Category: Sacred Harp & Culture
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The following excerpt is drawn from Utile Dulci. Or, A Joco-serious Dialogue, Concerning Regular Singing (1723), a pamphlet by New England minister and music advocate Thomas Symmes. Symmes (1678–1725), a Congregationalist minister in Bradford, Massachusetts, was one of the earliest and strongest proponents of “Regular Singing”—a reform movement in colonial church music that promoted musical…
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The documentary Wayfaring Stranger explores the Scots-Irish influence on American music, particularly highlighting shape-note singing’s roots in British vocal traditions, enhancing cultural connections.
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The very first thing a singer should do when receiving a new tunebook is simple: write their name in it, along with the date they took possession. It’s a practical act—but I would also suggest it’s a spiritual one. In putting your name and the date inside the front cover, you’re doing more than marking…
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In the small rural community of Louvale, Georgia, a remarkable effort to preserve and pass on the tradition of Sacred Harp singing took root in the early 1980s. While Louvale may be easy to miss on the map, many nmay not know it has a role in the continuation of shape-note music in the Chattahoochee…
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Two New Titles for Lovers of Shape-Note History — Available Now Two books close to my heart were officially published today, July 6, 2025, through Hollow Square Books. Both are now available at hollowsquarebooks.com and Amazon.com. These titles emerged from my own study of shape-note history and the desire to make neglected or out-of-print works…
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We’re thrilled to share the launch of a new project that aims to capture the beauty, history, and community of shape-note singing: Singing the Shapes, a feature-length documentary currently in development by filmmaker Timothy Morton. The project now has a live fundraiser at https://gofund.me/8a9825ce, and your support can help bring this important film to life.…
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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…
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In shape-note singing, we welcome every voice, valuing participation over polish and the shared experience over individual refinement. But not every tradition has held this view. The musical reform movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries sought to reshape American congregational singing, favoring trained voices and standardized harmony over the raw, communal sound that…
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A paper on composing music in the Sacred Harp tradition is the feature article in the new March/April 2025 issue of Choral Journal (Vol. 65, No. 7). Three singers, who are also three scholars, have teamed up for the paper. Lily M. Hammond, Abigail C. Cannon, and Esther M. Morgan-Ellis have written the paper “Compositions…
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Performing at Aviva Studios Manchester, UK on 15,16 and 20-24 November, 2024. After posting about an impressive installation work in London, and a new play in Australia, I was fascinated to learn about Laurie Anderson’s newest work, ARK: United States Part 5, which includes a collaboration with shape-note singers. Premiering in Manchester last week, and…