Northern California Sacred Harp on YouTube

I just realized there's various videos from some of our singings on the YouTubes. Look - there's Greg at the Golden Gate Sacred Harp Convention in 2006!



And Ian leading Windham at the 2009 All-California: with the lyrics!



Ditto with Carolyn leading New Agatite: Thanks Jeremy for putting these up. That's pretty slick with the overlapping score.

Californians Terry Barber, Shelby Sampson, Hal Eisen, Linda Selph & Ian Quinn, 6-18-09

Californians Terry Barber, Shelby Sampson, Hal Eisen, Linda Selph & Ian Quinn, 6-18-09
Originally uploaded by Martha Beverly

There were more Californians than New Yorkers or Chicagoans at the National Convention.

But let me find them all again

(Arts & crafts time.)

Oh my! Thanks everyone, for making this one of the best singing weekends I've ever had. It was a lot to pull off on the heels of the All-Cal, but I hope you all agree that it was worth it. We had more than 80 people attend the singing school on Saturday! I've heard that it was invaluable for some of the newer singers, and I think everyone took something away from that day. I'm thinking on a couple of the things Tim said in closing... That the singers who came before us still inhabit our hearts and voices. That we value revisiting the same songs, that every time we come together it's a new experience, richer than the last time. Personally, every time I open my mouth to sing I hear echoes of so many Tuesday nights in Northampton. And I think we're all the richer for having had some of those voices raised with ours this time around. Thanks to Tim, Matt, Rosie, and Allison for traveling to be here this weekend. Thanks especially for lending us your pitching, your strong leading, and some of that New England intensity. (And for bringing me a playmate!)

I encourage everyone to return the favor... the Western Mass Convention is held every March, and this August they will also host the Young People's. Travel grants are available to help with the expense.

Now, lest you think I only had eyes for our out-of-towners, please enjoy this video of someone pretty high up on my list of local greatness! Excuse the low quality, I just wanted to capture a little something for posterity. Here's Inder, a week before her due date, leading one verse of 383.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland

A few of us sang on a very cramped stage last night with Tim Eriksen (I was sprawled over some huge MOOG floor pedals), four songs fast & high. It sucks it was sold out, hopefully there'll be better opportunities in the future for us to sing in loud bars. The next band was really great, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, very wide-ranging musicians with positive energy. & since I think Jessica & I were the only shape-note singers remaining by the time they did their Sacred Harp medley, I'll post this video of "Weeping Pilgrim" (it was even better than this last night, & it segued into an inspiring cover of "Weeping Mary".) I believe their "Weeping Pilgrim" is on the second disc of the Awake My Soul cds. Their drummer is so cute & has quite a way with thwacking bass drums.

Linda's Tips for Newbies: Leading

As we were a small group tonight, Susan kindly prompted newer singers to share their questions. This reminded me that I've been meaning to post some tips that were helpful to me as a new singer. Perhaps this will be a series, if I don't get too distracted.

Leading

It's important to learn to lead, because it preserves the democratic and participatory nature of the tradition. That said, it can be a little intimidating at first. Here are some tricks to make it easier:

1. Always beat time at your seat. Then when you come up to lead, it won't be so unfamiliar. It will also make you a better singer, and help others stay on track, too.
2. Don't worry if you don't know the notes yet. Just do the best you can. No one will call you out for making a mistake.
3. Pick a song even if you don't lead it. You can also ask for someone to stand up with you while you practice leading.
4. Consider choosing a song with lots of half and whole notes- it's a little easier to get the shapes right when they're not going by so fast.
5. Pick a song and memorize at least the words- one less thing to figure out on the fly.
   
6. Lean on the front row of the tenor bench. They are supposed to beat time, and support the leader in keeping the class together. Kick us if we let you down.
7. It's helpful to have decided which verses of a song and if you want a repeat at the end. Announce your choices clearly, and make sure that the tenors really heard you. While an experienced leader can get away with making these decisions as the song progresses, a mini-train wreck can happen if a newer leader gets confused or gives confusing signals.
8. Consider the class. On a night with lots of strong singers you can try out a song you are less comfortable with but want to practice. When we have few strong singers it may be better to stick to things we know a bit better. 
9. Even a song you think you know by heart can produce little challenges when leading. Check the song for
   

• internal repeats- don't forget to sing the notes twice
• songs that start on the upbeat (the downbeat is a rest)
• time changes

  10.  Relax. We know you're new. The only way to learn to be good at leading is to persevere                through being a bit awkward and clueless. 

Murillo's Lesson

Here are the lyrics to the Murillo's Lesson, number 358 (lyrics credited from the Sacred Melodeon) a hymn especially popular (I just read) in Cleburne County, Alabama.

As down a lone valley with cedars o’erspread,
From war’s dread confusion I pensively strayed,
The gloom from the face of fair heaven retired,
The winds hushed their murmurs, the thunders expired.
Perfumes as of Eden flowed sweetly along,
A voice as of angels enchantingly sung,
Columbia, Columbia to glory arise,
The queen of the world and the child of the skies.

