Public Worship, Private Faith: Sacred Harp and American Folksong (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In 1802 there appeared a curious book..." (more)
Key Phrases: folksong idea, singing population, memorial lesson, Sacred Harp, New England, George Pullen Jackson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This superb book contains interdisciplinary scholarship of a high order."--Jeff Titon, coeditor of Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples

"This book contains much important information and benefits from good and ample scholarship. It is the most thorough and detailed account of the history of the Sacred Harp and its cultural significance available.”--Steven F. Darsey

"A well researched, historically-oriented survey of one element of a larger shape-note singing tradition . . . It will appeal to those already interested in shape-note singing traditions and their revival and to those seeking a more contextual approach to the Sacred Harp's history."--Daniel T. Neely,Yearbook for Traditional Music

"Bealle delves very deeply and intricately into the history of sacred singing in America. . . . Bealle’s book contains some historical gems."--Midwest Book Review

Product Description

The Sacred Harp, a tunebook that first appeared in 1844, has stood as a model of early American musical culture for most of this century. Tunebooks such as this, printed in shape notes for public singing and singing schools, followed the New England tradition of singing hymns and Psalms from printed music. Nineteeth-century Americans were inundated by such books, but only the popularity of The Sacred Harp has endured throughout the twentieth century.

With this tunebook as his focus, John Bealle surveys definitive moments in American musical history, from the lively singing schools of the New England Puritans to the dramatic theological crises that split New England Congregationalism, from the rise of the genteel urban mainstream in frontier Cincinnati to the bold "New South" movement that sought to transform the southern economy, from the nostalgic culture-writing era of the Great Depression to the post-World War II folksong revival.

Although Bealle finds that much has changed in the last century, the custodians of the tradition of Sacred Harp singing have kept it alive and accessible in an increasingly diverse cultural marketplace. Public Worship, Private Faith is a thorough and readable analysis of the historical, social, musical, theological, and textual factors that have contributed to the endurance of Sacred Harp singing.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press (December 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820319880
• ISBN-13: 978-0820319889
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,063,677 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very detailed study of Shaped Note Singing in America, July 4, 2009

By	C. Averill (Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is quite a complete study of the Shaped Note or Sacred Harp Singing tradition in America. Anyone with an interest in shaped note singing will find this a useful and readable source. Well worth the price.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seven years on,this book is even more relevent, March 11, 2004

By	Mary Collette List (Kalamazoo, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Public Worship, Private Faith: Sacred Harp and American Folksong (Hardcover)

As a dedicated Sacred Harp singer,I would have to say
that seven years on,Mr.Bealle's book is even more relevent in
the wake of "Cold Mountain".I think that the addition of two
Sacred Harp tunes to the soundtrack revitalised the Sacred Harp
movement.I truly think that one must have a chance to go to a
singing to really experience this wonderfully joyful music.