The Sacred Harp of Hoboken

If you are wondering what Sacred Harp music is – and why – this is a good introduction. The YouTube note states "This video was originally made by Will Payne when he was working for WTBS in Atlanta."

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Sacred Harp: I'm Going Home

A recording cannot really do justice to Sacred Harp, just as a picture of a sailboat cannot communicate the experience of riding the waves. Nevertheless, after going to the National Sacred Harp Convention last week, I was inspired to find some recordings online.

The movie Cold Mountain brought Sacred Harp to the big screen. The choir they used to record the soundtrack was drawn from authentic Sacred Harp singers who have helped to keep the art alive.

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Sacred Harp 59: Holy Manna

Sacred Harp singing, preserved in Appalachia among Primitive Baptist Churches, is not like what is typically heard in mainline Protestant churches. This is one Sacred Harp tune, however, that did find its way into more traditional church hymnals.I grew up hearing "Brethren We Have Met to Worship" sung in staid Sunday morning settings. The "fa-sol-la" rhythm (fuguing) actually translated well in the more traditional church hymn format.

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Sacred Harp: "Thy Beauties Are Divine" (Isaac Watts)

Isaac Watts, the story goes, was absolutely dismayed by the dreary music he heard in the Church of England's Psalter. When he complained to his father, his father challenged him to do better if he thought he could improve on what King David wrote. Isaac Watts indeed went on to write over 600 hymns, many of which found widespread use in Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian hymnals. Most of those hymns were composed when he was between the ages of 20 and 22. Many hymns by Isaac Watts have found their way into the Sacred Harp hymnal. This one is a wonderful example of a hymn of adoration.

Tune: Raymond C. Hamrick, 1980

 Words: Isaac Watts, 1719

My Savior and my King,

Thy beauties are divine;

Thy lips with blessing overflow,

And ev’ry grace is Thine.

The smilings of Thy face,

How amiable they are;

’Tis heav’n to rest in Thine embrace,

And nowhere else but there.

Nor earth, nor all the sky,

Can one delight afford;

No, not a drop of Thy real joy,

Without Thy presence, Lord.

Sacred Harp: Morning Sun

Here's Buell Cobb with Mr. Bailey leading in the singing of "Morning Sun"at a Sacred Harp gathering at Liberty Baptist Church near Henagar, Alabama. I met Buel at the National Sacred Harp Convention in Birmingham last summer. We had a discussion about Sacred Harp singing and I told him about my first encounter with the genre. Buell has written a fine book about Sacred Harp, Like Cords around My Heart: A Sacred Harp Memoir.

What I like about this video is the joyful juxtaposition. You have authentic Sacred Harp being led by a 95 year old fellow in overalls (that would be Mr. Bailey standing there with Buell Cobb). You also have tattoos and iPhones.

To read or listen to a piece on NPR about Liberty baptist Church and Sacred Harp, check it out here.