Sacred Harp in Cork this coming weekend

The Cork Sacred Harp association, who sing every Thursday from 7.00 to 9.00 p.m. in the Unitarian Church, Prince's St., Cork city, will hold their Double Half Day Singing this coming weekend (Sat. 27 Aug.-Sun. 28 Aug.). Anyone who wishes to take part should complete the registration form, which is primarily concerned with precautions against the spread of Covid. The form can also be seen on the group's Facebook page.

Other Sacred Harp groups in this island appear to be relatively quiescent, but anyone interested in singing Sacred Harp in Dublin, Belfast, or Galway should check the links in the 'Sacred Harp' section of the BIB sidebar.

© Richard Hawkins

Change and tradition in Appalachia

The Bitter Southerner online magazine publishes today 'The Mountain Traditions Project', a report by Michael O. Snyder on the project he is conducting to document the experiences of the diversity of people who live in Appalachia and their varied responses to change. So far, nearly sixty individuals have been consulted; extracts from the stories of thirty or so of them (all with photographs) are in the article, and more can be heard on the project's podcast.

The informants, who come from many aspects of life in Appalachia, include Amy Lough, ballad singer and dulcimer player; the Mountain Anthems, a shape-note-singing congregation; Slim Harrison, dance caller; and the Rev. Frankie Revell, banjo-player, who says:

... everything good that's ever happened in my life has happened as a result of the banjo. I think it's just a part of my calling; I'm going to preach, and I'm going to pick.

He also says, however, 'I don't know why we closely guard these traditions. For me, it's another thing that hurts us.' The photo of his instrument collection is well worth seeing in itself.

Update 7 Sept.: The Bitter Southerner has reissued this article, without Frankie Revell's last quoted words, whioh may have seemed out of harmony with the purpose of the Mountain Traditions Project.

© Richard Hawkins

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin: forward with safety

Following on from their announcement a week ago, Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin (SHSoD) met on 9 Oct. to discuss how to organise continuing singings, in accordance with the government's 'Resilience and recovery 2020-2021: Plan for living with COVID-19'. (A recording of the meeting is available from SHSoD.)

In addition to the COVID-19 attendance form, which should be downloaded and completed by anyone intending to attend a singing session, SHSoD have added a 'Singing safely checklist' to their website, listing procedures that will be carried out before, during, and after singings. They announce:

Our future singings will be run in line with these documents. The health and safety of our singers is extremely important to us, and we thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin: COVID precautions

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin have issued a COVID-19 attendance form which can be downloaded and should be completed by anyone intending to attend a singing session. The Dublin group add this warning:

If you answer Yes to any of the questions below, please do not attend. We strongly recommend you self-isolate at home and contact your GP promptly for further advice.

There may be a problem with the link for opening this form if you have received the news in an e-mail from Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin; however, the link shown above seems OK. This news follows upon the group's report in June:

During Phase 2, some of our regular members have been trialing outdoor gatherings of fewer than 15 people, maintaining distance and wearing face masks. Our experience with this is that we can sing successfully and safely but due to weather and other people in the area we are not able to guarantee that singings will go ahead. For that reason, we will not publish times and dates of planned singings. If you are interested in attending, please get in touch with me or one of the other singers and we can discuss when and how we can sing together. As always, we are delighted to welcome beginners and newcomers (and old friends!).

Sacred Harp in No Depression - and from Cork, too

In its '50 States of Folk' series, No Depression magazine posted on 21 Aug. an article by Kara Kundert entitled 'The Sacred Harp of Henagar, Alabama'. Though Kundert singles out Liberty Baptist Church in Henagar, Alabama, as an important centre, the article is a much more wide-ranging survey of Sacred Harp singing and serves well as a general introduction to this powerful genre.

Moreover, one of the videos embedded in the text shows 146 'Hallelujah' being sung at the second Ireland Sacred Harp Convention (3-4 March 2012). This can also be seen on YouTube, where it is one of the many videos on the Cork Sacred Harp YouTube channel. (The Cork Sacred Harp logo is shown above because it's neat; with no disrespect to the Sacred Harp communities in Belfast, Dublin, and Galway.)

A playlist of thirty-second samples of shape-note singing is appended to the article.