Fair science her gate to thy sons shall unbar,
And the east see thy morn hide the beams of her star.
New bards and new sages unrivalled shall soar
To fame unextinguished when time is no more.
To Thee the last refuge of virtue designed,
Shall fly from all nations the best of mankind;
There grateful to heaven with transport shall bring
To Jesus, the author of nations will sing.

I just found this amazing recording of Murillo's Lesson at this website, bee mp3, performed by Jimmy Wofford & the Churchmen. They have a pretty impressive website format, making tons of recordings from WFMU & old 78s free online, easy to download, & easy to embed:

	Jimmy Wofford and the Churchmen - Murillo's Lesson
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

There's several videos on the Youtubes of the Sacred Harp version:

Blue Highway

So, I'm pretty picky about modern/popular interpretations of Sacred Harp. Also, I've long since reached my lifetime quota of Wondrous Love. But somehow this arrangement just wins.



I adore the spare use of instrumentation, and the perfect pausing! (5 guys who can all sing and pick like crazy, and my favorite part is the negative space?)

So in case you're interested in bluegrass done right by some really nice, talented folks who respect Sacred Harp, check out Blue Highway at the F&S this Friday.

Where's our memories?

Jessica just put some photos from the All-California Convention up on the Facebooks. I'm sure people have thousands of photos! I want to see some, are there any albums online? Are there any recordings yet? Let's hear it!

Here's the recording Natalie made from the after-party New Music singing at Mark's house, of my tune Multnomah. (Click play on the little player, or download this mp3 here, & there's a pdf of the score here.)
-James

On registration, socks, and naughty dogs

Hey! What a fabulous convention! I want to thank everyone who helped out with registration... over the two days we welcomed 215 people, sold 19 books, and helped raise enough donations to cover expenses with a comfortable margin! Yay!

On a personal note, my favorite kind words of the weekend?
1) A friendly woman in line at the bathroom complimented my stockings and asked where I had bought them, thus validating my last minute obsession with acquiring cream ribbed stockings to match my vintage dress and the ensuing obsession with sockdreams.com.
2) Someone thanked me for being a strong voice in the back of the alto section... and here I thought I was just being distracting in between running around micromanaging registration! The best part was that the singing sounded fabulous even from way back there. (Also, it smelled like I was being baked into a chocolate cake while Susan was laying out desserts a couple inches behind me. Sweet sweet torture...)

I don't have any real singing pictures, but here's one of me and Katie (my guest from Texas, one of my best friends, and in fact the very one who turned me on to sacred harp singing way back when!) in front of the beautiful Casa de Flores.


And here's what happens when you leave your dogs home all day while you go singing...

Sacred Harp Conventions: Some Handy Guidelines

First published in, I believe 2007, and trotted out more or less regularly thereafter for the enlightenment of all.

If you haven’t been to a large singing before, you may not know that it’s not just a longer version of the weekly singing. It’s a lot of fun, but because it’s structurally based on long-standing traditions, it’s quite different from the informality of a weekly singing, and it can be a little disorienting. Here are a few pointers to help you understand what’s going on.

1. Before you get there, be aware that people often dress up for singings. Now, this is California. If you show up in an all-hemp tie-dyed outfit, nobody is going to say anything (although I think people will draw the line if you try to show up naked). But it is a fact that in the South and in many other places, people wear their “Sunday best” to singings. If you feel up to it, consider doing the same.



2. It is also a fact that Sacred Harp is part of a Protestant Christian tradition, and for some people these singings are a living part of their religious practice. It is important to respect the religious traditions of which Sacred Harp is a part, even if we do not ourselves belong to those traditions. The singing will commence and conclude with a prayer given by the chaplain. There is also a prayer given before lunch. During the prayer, the class stands in silence while the chaplain speaks.



3. A singing has officers, namely a chair, vice-chair, secretary, and sundry others, who run the singing. Attendees always register, and the secretary takes minutes (if you attend such a singing, you are entitled to receive that year’s minutes book upon publication). Most singings maintain the fiction of electing the officers during a business meeting, held in the morning; in reality, last year’s vice-chair is, with rare exceptions, elected chair, and most if not all of the other officers are appointed beforehand. The outgoing chair is the chair until the business meeting is held, however, and it is the outgoing chair who starts things off. The opening song is frequently, but by no means always, “Holy Manna” (59).



4. Apart from things like breaks and lunch, there is the business meeting sometime in the morning, and often a memorial lesson (usually just before lunch on the final day of the convention), in which an appointed committee remembers the community’s dead of the past year and the sick and shut-in with a few songs. The “lessons” are of course the songs.
   
   
5. And then there’s the singing. There is a designated pitcher at any given point in the singing, to whom all will defer, which means you don’t have to volunteer a pitch, ever. When the pitcher is giving the triad, don’t interfere. You are always free to pitch your own tune if you are leading; in that case, let the pitcher know. The pitcher is usually on the front bench of the tenors.


6. There are too many people and too much shuffling around to lead by going around in a circle. Instead, an arranging committee (sometimes a lone ’ranger) takes the registration cards of those who have indicated they wish to lead and calls out the names of the leaders. The arranging committee will always call out the name of the leader as well as the person to follow.
   
