Sunday, March 02, 2008
Music Videos: Shape Note Amazing Grace
Shape note singing, also known as sacred harp singing, is a traditional American folk art. It's not for the faint of heart, and those classically trained are often horrified by it...but to stand and sing in the middle of the hollow square is a true musical experience and involves your whole body.
You can learn more here.
Any shape note singers out there??? What hymns did you sing at worship today?
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Sunday Afternoon Music Videos
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Thanks for posting this Mary Beth. I don't sing Old Harp but I grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee where many folks of my grandparent's generation learned to read music using shaped notes. I remember my grandfather going over his choral music for the church choir and filling in the shapes over the regular notes. When my family gets together for reunions we sing together from hymnals that have shaped notes. Thanks for bringing back these memories.
ReplyDeleteI remember our choir working on shape note singing - Mary Beth, you are right, it made me squirm as a musician -- you have to "unlearn" everything you have learned and do it differently. Very difficult to do!!!
ReplyDeleteI know we sang the tune Cwm Rhondda for last hymn. We did hear an arrangement of Moonlight Sonata for the Offertory. Communion hymn was one of my favorites--- I want to walk as a Child of the Light. I love that hymn.
We sang "I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light" too...one of my favorites. Also "Amazing Grace", and "Precious Lord, Take My Hand". Our choir sang an anthem recently published by our organist.
ReplyDeleteAt our contemporary service, d'Vine (our praise team) sang "Never Been Unloved" and debuted "Feel Like a Christian" Our 16 year old son who is the bass guitarist was pretty hyped about it.
Thanks for posting this. It has been a fun afternoon for me to do lots of reading and learning. I remember hearing little bits about this in the past, but never too much. I've had fun looking around the internet and found several singings that meet near me. I might have just found a new Sunday afternoon/evening activity for me!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, songs in our worship today - -
ReplyDeleteGuide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
The Lord's My Shepherd I Shall Not Want (I can't remember which tune offhand)
For the Bread Which You Have Broken (instead of a Great Thanksgiving in the communion liturgy)
Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us
We had similar choices today -- two of my favorites, My Shepherd is the Living God (to the Southern Harmony tune Consolation) and Amazing Grace; and another that was new to me, Jesus, the Joy of Loving Hearts (it was Communion Sunday). Choir sang a setting of the psalm about the hart panting after the water brooks, which I didn't care for, (I like the hymn best, As Pants the hart for cooling streams) and then a lovely arrangement of Let Us Break Bread Together on our Knees during communion. Mendelssohn choral benediction and Bach postlude -- very nice. I will go direct to YouTube and see if I can get the video to load properly, I don't know if it's my connection or what but it wasn't working right. Thanks though!
ReplyDeleteWe sang "I Want to Walk As a Child of the Light," "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" and "Amazing Grace."
ReplyDeleteI have been singing Sacred Harp, not at church, but with a group that wants to preserve old music. Interesting because for that group it's not a spiritual exercise, but an historical one. Still, I like to get there every couple of months if I can. I always feel a bit hoarse afterwards, and have pumped my arm enough to get a sore muscle in my forearm! If anybody lives in northern Virginia, I can get them in touch with Sacred Harp singing. Big event coming up April 5-6. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteI have been singing Sacred Harp, not at church, but with a group that wants to preserve old music. Interesting because for that group it's not a spiritual exercise, but an historical one. Still, I like to get there every couple of months if I can. I always feel a bit hoarse afterwards, and have pumped my arm enough to get a sore muscle in my forearm! If anybody lives in northern Virginia, I can get them in touch with Sacred Harp singing. Big event coming up April 5-6. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteI wish!!! (re shape note) but I think it's awesome. thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteWe sang:
Amazing Grace/
Lead Me, Guide Me
The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want
Thank you for posting this. I studied Sacred Harp as a divinity student in a course on popular religion, but I've never lived in an area where there was a Sacred Harp group. This post made me do a little google searching, and I found out a Sacred Harp group meets monthly just a few miles from my house here in North Carolina! I'm definitely going to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI love to listen to shape note singing ... it's raw, it's powerful and speaks to something within me differently from the more polished musical approach that is more familiar to me.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me a little bit of singing in the african-american tradition.
The Bill Moyers special on "Amazing Grace" featured about a 1,000 or so shape-note singers singing that beloved hymn at an outdoor gathering --it sent chills up and down my spine, even on the less-than-stellar TV speakers