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin and new pandemic guidance

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin have just added the following announcement to their website:

From 29 July Ireland will enter Phase 3 of easing COVID-19 restrictions. Singing is permitted subject to specific guidance published by the government. We are keen to ensure the health and safety of our members and the general public and will follow these guidelines.

We will not be resuming our regular Friday night singings during Phase 3 as our venue has been used for other, very worthy, causes and it is not currently available to us. During Phase 2, some of our regular members have been trialing outdoor gatherings of fewer than 15 people, maintaining distance and wearing face masks. Our experience with this is that we can sing successfully and safely but due to weather and other people in the area we are not able to guarantee that singings will go ahead. For that reason, we will not publish times and dates of planned singings. If you are interested in attending, please get in touch with me or one of the other singers and we can discuss when and how we can sing together. As always, we are delighted to welcome beginners and newcomers (and old friends!).

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin cancel 4 July all-day singing

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin have just added the following announcement to their website and Facebook:

Friends, we are sorry to cancel our All-Day singing on 4th July due to COVID-19 and associated safety restrictions. However, we look forward to singing with you all again in the future.

The BIB assumes that the Sacred Harp groups in Cork, Belfast, and Galway are doing likewise.

Sacred Harp singings suspended in Dublin till further notice

Following the suspension of their March singing session, Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin have just added the following new post, 'Suspended singing', to their website and Facebook. Links have been added by the BIB.

Our regular Friday singings will also be suspended during April, and until further notice. Please keep an eye on the Facebook, Meetup, or WordPress sites for when we will resume. Keep well, and thanks.

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin cancel March singing

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin have just added the following new post, 'Pause in singing for March 2020', to their website and Facebook. Links have been added by the BIB.

Hi everyone, we will not be holding our regular Friday singing during the month of March. Please keep an eye on the Facebook, Meetup, or WordPress sites for further updates.

*

Steve Martin (USA) and Martin Short (CAN) brought their critically acclaimed comedy tour 'The Funniest Show In Town At The Moment', featuring the Steep Canyon Rangers, to the 3Arena in Dublin on Wednesday (11 Mar.) but cancelled the show in the SSE Arena in Belfast last night, with this announcement from Steve on Twitter:

Dear Belfast ticket-holders, in light of the ever-evolving global situation, Marty and I have decided to postpone our Belfast show until happier times. Last night’s thrilling Dublin show turns out to be our sad farewell – for a while – to our beautiful Ireland and Scotland tour.

Sacred Harp Dublin (and elsewhere) in Florence

Thanks to the Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin for this news, which appears on their website under the title 'Firenze Fasola Frenzy!':

On Saturday 15 February 2020, 41 attendees from six countries gathered to sing at St James Church, Florence, Italy.

We sang 100 songs, somehow had enough loaners, ate ALL THE PIZZA, found pond snails, mourned long-dead dogs of dubious nomenclature, and generally had a lovely time.

We can’t wait until our next adventure singing!

BIB editor's note: A ten-strong Sacred Harp ensemble made a powerful and much appreciated contribution to the Saturday night concert at last weekend's Irish Old Time Appalachian Music Gathering in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare.

Old Time Gathering workshop and dance schedule announced

Thanks to Andrew Lambert for a copy of the schedule that has been sent to all persons who are already registered for this coming weekend's 3rd Annual Irish Old Time Appalachian Music Gathering in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare. The workshop schedule will be flexed where possible to fit participants’ needs.

On Saturday morning Clay Buckner will be tutoring in fiddle technique at all levels, and in the afternoon mandolin accompaniment and tunes, all in the upper room of the Roadside Tavern. He will be available to teach old-time fiddle style there on Sunday morning if there is a demand.

Bob Denton will be tutoring technique on 5-string banjo at all levels on Saturday morning, and in the afternoon guitar accompaniment - all in the Burren Smokehouse.

Jeremy Child will give two introductory workshops in contra dance on Saturday afternoon in the Burren Storehouse.

The shape-note singing workshop, to be given by Ross Harbison on Saturday afternoon in the Burren Smokehouse) is free. Admission to each of the other workshops is €10 per person. Admission to the concert and barn-dance on Saturday night in the Storehouse is free to all those who have registered and paid to attend the Gathering, and is €10 for anyone else.

