1968 Sacred Harp Singing At The Old Country Church Hugh McGraw Vinyl LP Record

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1968 Sacred Harp Singing At The Old Country Church Hugh McGraw Vinyl LP Record
Vinyl / Jacket Grade per Goldmine Standard: VG / VG
SIDE ONE 1. Nashville ......................By Jeremiah Ingalls - Page 64 2. Lennox ........................By Lewis Edson - Page 40 3. Gospel Trumpet........... ......................By E. J. King - Page 99 4. Passing Away...................By John A. Watson - Page 445B 5. Sardis ....................By Miss Sarah Lancaster — Page 460 6. Sacred Throne ...................By Hugh Wilson — Page 569B 7. White ...................By Elder Edmund Dumas - Page 288 8. The Good Old Way...............By William Walker — Page 213T SIDE TWO 1. Manchester .......................By Paine Denson - Page 392 2. Babel's Streams ...................Author Unknown - Page 126 3. Weary Pilgrim...............By Leonard P. Breedlove - Page 326 4. Easter Anthem ..................By William Billings - Page 236 5. Victoria ..................By Leonard P. Breedlove - Page 290 6. The Spirit Shall Return .... By Elder Elmer Kitchens - Page 512 7. The Happy Sailor ............Re-arr. By B. F. White — Page 388 SACRED HARP SSNGINGS IN THE SOUTHLAND On any Sunday in many rural sections of the Southland, a' familiar sight is a country church, located in a grove of trees, with cars parked all around it. The occasion - a Sacred Harp Singing^ Every community sponsors at least one annual Sacred Harp Singing and sometimes two or three. Singers in many neighborhoods, gather in larger, more centrally located areas, and hold longer con- ventions — two and sometimes three days. These conventions are always well-attended. The oldest convention in existence is the Chattahoochee Sacred Harp Singing Convention which was organized at Macedonia Church, in Coweta County, Georgia, in 1852, and a session has been held, annually, since its organization. This is one of the few Sacred Harp Singing Conventions whose activities are conducted according to an established procedure laid down in a written constitution and is the only convention having a recorded membership list, dating from the first session in 1852, to the last session in 1967. This convention is a Georgia institution but is held at various places in the state of Georgia. In conducting a Sacred Harp Singing, present-day singers follow the pattern used by the illustrious and venerable forefathers who, more than a hundred years ago, established the Traditional Style of Sacred Harp Singing and admonished their followers to "see/c the old paths and walk therein. ” Therefore, according to tradition every Sacred Harp Singing is opened and closed with prayer; the notes of each song are sung first, then followed by the words. This fidelity to the old tradition is commendable for the notes and the shapes are a valuable birthright, without which the ''Sacred Harp” would not be the "Sacred Harp". The seats are arranged in a hollow square; the leader, or director, stands in the center, facing the tenor (soprano); the bass is on his right, the treble on his left, and the alto is behind him. Officers for the day are elected which consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer and a Chaplain. The newly-elected President appoints an Arranging Committee which plans the program for the day and calls out the leaders. At this time perhaps I should remind the reader that Sacred Harp ("Fa-Sol-La") music is singers' music and not listeners' music. The casual listener claims that “It all sounds fust alike’’ or “I can’t hear any tune to it’’ This is Decause it is four-part music and has been composed in such a manner that each voice-part is equally balanced. The tune-part is submerged more deeply because each part (except bass) is sung by both men and women. This gives "Sacred Harp” music distinctive qualities which differentiate it from all other types of music, and it is known as dispersed harmony. At all Sacred Harp singings and conventions, a memorial lesson is sung for those singers deceased since the last session of that particular singing or convention. A highlight of every singing or convention is the noon hour. The ladies of the local community bring well-filled baskets of delicious food which they spread on long tables, and all present enjoy delightful fellowship while eating and socializing with mutual friends. After lunch, the loyal devotees enjoy another long session of worship in song. At the close of the session, "The Parting Hand" is sung and, while singing, all singers clasp the hands of other singers and bid them a fond farewell. A strong invisible tie binds the singers together, and they feel that they belong to one great family. This feeling is deepened by the consciousness that they stand alone in their undertaking — “Keeping the old songs resounding in a world which has either gone over to lighter, more “entertaining’’ and frivilous types of song or has given up all community singing. ” No, Sacred Harp Singings are not dying out! They are more popular and more numerous than ever before! In this modern era, paved highways and fast cars have “shortened distances” and present- day singers drive 250 or 300 miles on Sunday morning, to attend a singing. It is no unusual sight to see a group of singers from Texas, Florida, Tennessee, or Mississippi, at a singing in Georgia or Alabama and vice-versa. Young people participate in the singing; singing schools are being taught in many areas of the Southland; the Sacred Harp song book has recently been revised and, now contains wngs written by present-day authors; Sacred Harp music albums are being made and thousands have been sold, musicians in colleges and universities, in this nation and foreign countries, now recognize and appre- ciate the beauty and potentialities of Sacred Harp music and are ordering books and albums of this music — "Sacred Harp Music" — Our American Heritage. Mrs. Ruth Denson Edwards Recorded in the studios of Prestige Productions, Inc. 2717 — 19th Street South Birmingham, Alabama 35209 Kenny Wallis ............... recording engineer These songs are found in the Original Sacred Harp, Denson Revision 1966 Edition,



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