Ordering the sacred harp the sacred harp publishing company. Sacred harp singing has been interdenominational since it began. Christians farewell on page 347 of the sacred harp aka red book, 1991 denson edition. The latest edition, published in 1991, is the most popular of the fourshape tune books used in the usa and is used at almost all sacred harp singings in the uk. Sacred harp publishing company 1991 edition sacred harp book company revised cooper edition old harp singing in east tennessee. The other three thursdays of the month, we will still sing from denson, but also from the missouri harmony, shenandoah harmony, and norumbega harmony. The term sacred harp refers to the human voice and is also name of the tune book from which we sing, first published in 1844 and most recently revised in 1991. While some shape note books include oldfashioned gospel hymns, the music in the most widely used book, the 1991 sacred harp, has an unfamiliar older sound.
The shenandoah harmony is a new shapenote book published in 2012. Please let me know about all errors in this website. The different books we sing from, and where to buy them. The 1991 edition of the sacred harp was produced with an editorial committee headed by hugh mcgraw 19312017 of bremen, where the sacred harp publishing company is now located. Out of respect for members with sensitivities to scents and electromagnetic fields, please avoid wearing perfumed products and power down cell phones or leave them in your car. The sacred harp, revised cooper edition online index.
The denson edition of the sacred harp 1991the denson book as it is generally calledis the most widely used of the hardback old song books used at shapenote congregational singings in churches throughout alabama. Buy yourself a copy of the sacred harp, 1991 edition songbook. Singing from the christian harmony and the sacred harp, 1991 edition. Books fasola philadelphia sacred harp and shapenote. Victoria sacred harp uses the 1991 edition of the sacred harp the denson book. The reason for the nickname derives from the history of the book.
Photographs of sacred harp singings by martha beverly and robert chambless. For the first three years, the conventions were two book singings using the sacred harp denson edition, 1991 and the northern harmony, and aimed at attracting those who had been taught by larry gordon and. Consequently, a book such as the makers of the sacred harp, whose primary focus is on the individuals who wrote the words andor the music for the several hundred songs that are included in the various editions of the hymnal, is a most welcome addition to the. We sing from the 1991 denson sacred harp and the missouri harmony. It is also referred to as the denson book or the red book. Richard lee delong february 28, 1963 may, 2020 was a leading figure in contemporary sacred harp singing.
Includes unpaginated general index and index of first lines. First published in 1844, the sacred harp is certainly the most wellknown and, arguably, the most important american shapenote hymnal. The shapenote system uses squares, triangles, circles and diamonds corresponding to notes in the scale, making the music easy to sing for beginners and experienced alike. Meanwhile, the poetry of the 1991 revision is available in chris thormans online index. Denson, 1911 because today i shall outline a method for writing shapenote music in four voices. The hesperian harp contains music mostly in the idiom of the most widely used contemporary fourshape tune book, the sacred harp, which appears in three different editions. Palo alto shape note the sacred harp 1991 denson edition. Officially titled the sacred harp, 1991 edition with the word edition on the outer cover replaced by the word revision on the inside title page. We host an allday singing at the end of august, and we regularly sing at other northern california singings.
My current project is to include the lyrics of each hymn on the webpage with the score. White sacred harp, dark gray for the christian harmony, light blue for the georgian harmony, and light green for the social harp. It is famous for its cheese notes see notes to song no. Directory and minutes of sacred harp singings 1990 and 1991 and names and addresses of sacred harp singers throughout the usa. Denson edition of the sacred harp encyclopedia of alabama. Twenty tunes in the 1991 edition of the sacred harp are credited to him. Its roots lie in the singing school movement begun in new england during the 1720s, in which singing masters compiled books of music instruction designed to teach note reading for singing in churches. The word index is currently not available for the songs on page 195 and above. He taught frequently in singing schools and served as the youngest member of the editorial board that created the 1991 revision of the sacred harp, the most widely used book for sacred harp singing born in atlanta, georgia, delong was a traditional sacred harp singer, meaning. Two other books are currently used by sacred harp singers.
