|
Sacred Harp Singing School October
27-29 and Service October 30
One of Alabama’s richest cultural and spiritual traditions will
be highlighted at Northeast Alabama Community College from
October 27-29, 2010 when a Sacred Harp Singing School will be
held at the college. The Singing School will culminate in a
Sacred Harp singing service on October 30, 2010 in the college’s
Music Auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m. Both the Singing School
and service are open to NACC students and the public.
Leaders of the Sacred Harp School include those who were
recorded for the Oscar-nominated soundtrack for the movie
Cold Mountain. The soundtrack, which includes two Sacred
Harp songs, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best
Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Compilation
Soundtrack. The album won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music
and the World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack.
At Northeast Ricky Harcrow will be teaching the singing school,
assisted by David Ivey and Terry Wootten. These leaders have
taught Sacred Harp singing schools throughout the United States
and in several foreign countries, including England, where the
Sacred Harp tradition began. As a result of Cold Mountain,
there has been a renewed interest in Sacred Harp music,
particularly in the South, New England, Mid West, and West
coast.
The roots of Sacred Harp music trace back to 18th Century
England and the music was preserved here in the United States.
DeKalb and Jackson counties, particularly Sand Mountain, have
been strongholds in preserving the music and have been a part of
the music’s resurgence. In 1959 Alan Lomax of the Smithsonian
Institute/Library of Congress did a landmark recording of Sacred
Harp Music at Liberty Church in Fyffe, Alabama, resulting in
more and more Americans becoming aware of a form of music that
is described as “lyrical and rapturous” in its presentation. The
music is characterized by mass participation, full-voiced
singing, and a lack of instrumental accompaniment. Lomax is
recognized as one of America’s premier music collectors. Rounder
Records later produced a follow-up recording honoring the
fiftieth anniversary of Lomax’s recording.
“I remember that my Grandfather was a Sacred Harp singer, as
many people in our area have been,” stated Dr. David Campbell,
President of Northeast Alabama Community College. “The music at
his funeral was Sacred Harp, and as a young child that was the
first time I had ever heard it and it is one of my earliest
memories. I still remember how beautiful and other-worldly the
sound was. Once someone hears it, they understand that
preserving this form of music as the people in our area have
done is a very significant contribution to what is not only a
religious tradition, but a great American art form as well.”
Campbell noted that the acclaim the music obtained as a result
of Cold Mountain demonstrates how well respected the music is
artistically.
Some fifty singers recorded the two songs included on the
Cold Mountain CD at Liberty Baptist Church in Henagar.
Later, a group of these singers attended the Academy Awards and
accompanied musician Allison Krauss on-stage when she performed
songs from the movie at the Oscar Awards. The group performing
included Susan Harcrow, who has helped organize the event at
Northeast.
Not only have area singers helped preserve this important
musical form, in so doing they often used the work of another
local pioneer of American music, J.R. Baxter, who along with V.O.
Stamps owned the Stamps-Baxter Music Company. The influential
Stamps-Baxter publishing company was a pioneer in Southern
gospel music and in particular published songbooks for Sacred
Harp music. Stamps-Baxter Music is recognized as a leading force
in the popularity of modern gospel music. J. R. Baxter was a
native of DeKalb County, but later moved to Dallas, Texas to
head the nationally influential music company.
“When you consider all this, it is very clear why Sacred Harp
music in our area is so universally admired,” stated Susan
Barron, NACC Event Planner and organizer of the Singing School
and service. She noted that the Singing School and service will
be held in the college’s recently renovated Music Auditorium in
the Health and Fine Arts Building. The Music Auditorium has been
a mainstay for music concerts at the college for years. It now
has a larger stage, new seating, and improved lighting and
sound. Additionally, the Music Auditorium has a completely new
interior design.
The Singing School and service are open to students and the
public free of charge. Anyone may attend the Sacred Harp service
on October 30, 2010 to hear and see the concert. For additional
information, contact Susan Barron at
barrons@nacc.edu or phone
ext. 248. For more information about Sacred Harp singing, visit
the Web sites www.fasola.org
and
http://www.wmshc.org/convention.html.
Sacred Harp singing is pictured at Liberty
Baptist Church in Henagar, Alabama, where songs were recorded
for the soundtrack of the movie Cold Mountain.
 |