Cork Sacred Harp celebrates a decade with 10th Annual Convention, 29 Feb.-1 Mar. 2020

Thanks to Laurie Skelton of Cork Sacred Harp for this logo and press release (a fine introduction to Sacred Harp singing for those who are new to it):

Cork Sacred Harp will host the tenth annual Ireland Sacred Harp Singing Convention on 29 February through 1 March 2020 at St Maries of the Isle on Bishop St. in Cork city.

The Sacred Harp Singers of Cork have been meeting every week to sing melodies from the Sacred Harp for over a decade. Drop by the Unitarian Church on Princes Street any Thursday at 7.00 p.m. and, as you walk through the front door, you’ll be met with a booming chorus of voices singing a cappella 'shape-note' harmonies. Once inside, however, you may be surprised to find the number of people singing rarely matches the impressive sound heard from the street. In the centre of the room, somewhere between seven and fifteen people are seated in a small cluster of chairs arranged in a square formation. Here, the community is small and the voices are big.

Sacred Harp music isn’t your typical choral music and Sacred Harp singers aren’t your typical choral singers. The music itself uses a system of 'shape notes' — comprised of squares, triangles, circles, and diamonds—as an extra visual aid for reading music. When singing a song from the book, singers first 'sing the shapes' on the page as syllables before singing the song with the words. Singers are typically — though not required to be —untrained, and sing in their full voice. Some come to singing through generations of family tradition, while others simply fall into it.

Over the past ten years, the group gathering to sing every week in Cork has fluctuated, occasionally growing and occasionally shrinking. Sometimes twenty people show up. Sometimes four. But the spirit has never wavered and the singing has never stopped. And, no matter how small the group becomes, their numbers swell exponentially each year in March as hundreds of singers from all over the world show up to Cork for the annual Ireland Sacred Harp Convention — come rain or sleet or snow.

The Ireland Sacred Harp Convention is one of the largest in Europe and draws quite the crowd of shape-note singers from all across Europe and North America. The sound is impressive and the atmosphere is both warm and welcoming. Singing along is highly encouraged. To get a sense of what the music sounds like, you can find recordings from Cork Sacred Harp on YouTube and Bandcamp. For those interested in participating, all voices are welcome and no experience is necessary. More details are available on Facebook, on Meetup, and at corksacredharp.com.

Thurs. 27 Feb. 2020: 19.00–21.00, weekly singing in the Unitarian, Princes St., Cork
Fri. 28 Feb. 2020: 19.00–21.00, Singing School with Sadhbh O'Flynn in St Maries of the Isle, Bishop St., Cork
Sat. 29 Feb.-Sun. 1 Mar. 2020: 10.30–16.00, Tenth Ireland Convention in St Maries of the Isle, Bishop St., Cork (09.30-10.00; registration on both days)

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin news

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin have just added the following new post, '2020 Vision', to their website. Links have been added by the BIB. For further details, see the Dublin Sacred Harp Facebook.

Hello singing friends!

We have some exciting plans for this year, beginning with an adventure singing trip to Florence on 15 February.

We have just updated our All-Day tab to include information for our full day singing event on Saturday 4 July 2020. We are fortunate to be singing in the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks this year and we’re really looking forward to it.

Many of us will be making singing trips to other singing locations throughout the year – some of these include the Ireland Convention in Cork [27 Feb.-2 Mar.] and the Paris All-Day.

We will also be participating in Culture Night in September.

We sing every Friday, 19.00–21.00. All voices welcome, especially newcomers and beginners.

Hope to sing with you soon!

Lisdoonvarna 2020 - THE hub for old-time music!

From Andrew Lambert and Bob Denton, organisers of the Annual Irish Old-Time Appalachian Music Gathering, to all lovers of old-time music:

Greetings, and Happy New Year,

We hope you’ll be coming to the 3rd (and only) All-Ireland Old Time Appalachian Music Gathering. It should be a cracker!

We are continuing with our quest to get the old-time music enthusiasts of Ireland to meet once a year, and thus emulate in a small way what the Trad Irish music community has been doing for decades at the Fleadh and the Willie Clancy week.

