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WRITING MUSIC IN THE SACRED HARP TRADITION

tation that the new book will be unveiled at the United tribute as composers. As mentioned in the beginning of
Sacred Harp Musical Association Convention in Sep- this article, there is no expectation of training or special
tember 2025. During the revision process, the commit- talent. The narrow stylistic confines make composing
tee received over 1,100 songs for consideration, most
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of which seem to have been new compositions. Every
song was sung and recorded at an open singing, and 157
finalist songs were recorded a second time at two all- “
day singings held in Georgia and the UK during June Participants take ownership of the
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2024. The purpose of the revision singings was both to practice by determining what music
ensure a fair evaluation, which requires that the songs be the community is going to sing and
sung and heard in their proper context, and to include how they are going to sing it.
the larger community of singers in the selection process. ”
It has not yet been announced how many new songs or
living composers will be added to The Sacred Harp, but it
is likely to be a large number. It appears that interest in
shape-note composition is at an exceptionally high level. accessible to a broad swath of participants, and the
use of shaped notes has been further demonstrated to
support creative activity. A related strength is that all
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Conclusion singers are encouraged to contribute as music directors,
Shape-note composers continue to gain inspiration taking their turn in the square to select and lead a song
and guidance for their work by carefully examining in the way they want to hear it sung. Both of these
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compositions from past generations and evaluating their practices contribute to the highly democratic nature of
reception within the community. Their intent is to con- Sacred Harp singing. Participants take ownership of
tribute to the tradition while remaining faithful to the the practice by determining what music the community
forms and styles that are so highly valued by singers. The is going to sing and how they are going to sing it. Other
greatest reward a shape-note composer can receive is to singing communities can learn from the Sacred Harp
see their song become meaningful to singers in the com- community and further democratize their activities by
munity. creating or expanding opportunities for participants to
The lengthy and intensive process by which the Den- compose songs, select repertoire, shape interpretation,
son revision of The Sacred Harp is currently being up- and possibly even make significant changes to the com-
dated, which will see little-used songs dropped from the positions of others. Empowering singers in this way in-
book and new songs added in their place, is centered on creases their investment and solidifies their shared iden-
maintaining the health and vibrancy of the singing com- tity as members of a meaningful collective.
munity. The revision committee is dedicated to keeping As we have demonstrated, shape-note music results
the songs that have accumulated meaningful and spiritu- from a collaborative effort between the community and
al associations across time. The new compositions that the composer. First, the values of shape-note singers—
will be incorporated hold a different kind of value for specifically, the values of community and participa-
the community: the composers of these songs will be tion—directly impact the contents of the compositions,
living members of the community, who sing and main- particularly in that each part is melodic. Second, this
tain a familial-like bond with the other participants. The value impacts the composers’ outlooks, specifically in
compositions in this tradition facilitate a deep connec- that they approach writing music with the communi-
tion between living composers and singers and those of ty in mind. Finally, this value affects the actual perfor-
generations past. mance of the songs in that the community has liberty to
One of the great strengths of the Sacred Harp sing- interpret and, in some cases, directly change the songs
ing community is that all singers are encouraged to con- themselves. In this way, the community-based nature

CHORAL JOURNAL March/April 2025 Volume 65 Number 7 19