A Capella

Well I'm Old Line Primitive Baptist and led a cappella music over 40 years, that's all we sang... That'll kindle your fire and set fire to your bones... Never lined out a song but I've heard of the practice and wasn't it because not many had song books?... Just asking... Where is Brother Robert (aka as rlvaughn) when you need him, he's the a cappella historian on here... Maybe he'll lay down some true a cappella music... Sacred Harp!... Brother Glen

 

I love Sacred Harp singing as well. It is good stuff.

 

I would leave some here but I've never sang Sacred Harp Music but Brother Robert I know has been to many Sacred Harp singings in Texas... Maybe he will stop by here and let us hear a few of his favorites... I invited him and he says if he forgets to remind him tomorrow... I will... Brother Glen

 

Brother Glen asked if I might post some of my Sacred Harp favorites. So I'll give a few. Among my all time favorites for words and music is Ninety-Third Psalm/Grace 'Tis a Charming Sound. Here is it sung at our convention in Henderson, Texas in 2013.

1. Grace, ’tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to mine ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
2. Grace first contrived the way
To save rebellious man;
And all the steps that grace display
Which drew the wondrous plan.
3. Grace taught my wand’ring feet
To tread the heavenly road;
And new supplies each hour I meet,
While pressing on to God.
4. Grace all the work shall crown,
Through everlasting days;
It lays in heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.
(Doddridge)

 

Another favorite is Sessions, sung in McMahan, Texas in 2011. The tune is by L. O. Emerson and words are by Isaac Watts.

1. Sinner, O why so Thoughtless grown?
Why in such dreadful Haste to die;
Daring to leap to Worlds unknown,
Heedless against thy God to fly?
2. Will ye frustrate Eternal Grace,
Urg'd on by Sin's fantastick Dreams,
Madly attempt th'infernal Gate,
And force thy Passage to the Flames?
3. Stay, Sinner, on the Gospel Plains,
Behold the God of Love unfold
The Myst'ry of his Dying Pains,
For ever telling, yet untold.

 

For now, just one more, and hopefully not too much self-promotion. Here is a "fuging tune" I wrote for T. Greene's hymn in Gadsby's Selection. I used the third stanza as a chorus, and most of this class is sight-singing it for the first time they've seen it (there's a little skip in the recording the last time around on the chorus).

1. Grace, like a fountain, ever flows,
Fresh succours to renew;
The Lord my wants and weakness knows,
My sins and sorrows too.
2. He sees me often overcome,
And pities my distress;
And bids affliction drive me home,
To anchor on his grace.
3. ’Tis he directs my doubtful ways,
When dangers line the road,
Here I my Ebenezer raise,
And trust the gracious God.

 

I enjoyed all of them thoroughly Brother Robert and thank you for coming but I have a question... I do not know the words to this particular hymn but I do know the tune... I led a song in church Lord How Delightful tis to see a whole assembly worship thee... Why the same tune with different words?... Is this common among certain hymns?... One other question that would probably be interesting to all, why do Sacred Harp Singers, sing the notes first before getting into the words of the hymn... Brother Glen

 

Well BroOldTimer I found this, from The Harmony Hills Singing School in Cone Texas... Enjoy!.. Brother Glen

 

Ok Steve I'm waiting... Nice costumes!... Brother Glen

 

Well Steve I don't understand Gaelic but I know God is not partial to any language that worships him... It was a beautiful melody... Brother Glen

 

Brother Glen, to the first question, I think those words may have been what Emerson initially placed with his tune. At least it was the words with it from whence the Sacred Harp got the tune. I think most Primitive Baptists don't prefer those words and so replaced it with something else. I'm kind of guessing here without doing some research on it. And, yes, metered hymns can usually be sung with any tune of the same meter. For example, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound" may be sung with a multitude of common meter tunes, such as Ortonville, Ninety-Fifth, Sharpsburg, Arlington, Pisgah and so on. (Sessions is long meter.)

To the second question, the short answer is tradition and we like it! The longer answer is that singing the shapes is rooted in the singing school tradition, whereby scholars learn to read music by the moveable do and relative pitch method -- and assigning intervals to the shapes (in Sacred it is "moveable fa" since we use the old English scale of Fa-Sol-La-Fa-Sol-La-Me-Fa instead of the Italian based Do-Re-Mi scale). In theory Sacred Harp singers learn to sing by the shapes -- though in fact many people nowadays come into the tradition already knowing how to read music by some other system and have to learn the shapes.

Hope that helps.