The Sacred Harp: A Tradition and Its Music

by Buell E. Cobb Jr.

On any Sunday afternoon a traveler through the Deep South might chance upon the rich, full sound of Sacred Harp singing. Aided with nothing but their own voices and the traditional shape-note songbook, Sacred Harp singers produce a sound that is unmistakable―clear and full-voiced. Passed down from early settlers in the backwoods of the Southern Uplands, this religious folk tradition hearkens back to a simpler age when Sundays were a time for the Lord and the “singings.” Illustrated with forty-one songs from the original songbook, The Sacred Harp is a comprehensive account of a unique form of folk music. Buell Cobb’s study encompasses the history of the songbook itself, an analysis of the music, and an intimate portrait of the singers who have kept alive a truly American tradition.

Genres: Music, History, Christianity, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

To this day probably the definitive volume written so far. Practice your shapes with the scores in the back.

[Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need more mention of The Eternal Gates and Alan Lomax but pretttty awesome

[Micah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the subject matter, but the presentation is a bit dry and, at the end of the book, repetitive. The first two or three chapters are the most interesting; the end of the book talks about the “present” situation, but is outdated by several decades.

One golden paragraph is on pp. 60-61:

As Lowens has remarked, the “enormous popularity” of the singing school during the eighteenth century was “obviously due to more than a great love for music or for learning. Here was a rare chance for approved social intercourse between boys and girls. No doubt the youngsters welcomed the break in routine provided by the chance to learn to read music, but they also used the singing-school as a place where they could make new friends, exchange notes, flirt, walk home together after lessons, and, in general, enjoy themselves.” For illustration, Lowens cites a letter written by a Yale undergraduate in 1782: “At present I have no Inclination for anything, for I am almost sick of the World & were it not for the Hopes of going to a singing-meeting tonight & indulging myself in a little of some of the carnal Delights of the Flesh, such as kissing, squeezing &c. &c. I should willingly leave it now, before 10 o’clock & exchange it for a better.”