BREMEN, Ga. (AP) 鈥� 鈥淭he Sacred Harp鈥� is of sacred songs that uses music notes shaped like triangles, ovals, squares and diamonds, and it is getting an update.
Sung in four-part harmony, 鈥淭he Sacred Harp鈥� is central to its more than 180-year-old American folk a cappella singing tradition that is as much about the community as it is the music. It鈥檚 no accident 鈥淭he Sacred Harp鈥� , and a new edition 鈥� the first in 34 years 鈥� is on its way.
Since the beginning, groups of Sacred Harp singers have periodically worked together to revise it, preserving its history and breathing new life into it. It鈥檚 a renewal, not a reprint, said David Ivey, a lifelong singer and chair of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company鈥檚 revision and music committee.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 credited for keeping our book vibrant and alive,鈥� said Ivey.
Why is the revision such a big deal to Sacred Harp singers?
First published in 1844 by West Georgia compilers Benjamin F. White and Elisha J. King, revisions of the shape-note hymnal make space for songs by living composers, said Jesse P. Karlsberg, a committee member and expert on the tradition.
The nine-member revision committee feels tremendous responsibility, said Ivey, who also worked on the most recent 1991 edition.
Sacred Harp singers are not historical reenactors, he said. Singing is a family tradition for many, and it's also a spiritual experience for some. Though many are Christian, Sacred Harp singers include people of other faiths and no faith, including LGBTQ+ community members who found church uncomfortable but miss congregational singing.
Singers use their hymnals week after week. Some treat them like scrapbooks or family Bibles, tucking mementos between pages, taking notes in the margins and passing them down. Memories and emotions get attached to specific songs, and favorites in life can become memorials in death.
鈥淭he book is precious to people,鈥� said Ivey, on a March afternoon surrounded by songbooks and related materials at the nonprofit publishing company鈥檚 museum in Carrollton, Georgia.
The upcoming edition is years in the making. The revision, authorized by the publishing company鈥檚 board of directors in October 2018, was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It now will be released in September at the annual convention of the United Sacred Harp Musical Association in Atlanta.
Ivey hopes singers fall in love with it, though he knows there is nervousness in the Sacred Harp community. For now, many of the changes are under wraps.
The committee is being methodical and making decisions through consensus, Ivey said. Though most will remain, some old songs will be cut and new ones added. They invited singer input, holding community meetings and singing events to help evaluate the more than 1,100 new songs submitted for consideration.
Fa, sol, la, mi and other peculiarities of shape-note singing
Sacred Harp singing events are not performances. 鈥淭he Sacred Harp鈥� is meant to be sung by everyone 鈥� loudly.
Anyone can lead a song of their choosing from the hymnal鈥檚 554 options, but a song can only be sung once per event with few exceptions. Also called fa-sol-la singing, the group sight-reads the songs using the book鈥檚 unique musical notation, sounding first its shape notes 鈥� fa, sol, la and mi 鈥� and then its lyrics.
鈥淭he whole idea is to make singing accessible to anyone,鈥� said Karlsberg. 鈥淔or many of us, it鈥檚 a moving and spiritual experience. It鈥檚 also a chance to see our dear friends.鈥�
鈥淭he Sacred Harp鈥� is sung in a hollow square formation. Singers organize into four voice parts: treble, alto, tenor and bass. Each group takes a side, facing an opening in the center where a rotating song leader guides the group and keeps time as dozens of voices come from all sides.
The shape-note tradition emerged from New England鈥檚 18th century singing school movement that aimed to improve Protestant and expanded into a social activity. Over time, 鈥淭he Sacred Harp鈥� became synonymous with this choral tradition.
鈥淭he Sacred Harp鈥� was designed to be neither denominational nor doctrinal, Karlsberg said. Many of its lyrics were composed by Christian reformers from England, such as Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley, he said. It was rarely used during church services.
Instead, the hymnal was part of the social fabric of the rural South, though racially segregated, Karlsberg said. Before emancipation, enslaved singers were part of white-run Sacred Harp events; post-Reconstruction, Black singers founded their own conventions, he said. 鈥淭he Sacred Harp鈥� eventually expanded to cities and , including other countries.
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Holly Meyer, The Associated Press
