-
In the 1982 documentary Shouting Song, director Jean Youngblood Albright captured a number of Sacred Harp singings across Alabama—some large and formal, others intimate and deeply local. Among them is a segment filmed at County Line Church in Warrior, Alabama, identified onscreen as the Walter Parker Birthday and Charlie Creel Memorial Singing. The event isn’t…
-
Now that I’ve published a working definition of the shape-note tunebooklet, I want to offer a detailed example—both to illustrate the term and to establish a model for future entries. For simplicity, I’ll refer to these as tunebooklets, with the understanding that I’m speaking specifically about those rooted in the shape-note tradition. Because tunebooklets are…
-
I’ve been casually collecting shape-note tunebooks because I’m fascinated by the subject. In order to understand the subject I’ve found it necessary to articulate working definitions for what I’m trying to study. Definitions help clarify what materials belong within a given category, but they also reveal the blurry edges and the overlaps of those categories.…
-
Now available as part of Songs for the Holy Other We’re proud to share a new video recorded at the Second Monday singing in Baltimore: a heartfelt performance of Love Astounding, a hymn by Jeannette Lindholm set to the beloved tune Holy Manna. This video is part of the Songs for the Holy Other project,…
-
At SingLoud.org, we were saddened to learn of the passing of Buell E. Cobb, Jr. on April 26th. Although I never had the chance to meet Mr. Cobb personally, his books and writings have been a vital resource in helping me—and so many others—better understand and appreciate the Sacred Harp tradition. Through his work, he…
-
The BBC World Service recently featured Tim Eriksen in a new episode of In the Studio, exploring the continued vitality of Sacred Harp singing in the U.S. and abroad. The broadcast, released April 25, 2025, arrives just as the Sacred Harp Publishing Company prepares to release its long-anticipated new edition—one that will include more contributions…
-
Saturday, May 17, 2025 – 3 PM EDTFirst Missionary Baptist Church – Ozark, Alabama You’re invited to the 90th Annual Sacred Harp Singing at First Missionary Baptist Church in Ozark, Alabama—honoring the legacy of Judge Jackson and The Colored Sacred Harp. This special event includes both in-person and virtual participation, continuing a beloved tradition of…
-
KLOF Mag announced the release of a video of an English musician Sam Carter performing a simple acoustic version of “White” from The Sacred Harp. Carter states: Long Time Travelling is better known to some as White, as that’s the name it appears under in shapenote tunebook The Sacred Harp, originally published in 1844. The…
-
Join this free participatory historical singing event in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. RSVP top help them know how many to expect: http://bit.ly/3CW56Ka For the first half of this unique singing you will sing tunes from an 1892 Christian Harmony singing documented in the journals of Cherokee traditionalist, Will West Long. Then the group will…
-
Published in the Abolition Intelligencer and Missionary Magazine (Shelbyville, KY, Vol. 1, Iss. 2, June 1822), this letter from Elijah Boardman (findagrave.com) provides a striking glimpse into the use of shape-note singing in early American missionary efforts. The account describes a singing school among the Tuscarora people in Lewistown, New York, where indigenous singers learned…