Customer Reviews

Sacred Harp

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a scholar's reprint of an old version of the book - don't take this to a regular Sacred Harp singing! It's not compatible! It's a fine book for its purpose. But some of the other reviewers have failed to mention this!
And I don't know how they think they can charge that much, either. I bought this version NEW for $20.00.

This is a reprint of a 19th century book, the 1860 edition of The Sacred Harp, edited by Benjamin Franklin White.

If you are newcomer interested in exploring Sacred Harp music, this is not what you should buy first. Rather, you should buy one of the modern editions of The Sacred Harp. These are the books that are used by Sacred Harp singers today when they gather to sing.

The two principal modern editions are called the "Denson" and "Cooper" editions (they're named after their editors). They aren't on Amazon, but can be easily obtained at a modest cost by mail order. You can find the ordering information with your search engine.

If you need to choose between the Denson and Cooper editions, I recommend going with whatever is used by singers in your own area (again, look on the Web to find out). If you don't plan to sing, but just want to own one of these books, go according to your taste: Cooper has more gospel music, Denson emphasizes historically earlier material. Denson is also more legible and seems to have fewer typos.

People who already are Sacred Harp enthusiasts frequently become interested in the history of their book. For such people, it's fun to take a look at the old 19th century editions, like this one from 1860. Reprint Services Corporation has done a good job of producing a durable and legible copy of this historic document. It would make a handsome gift for a Sacred Harp singer.

The edition of _The Sacred Harp_ being offered here is a facsimile reprint of an old edition - c. 1859 - similar to the Broadman Press facsimile edition (out of print). The 1991 Edition of _The Sacred Harp_ and the "Cooper Book" Edition are both widely used at singings today. Do an internet search for current information on Sacred Harp Singing.

As one of the reviews below explains, The Sacred Harp is a shape-note songbook. I think the most important thing to understand is that this is a living book. Singing from it is an integral part of many people's lives. While I would encourage you to buy it (though honestly, I don't know _what_ edition they're selling...), as soon as you have a copy in your hands, if not before (as in, immediately), you need to go find a singing to attend. These are not songs you can understand just by looking at them on the page. Though they may be relatively simple pieces, they are meant to be sung in large groups of people, and this is where their power comes from. To understand The Sacred Harp, you need to sing from it with Sacred Harp singers (who can be found all over the country).

The Sacred Harp, a compilation of hymns and songs written in shaped notes, was put together for congregational singing by Benjamin Franklin White, the brother of my great, great, great grandmother. It is still used today throughout the South wherever there are gatherings for "Singing School."

The concept of teaching shaped notes helped many people learn singing in the days when musical instruments were rare and choral singing was an art highly valued.

I - and many others - sing from The Sacred Harp regularly. The book has been around in one form or another for about 150 years, and is used constantly by thousands of people.

The book presents hymns, written in shape-note style. That means that the noteheads have various shapes, keyed to the position of the note in the scale. This has been used as a teaching technique since about 1800.

Since no one has reviewed this unique and wonderful book, I'll take a stab at it, since you would learn little about it from its title. "Sacred Harp" is a collection of hymns and sacred songs that originated as a compilation by B. F. White in 1844. It was revised and enlarged in 1869, 1911, 1936, and 1991, and now contains about 575 songs. Hymns are presented in four-part harmony in a unique "shape note" notation, where the pitch of each note is represented by its shape as well as its position on the staff. Shape note singing, of which Sacred Harp is the best-known source, is a wonderful southern American musical tradition of acapella four-part singing, used in the churches and in all-day hymn sings. The music is notable for its depth of feeling and its unusual harmonies. Sacred Harp is also the source of some more familiar hymns such as "Wondrous Love." I recommend this book to anyone interested in sacred music and the American folk tradition. It's too bad it isn't available in a less-expensive edition; used copies seem to be scarce.