This editionrevision is still frequently termed the denson book by many. The sacred harp 1991 is descended from a series of shapenote books that began in 1844. William hauser, 1848 welcome to my web site which contains links to all the music from the hesperian harp, the largest, and arguably the best, of the shapenote tune books of the nineteenth century. The hesperian harp, contents of website sacred harp. Officially titled the sacred harp, 1991 edition with the word edition on the outer cover replaced by the word revision on the inside title. Welcome to the sacred harp publishing company the sacred. The sacred harp 1991, hardcover for sale online ebay. Publishers of the sacred harp, 1991 edition, the sacred harp publishing company promotes traditional. The sacred harp, 1991 edition this is the most popular shapenote tunebook in use today for a cappella singing of religious music, mostly of early american origin, in fourpart harmony.
Loaner copies are available for new singers and visitors. The sacred harp loaner copies of the sacred harp 1991 denson edition song book will be available at all the singings so dont feel as though you need to bring a copy with you. This is a wonderful book of traditional style of sacred harp singing. Church is located across church street from wofford college in spartanburg.
Use these indexes to explore the poetry in the sacred harp, 1991 edition. White sacred harp cooper revision you may look up any song by title, page number, first line, composer, poet, or meter you may also look up words or verses using the word index. You can also buy a copy of the book at most of the singings. This index contains the lyrics of all songs in the b. All the tunes published in editions before 1859 or after that date, but before 1911, can also be. We mostly sing from the sacred harp 1991 denson edition, and we have loaner copies that you can borrow. The 1991 edition is the more widely used edition of the sacred harp in use today. The sacred harp tune book, first published in 1844, has been revised and republished periodically ever since. Victoria sacred harp 18thcentury shapenote singing for. The sacred harp is a shapenote tunebook first published in 1844 in hamilton, georgia, and used for congregational singing. The history of the uk sacred harp convention in 1996, the first two day singings known as shapenote conventions were held. Ordering the sacred harp buy yourself a copy of the sacred harp, 1991 edition songbook.
The 1991 edition the successor to the denson revision is the more widely used of two major editions of the sacred harp in use today, particularly in the north and central regions of alabama, georgia, and mississippi, and among the many sacred harp singers outside the south. Singing from this book and other sacred harp editions is sacred harp singing the 1991 edition the successor to the denson revision is the more widely used of two major editions of the sacred harp in use. It has been traditionally used in the florida panhandle, the southern regions of georgia, alabama, and mississippi, and in texas. The sacred harp tune book, first published in 1844, has been. Sacred harp 411 morning prayer surround sound youtube. Sacred harp bremen germany singing robotsthe sacred harp singers of bremen, germany, designed this website containing mp3 recordings of computergenerated singing, known as singing robots, to assist them in learning the songs in the sacred harp, 1991 edition denson book and the christian harmony, 2010 edition. This 1991 book is the choice among singers in northern georgia and alabama. The word index is published in book form as the sacred harp. The most common nationwide nickname for this book is denson book. Directory and minutes of sacred harp singings 1990 and 1991 and names and addresses of sacred harp singers throughout the usa parker, nora on. The cooper edition is a tunebook descended from the 19thcentury sacred harp and initially published in 1902 by w. Notes this edition of the sacred harp was the forerunner of the 1936 denson edition the direct ancestor of the current 1991 edition. To obtain copies of the sacred harp and other song books, see steven sabols tunebooks, music books, and hymnals. We sing from the 1991 denson sacred harp and offer a workshop to teach new singers a little about singing sacred harp music.
The tunes which white composed, arranged, and adapted for the sacred harp have that rare quality of long life and many have remained favorites in todays singing. We hope to sing from the missouri harmony book in addition to the the sacred harp, 1991 editionloaner books will be available. This singing is held on the saturday before the first sunday in november. Published first by the sacred harp publishing company, founded by alabamian tom denson in 1933, the denson edition continues to have strong alabama ties in its later. Several of its authors and contributors have ties to the philadelphia area. Your religious or political affiliation doesnt matter at a singing. There is singing in the hyde park neighborhood every thursday. The denson edition of the sacred harp 1991the denson book as it is generally calledis the most widely used of the hardback old. There everlasting spring abides, 289 greensborough 392 manchester 446. The harp of columbia, and early editions of the sacred harp. The sacred harp, 1991 edition published by the sacred harp publishing company.
1076 1481 1424 215 440 610 321 1198 422 1203 866 1468 1415 140 637 87 236 1382 1445 741 481 667 179 634 1073 1380 874 366 262 1244 1239 242 432 1209 575