   TIP: If you hear that you are leading next, get prepared with your page number, and if you’re in the middle of a row or in some out-of-the-way spot, position yourself to make it to the center of the square quickly. This avoids wasting valuable singing time. (Also, keep a back-up tune in mind in case the tune you were planning to lead gets called before it’s your turn.)



7. When leading at a larger singing, it’s important to put the needs of the group before your personal desire to sing all four verses of “Duane Street.” It’s polite to select a few verses (generally no more than three verses, or two of a longer tune). When it’s your turn to lead, you’re allowed to go to town, but that doesn’t mean you necessarily should. Think of the needs of the class: don’t request verses that aren’t printed in the 1991 edition unless you’re prepared to print copies of the verse for the whole class and distribute them unobtrusively beforehand; don’t lead an anthem at the very end of the day when people are tired, etc., etc. If you’re an inexperienced leader, watch the tenors and let them guide you. They won’t do you wrong.
   
   When leading, always remember to:
   
   
   
   • call out your page number loud and clear as you’re walking up (not the tune name)
   
   
   • stand in the middle of the square
   
   
   • face the tenors the majority of the time
   
   
   • beat clearly and steadily, with a motion large enough to be seen but not so large as to obscure the rhythm (generally, the forearm, and little else, moves up and down)
   
   
   • keep the chitchat to a minimum (if somebody calls out “which verses?”, that’s sometimes a hint to get going already)
   
   
   • tell the class which verses you want and whether you want to repeat, and stick to it (if you say nothing, it’s usually assumed that you want all the verses, unless the prospect is too painful for the class to fathom, in which case it will usually spontaneously sing the odd verses, or the first and last verses)
   
   
   
   



8. At a larger singing, the front bench of each part, and of the tenors in particular, beats time and is responsible for being in tune and on time. The front benches also help guide the leader if the leader seems uncertain, and generally have to stay extra-aware of what’s happening. It’s fun sitting on the front bench, but it’s also a real responsibility—the composition of the front benches can make or break a singing. You don’t need a special pedigree to sit on the front bench, but it is polite to defer to more experienced singers, especially out-of-towners.



9. Sacred Harpers are known for their hospitality. Of course, for some people this means putting singers up in their spare bedroom, but hospitality also extends to the singing itself. People who have traveled far to get to the singing are shown extra courtesy; they may be appointed to nicer committees (like the Resolutions Committee) but are not asked to deal with, e.g., clean-up (although they often volunteer!). If there isn’t enough time for everyone to lead, those who have traveled to sing with us get priority. In general, we try to make the out-of-town singers feel like our honored guests -- which is what they are.



10. Another aspect of hospitality is food. Local singers are asked to contribute to the noontime potluck. There’s many a singer who thinks this means bringing an iceberg salad-in-a-bag from Safeway. The singer who has traveled to other singings knows that homemade baked beans, red velvet cake, pork barbecue, black-eyed peas, corn pudding, boiled greens, brownies, lasagna, grape pie (I am serious), tabbouleh, green beans, chicken, pasta salad with fresh mozzarella, rice pilaf, and innumerable other delicacies are all par for the course -- in very large quantities. People do remember the food, and every once in a while a singing gets a Reputation. A skimpy potluck is nobody’s idea of a fun time. Re-think that bag of Fig Newtons.
    
    You can keep your hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold by wrapping them in newspaper and then in multiple layers of blankets or towels. In Minnesota, they then stick the whole shebang in a cooler. It is really cold in Minnesota, and this method works there, so you know it will work here. It is also nice to label your dish with some kind of identification for the food committee’s convenience, and also indicate whether a dish contains common allergens or hidden meat (e.g. it *looks* vegetarian but in fact the sauce is made of 100% puréed bacon). In recent years Susan has developed glorious food labels that take all the fear out of the potluck eating experience.



11. At the end of the singing, there is a concluding song, usually “Parting Hand” (62). After singing the notes, the class usually takes the parting hand by walking around and shaking hands (or exchanging hugs) with fellow singers. This makes it tough on those who do not know the first two verses of “Parting Hand” by heart. I recommend memorizing it, or at least getting familiar enough that you only need to glance at your book a few times. Otherwise you will feel like a dork with your face in the book while people try and shake your hand. The final song is followed immediately by the concluding prayer.



12. It is nice to help clean up. At minimum, put away your chair and pick up your potluck dishes and utensils. No one will hound you or scold you if you don’t, but if you leave your Corningware, it is mine.

This may seem like a lot to deal with, but the relative formality of a larger singing is refreshing for its order and its connectedness to the past. At a larger singing, you’ll meet people you don’t often sing with, and because local singing communities overlap at larger singings, you inevitably sing new and unfamiliar songs. If you attend several conventions, you’ll find over time that each singing is like a reunion of distant friends. The composition of each singing convention is unique and temporary, and yet each singing experience taps into a palpable and quite solid larger singing community, a communion of singers if not a communion of saints. Welcome.