow tune writers from the northeastern united states, especially. But there it was on saturday morning, the start of a day of sacred harp singing here at gage hall. A rather longer explanation can be found here, but essentially it is shapenote music, an american choral tradition of singing unaccompanied fourpart harmony, sometimes referred to as sacred folksong, white. The name is derived from the sacred harp, a ubiquitous and historically important tunebook printed in shape notes.
Kelley october 2009 in our undergraduate music theory courses we teach students a set of procedures to emulate the composition style of the european composers who wrote tonal music from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries. Cooper sh website you can also find out a little bit about the company here, who the board members are. The book was notated in little and smiths shape notes, with each song divided into three or four singing parts, singing school style. The cooper edition is a tunebook descended from the 19thcentury sacred harp and initially published in 1902 by w.
The story of the sacred harp, pbs documentary about sacred harp singing. The denson edition of the sacred harp 1991a the denson book as it is generally calleda is the most widely used of the hardback old song books used at shapenote congregational singings in churches throughout alabama. White published the first edition of the sacred harp, brothers lowell and timothy mason published their own sacred harp in cincinnati. The sacred harp uses notation developed by the progressive new england singing masters william little and william smith, who published the easy instructor in 1801. The sacred harp is an american hymnal first published in 1844, with the four voiceparts rendered in shape notes. Sacred harp, cooper book 505 cleansing fountain youtube. A beginners guide to shapenote singing hints, stories, advice, and minutiae by lisa grayson fifth edition 2012 contents introduction. Sacred harp singing is a community musical and social event, emphasizing participation, not performance, where people sing songs from the sacred harp, an oblong tunebook first published in 1844. With the exception of the alto part, which was added later, the arrangement in the sacred harp is the original version of our amazing grace, from william walkers 1835 shape note book southern harmony. Mall and floyd memorial singing at little flock primitive baptist church in molino, florida on september 7, 20.
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