The Shapenote Album

Justin Morgan (Composer), Daniel Read (Composer), Anonymous (Composer), Timothy Swan (Composer), Alfred Marcus Cagle (Composer), Oren Adolphes Parris (Orchestra), American Traditional (Conductor), John P. Reese (Artist), Stephen Jenks (Artist), C. Dingley (Artist), William Billings (Artist), Seaborn McDaniel Denson (Artist), Jeremiah Ingalls (Artist), Lucius Chapin (Artist), Paine Denson (Artist), Nehemiah Shumway (Artist), The Tudor Choir (Artist), Doug Fullington (Artist)

Product Details

• Orchestra: Oren Adolphes Parris
• Conductor: American Traditional
• Composer: Justin Morgan, Daniel Read, Anonymous, Timothy Swan, Alfred Marcus Cagle
• Audio CD (September 4, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Loft Recordings
• ASIN: B00005NHNL
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #170,534 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Psalm 63 'Early my God, without delay' (Montgomery)

2. Windham ('Broad is the road that leads to death')

3. Sweet Prospect, folk song

4. China, psalm tune

5. Soar away, fuging tune

6. The better land, fuging tune

7. Weepin' Mary, spiritual

8. White, shape-note revival song

9. Mortality, psalm tune

10. Eternal day, fuging tune

11. Heavenly union (music collected into Joseph Hillman's 'Revivalist, 1868'), religious ballad

12. Expression (music in 'The Sacred Harp', 1844), folk hymn

13. Evening shade, fuging tune

14. Kedron, folk hymn

15. Love the Lord, revival song

16. Condescension, religious ballad

17. All is Well, folk hymn

18. Africa, for chorus

19. Traveling on

20. Happy Land, folk hymn

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbridled spiritual energy, December 31, 2004

By	David Bogosian (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Anyone who saw "Cold Mountain" and was struck by the vitality and energy of the hymn singing in that one brief scene in church will be immediately impressed with this stunning album. The album's only flaw is that, unfortunately, it does not include that hymn that was in "Cold Mountain" (it is titled "I'm Going Home").

Otherwise, it is pure joy to listen to. The singing is full of that same raw passion that makes it sound so primitive. I've heard other albums where the sound is polished, concert-hall like, and as a result very dead. This is not that way; it moves and stirs as good spiritual music ought to.

This is a new field of music for me, even though I've sung in church choirs for years and listened to all kinds of classical music. Hearing this album makes me want to go find the sheet music and start singing it myself, it is so infectious.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Music of Hope and Glory, April 8, 2007

By	Dr. Michael B. Gehl (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although I have known about Sacred Harp Music for many years, this album utterly overwhelmed me in its power, beauty and expression of pure American strength and faithful surety. I grew up in the churches of Christ, one of the few American denominations that uses only a capella four-part harmony vocal music in their worship services. Shape notes were known to me since I was able to understand a musical staff, and we used shape notes for each note on the scale (a few more than The Sacred Harp Tradition). Alas, over time, the immense power and beauty of true Sacred Harp music was "homogenized" into congregational singing that remains quite beautiful, but no longer has the vigor of The Sacred Harp tradition. (The churches of Christ still, to this day, occasionally have "Sings" - an all afternoon singing festival with food and fellowship, as do Sacred Harp "Singing Classes" today). This album above all speaks - rather SINGS to the immense faith of Frontier America, and the absolutely majesterial beauty of music well-sung from the human heart, which is, of course, The "Sacred Harp". To any who want to experience a new (and very old) musical tradition, this recording will be one that you will never forget. All choral music singers and admirers should own this marvelous album. (Having a copy of the "1991 Sacred Harp Hymnal" in hand will make your enjoyment all the better!)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A difficult undertaking, well done, May 31, 2008

By	Martin Lodahl (Auburn, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm always concerned when real choirs approach the hymns of the shapenote tradition. This is music best experienced by singing it enthusiastically with untrained singers, and to my ears the most convincing and satisfying recordings have been the field recordings done years ago at rural shapenote sings. The simplicity and pungent sincerity of those performances seems to my ears to be perfectly suited to the music itself, and when "cleaned up" by a skilled choir, more is usually lost than gained. Its name suggests that "The Tudor Choir" specializes in a quite different genre, but in "The Shapenote Album" they sing the old hymns with sensitivity and grace. From the opening bars it's clear that these are musicians who understand tailoring vocal color to the material, and have a sense of the simplicity of approach most closely compatible with such too-rarely-performed gems as "China" and "Soar Away." In a few selections, notably "Heavenly Union," "Expression" and "Kedron," their virtuosity gets in the way, producing a self-conscious effect which seems ill-suited to the material. On balance, they've done an admirable job of steering between Scylla and Charybdis, producing a very pleasing album better suited to the entry-level shapenote listener than to the hardcore fan.