Sacred Harp Singing Story aired: Monday, January 12, 2004
The current Civil War era film "Cold Mountain" is infused with music, including fiddlers, current folk superstar Alison Krause singing mountain tunes, and the sacred harp singers at Liberty Church.
In a scene in the movie, town members fill the church pews. Picture them: one hand holding a hymnal, the other slicing the air, Arms bending at the elbow, palms facing inward. Human metronomes, lockstep, marking time together.
It's a singing form that is still practiced today.
Maggie Holtzberg, folklorist with the Massachusetts Cultural Council, went into her archives and found recordings of sacred harp, also called shape note singing.
ATTEND A SINGING Monday January 12, 2004 from 7:45-10 PM. The singing is the regular 2nd Monday night open sing sponsored by Norumbega Harmony. It is held in Newton Centre, on the campus of the Andover-Newton Theological School, in the Meeting House behind Noyes Hall. Information and directions, including a map, are here: http://www.mit.edu/people/ijs/opensing.html.
If you can't make it on such short notice, you are welcome to any 2nd Monday sing.
Additionally, there is a 3rd Sunday sing in Charlestown, at St. John's Episcopal Church, 27 Devens St. Specifics are here: http://stoddardfamily.home.comcast.net/third_sunday.htm.
The next singing is Sunday, January 18.
There is also a Sacred Harp sing from 3:00 to 6:00 on the fourth Sunday of every month at Beneficent Congregational Church in downtown Providence. Details can be found at http://www.ri-sacredharp.net
Guests:
Maggie Holtzberg, folklorist with the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