We meet on 21-23 February in Lisdoonvarna. This year we are sticking our neck out and paying air fares, etc., for both a top musician to lead our sessions – Clay Buckner, fiddler with the mighty Red Clay Ramblers – and for a caller to lead the barndance on Saturday night (Jeremy Child).

Responding to demand, we have also included an added dimension of Appalachian musical culture, by inviting Shape-Note singers to join the weekend. Some of them have already attended as musicians.

As in year 1, we will offer some instrumental and dance workshops, plus a Shape-Note singing workshop for those who are interested. We will post an outline programme on the website shortly, including listing of workshops.

As you know, we only ask that attendees put €10 a head into the pot (€15 if registering after 31 Jan.) so that we can hopefully cover at least some of our costs. A good turnout of locals on Saturday night (concert/ barndance) will help.

PLEASE REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE ON THE WEBSITE – otherwise we can’t plan. Do so before 31 Jan. and it’s only €10.

While this year the Sleepzone Hostel will not be open*, the Ritz and Ravine are offering B&B at only €35 per head; and the Boghill Centre just outside Lisdoonvarna offers hostel-style accommodation for those who want it. Also check local Air BNBs and see our accommodation page on the website for a few more tips.

So we are really looking forward to re-creating the great buzz of the last two years, and having a great weekend of music and more.

See you in Lisdoonvarna!

Andy & Bob
----------------------
*A few folks felt that the Sleepzone Hostel was a bit damp last year. Sleepzone have decided it is just not economic to prepare properly just for one weekend (out-of-season) and then close down again.

Web links and bold type above have been added by the BIB.

3rd Annual Irish Old Time Appalachian Music Gathering, 21-23 Feb. 2020

Thanks to Andrew Lambert, co-organiser (with Bob Denton) of 'Irish Old Time', for this poster image and news of the 3rd Annual Irish Old Time Appalachian Music Gathering, to be held again in Lisdoonvarna on 21-23 Feb. 2020. Active preparations are in progress, and Andrew reports (with bold type added by the BIB):

It’ll be more like the first year in terms of things going on.

We are bringing over Clay Buckner, fiddler with the famed Red Clay Ramblers – he’ll lead sessions and do a workshop or two.. We also plan to bring in an experienced caller (from the UK) who will do a dance workshop. We are also planning to feature some shape-note singing, and a workshop on that.

More details are to come. Andrew adds:

PS: played last night down in Cork with Ian & Sheena Knepper and the crew – at a fine pub called Fionnbarra. Great time had by all!

Update 18 Dec.: In place of the poster image that first appeared on this post, Bob Denton sends a revise (above) showing some of the Gathering's activities.

Cork Sacred Harp hosts ninth All-Day Singing, 24 Aug. 2019

Thanks to Laurie Skelton of Cork Sacred Harp for this press release:

Cork Sacred Harp will host its ninth annual Sacred Harp All-Day Singing on 24 August 2019 at St Finbarre's Hall on Dean St. in Cork city. 



Sacred Harp singing, a folk tradition with strong ties to the southern United States, has been thriving in Cork for over a decade. There are a lot of peculiarities about the musical style, but the first thing most people notice is that it's loud. Very loud. Unlike conventional choirs, Sacred Harp singers sing in their full natural voices, which produces a powerful sound capable of booming down corridors and rattling windowpanes.

The second thing people tend to notice is the unfamiliar musical notation. Sacred Harp music uses a system of shaped notes — composed of squares, triangles, circles, and diamonds — to represent the solfège syllables (e.g. fa, so, la, and mi) of the scale. This system, dating from at least the late eighteenth century, was developed as a teaching aid to make reading music easier for beginners. To learn a new tune, participants first sing the notes on the page as syllables before singing the song with the words.



The Cork Sacred Harp All-Day Singing consistently draws seasoned shape-note singers from all across Europe. Spectators are welcome, but singing along is highly encouraged! To get a sense of what the music sounds like, you can find recordings from Cork Sacred Harp on YouTube and Bandcamp. For those interested in participating, all voices are welcome and no experience is necessary! More details are available on Facebook, on Meetup, and at corksacredharp.com.

