"Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

[Kevin O'Beirne]

I have no idea how "period" the music in "Cold Mountain" was, but I saw this article online and thought it worth sharing for those interested.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/14/sacred.harp.revival.ap/index.html

[SCSecesh]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

The Scared Harp/Shaped Note Singing/FaSoLa goes well back into the 18th century American and even further back "across the pond" in England. It appears to have been fairly popular in the Northeast and more rural South during the period. Today Sacred Harp singing goes on across the US with it's strongest adherants in the South especially Alabama and Northwest Georgia.
While my Grandfather always admitted "dropping out" of the singing school, he nevertheless would always warn us when he went on to sing, "Fa-fa-fa-so-so-la-la . . ."
A very good CD of the 100th Ala. Sacred Harp Convention is still available along with others (I find the "home made" versions to be prefereable to the commercial ones!!) as are updated hymnals based on the original Denson Edition. Much of the music goes waaaay back and some of the songs we sing in churches today were written for shaped note singing. The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion(1835), while not Sacred Harp per se seems to have a wealth of songs that show up in Sacred Harp Hymnals.
It seems very accurate to have had a church in rural Western NC singing the Sacred Harp method.

[ThehosGendar]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

While a majority of the soundtrack is more of a bluegrass variety (it was produced by T. Bone Burnett, the same fellow of "O Brother Where Art Thou" fame), the two shape note hymns are fantastic and perfect for the period. Most striking to me is the hymn "Idumea," which I heard perforned last weekend at a sing at St. Bartholomew's church on Park Ave in Manhattan, and appears in the Sacred Harp (an 1860 print can be seen on the LOC). Very powerful (and period) stuff.

[Spinster]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

I drive up to Liberty Baptist a couple of times a year to sing, and do other singings at the rate of about 2 a quarter--unlike the devout singer who is often at a different church every Sunday. Alas, when the call went out for Singers for the Cold Mountain track, it was on a day when I absolutely positively had to to be at work.

While The Sacred Harp (1991) has been through a number of revisions, the in-print book is more easily obtainable in large numbers than the older copies. A good rule of thumb for CW period singing is to sing from the front half of the book.

We've got a VERY mainstream CW event coming up in May, but a large number of area Singers are coming for a all-day singing in conjunction with the ubiquitious "beer, battle and ball". Should be fun, and in the interest of converting CW reenactors from on-lookers to Singers, I plan to raise a particular tune:

The Singers know this tune as "Sawyer's Exit". You know it as "Rosen the Beau"

Sawyer's Exit 338
Tune: John Massengale, 1850
Lyrics: S. B. Sawyer, 1859
Meter: 9s,8s (9,8,9,8)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How bright is the day when the Christian
Receives the sweet message to come,
To rise to the mansions of glory,
And be there forever at home.

Repeat (chorus):
And be there forever at home.
And be there forever at home.
To rise to the mansions of glory,
And be there forever at home.

The angels stand ready and waiting,
The moment the spirit is gone,
To carry it upward to heaven,
And welcome it safely home.

The saints that have gone up before us,
All raise a new shout as we come,
And sing hallelujah the louder
To welcome the travelers home.

[michael01612]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

I was working on a song titled "I'm A Long Time Travellin'" with my wife. As I researched the song I found that the song was from the Sacred Harp hymnal. I had never heard of "shape notes"...but I looked on the internet and learned some stuff. I was sharing our version of "I'm A Long Time Travellin'" (http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/...d=3240&alid=-1) with my wife's parents...and come to find out...my wife's father and grandfather used to sing from hymnals with shape notes and the my wife's father has a large collection of shape note hymnal books. I am really looking forward to seeing this collection next time I visit. My wife loves to sing these old-time gospel type songs...and if anyone likes her singing (see link above) and wants to try an online collaboration of a shape note song ...perhaps minstrel banjo and vocals...then please let me know.

Mike Foley

[fidlr1]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

[QUOTE=Kevin O'Beirne]I have no idea how "period" the music in "Cold Mountain" was, but I saw this article online and thought it worth sharing for those interested.

Some of it was OK--fiddle, good; banjo, good; mandolin--not so good (mandolins to my knowledge did not appear in this country until the large wave of Italian immigrants in the latter 19th century.) I have yet to find a period image of or reference to a mandolin....

The tune "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over" (melodically similar to "Skip to My Lou") was recorded in the 1920's by Fiddlin' John Carson--I'm not sure how far back that tune goes or if it was period or not.

Overall, they coulda done worse...

[RelicRoomGuy]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

25th September this year, South Carolina Civil War Symposium, Columbia - there's been interest expressed in having some Shaped Note singers - any ideas how we could get a good "period" performance done for this event? (I am not the final word on it but will enthusiastically pass suggestions along! Budget is tight, though...)

[northerngal]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

For those in the Northeastern region, there is a singing school to be held at Chelsea Studios in Manhattan on April 17. If you are interested, please e-mail me for more information. The regularly scheduled sing is the following day at 2:30 pm at St. Bart's Church on 50th and Park. Here is the website for the Manhattan sing, which is held every third Sunday:

Manhattan Sing

The Sacred Harp is full of wonderful songs, and the experience of singing with a group is awe inspiring and profoundly moving. It transcends having a "period moment", and I really believe that when you sing these songs in the company of others, certain notions and ideas fade, and thoughts are concentrated on the here and now. But, those are just my own thoughts about singing, for it really is a deeply personal form of expression. So, I would caution against going to one of these sings for just the 19th century aspect of the tradition. It's something that is just as applicable in modern life, too, and something that you might find you can't separate from the past and the present.

Also, for those of the northeastern persuasion, the Garden State Convention is being held this May. Here is the information:

2004 Garden State Convention

Natalie Baur
Learn more about shaped note singing
Hear shaped note singing

[65thgainf]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

My cousin is that type of singer. She actually appeared on the Academy Awards Show this year (along with the others) singing one of the songs from Cold Mountain. That was the ONLY reason I watched and was worth it. I could sit and listen to them all day long.

[GWilson]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

I know this is an old thread, but does anyone know if there are any Shape Note Singing CD's to purchase? I saw there was one on the fasola website, but they have not cashed my check, or returning my e-mails. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,

Grant Wilson

[ElizabethClark]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

http://www.singers.com/shapenote.html

There were several other sites listing similar CDs when I used Google to look up "shape note music CD".

Hope that helps! It's a wonderful music tradition!

[65thgainf]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

Georgia Public Television, is airing a special next Monday night.

Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp
Episode: 0
Nov 13, 2006 10:00 PM
Nov 17, 2006 12:00 AM

[Horton]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

I've seen that program and it is very well done. I had never heard anything about shape notes until that. I recomend tuning in to it.

[MissMaggie]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

Ok, I don't know if I'm being dense or just unmusical. But I just fail to understand what shape note singing is. Can someone put it into normal person terms for me?? Please bear in mind I can't sing, I've never been in a choir in my life and I barely passed middle school band.

[markj]

Re: "Cold Mountain" Shape Notes & Sacred Harp

I know this is an old thread, but does anyone know if there are any Shape Note Singing CD's to purchase? I saw there was one on the fasola website, but they have not cashed my check, or returning my e-mails. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,

Grant Wilson

Hi Grant,

You can always look on eBay: there are several "Sacred Harp" CD's for sale there right now.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=Sacred+Harp+CD&category0=&submitSearch=Search

Here's an old National Public Radio report about Sacred Harp singing:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1534280

Here's a link to the Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association. If anybody can help you obtain CD's, it has to be these folks. There are lots of links to other Sacred Harp sites too.

http://fasola.org/

Regards,

Mark Jaeger