Thurs. 22nd: 19.00–21.00, weekly singing in the Unitarian, Princes St., Cork
Fri. 23rd: 19.00–21.00, singing school with Matthew Parkinson of Bristol in the Unitarian, Princes St., Cork
Sat. 24th: 10.30–16.00, All-Day Singing in St Finbarre's Hall, Dean St., Cork

The Tenth Ireland Sacred Harp Convention will be held on the last weekend in February 2020 (details TBA). The Sacred Harp Singers of Cork can be contacted by corksacredharp@gmail.com, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Shape Note Singers Galway - link corrected

Thanks to Sean McGrath in Galway for drawing attention to the link that was previously shown on the BIB for the Shape Note Singers Galway Facebook page, and which had ceased to be operational. Sean supplied the BIB with a corrected address, and the Galway singers should now be accessible here.

Sacred Harp Dublin to sing in Rome, 1-2 June 2019

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin announce that on the June bank holiday weekend (1-2 June 2019) they will be in Rome (yes, the capital of Italy) for a singing trip. The proposed schedule comprises singing from 13.30 to 17.30 on both days, with a group dinner on Saturday, and Sunday morning free for personal activities. It should be possible to combine this with flights from and back to Dublin within the two days - details are on the Sacred Harp Dublin website. Venue and location will be announced shortly.

Everyone will be responsible for booking their own travel and accommodation and bringing their own copy of The Sacred Harp. Anyone who does not own a copy should contact the organisers. Sacred Harp Dublin add:

We would be delighted to have non-Dublin singers join us, if they are not planning to head to the undoubtedly excellent Oslo All Day [yes, the capital of Norway].

'New year, more singing!' from Sacred Harp Dublin

Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin announce:

Happy new year! We have resumed our regular schedule of Friday night singings. We meet 19.00-21.00 in the Friary Centre, Cook St. Newcomers and beginners are always welcome, please come along and sing with us!

We will be starting our alternative source singings again once a month, on Monday nights, 19.00-21.00 in the same place.

We will also be running or attending several special events during the year, which will include:

• 8th February (Friday): Sacred Harp Singers of Dublin 7th birthday party
• 1st - 4th March (Friday-Monday): Ninth Ireland Sacred Harp Convention in Cork
• April (TBC): Adventure Double Most Day. Following the success of last year's Tullamore sing, we're planning to do it again, but somewhere else. Watch this space!
• 6th July (Saturday): Dublin All-Day
• 20th September (Friday): Culture Night
• October (TBC): National Choral Singing Week event
• 23rd November (Saturday): 3rd Annual Isaac Watts Day
• December (TBC): ChristmaSing

Currently unscheduled but proposed:

• Tayto Park field trip/ singing
• Summer park songs in St Stephen's Green
• Keying and leading workshops

We hope to sing with you soon!

Sacred Harp in the Bitter Southerner - and in Dublin

With Sacred Harp Dublin due to celebrate Isaac Watts Day* just a month from now (Saturday 24 November), the Bitter Southerner online magazine publishes today Chuck Reece's article 'Let everybody sing' about the ancient, living Sacred Harp tradition and the communities that it forms. Reece grew up in the north Georgia mountains where all-day singing conventions and dinner on the ground were a major part of life: the conventions

represented refuge for certain people — folks like me who could barely sit through a sermon, squirming at the threats of hellfire and brimstone, but who still wanted to touch the divine, whatever that was. Singing conventions were for folks who preferred that music help them reach the divine.

And this lies at the root of its widening appeal; Reece describes those who came to a convention at Big Creek Primitive Baptist Church, Alpharetta, Georgia:

People from all over the world will converge on this tiny church for two days of nothing but singing and food. Germans. Irishmen, Irishwomen, Irishchildren. People with varying levels of melanin. Jews. Gentiles. Muslims. Even atheists, for God’s sake.

The article, with audio examples supplied by Myke Johns and photographs by Johnathon Kelso, is a fine introduction to the Sacred Harp world, with a link to the Sacred Harp singing website and the Matt and Erica Hinton film Awake my soul: the story of the Sacred Harp. Recommended.

*Isaac Watts (1674-1748), 'Godfather of English hymnody', is credited with writing some 750 hymns. The celebration this year will be on the day before the 270th anniversary of his death, and will be held from 14.00 to 17.30 in the Robert Emmet Community Development Centre on Usher St., Dublin 8.