Eighth Garden State Sacred Harp Singing Convention & Fourth "Unconventional Sunday"

Convention details

Friday: Workshop with Paula McGray

Paula has earned the respect of singers from North and South alike. Her knowledge of many different varieties of traditional Sacred Harp singing, her keen powers of musical observation, and her ability to guide singers in a way that is at once both compelling and tactful have made her a much sought-after mentor for those of us in the Northeast who would "seek the old paths and walk therein." We are thrilled to have persuaded her to present some of her thoughts in a large public forum for the first time. This promises to be a valuable evening of singing, instruction, and conversation for new and experienced singers alike.

Saturday: All-day Singing with Dinner on the Grounds

Sunday: Our fourth "Unconventional Sunday"

We have once again been invited to spend the Sunday following the convention as guests of a local congregation.

Judson Memorial Church, is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches and the United Church of Christ. The 1890 church building incorporates important work of architect Stanford White, stained glass master John La Farge, and sculptor Augustus St. Gaudens

In the morning we will teach and demonstrate the rudiments of Sacred Harp singing for interested members of the congregation, then sing for and with the congregation during their regular Sunday service.

The afternoon session will include singing from The Sacred Harp 1991 edition while also particularly encouraging the singing of new songs and music from other shape-note books, including the Cooper revision and Eclectic Harmony. Please supply 60 copies of any new songs or songs from any other shape-note books that you wish to lead. Please observe copyright restrictions and obtain permission before copying where required.

Logistical details and information

Books

Copies of The Sacred Harp tunebook (1991 edition, 585 pages, hardbound) will be available for loan or for purchase.

Kids

Children are welcome and encouraged to sing! Childcare for young children may be available; please inquire.

Getting there

The convention venues are located in metro New Jersey and in nearby New York City, with easy access by highway or by public transportation from all points. For map and detailed travel directions, please see our directions page.

Housing

Information about hotel accomodations will be announced here shortly. Please check back or call 973 509-2165 for an update.

To inquire about housing with local singers, call 973 779-8290.

What is Sacred Harp singing?

It is a uniquely American music with roots in colonial New England congregational singing and a continuous tradition preserved by both black and white churches in the rural South. Since the 1970s it has been sung in all parts of North America by people of remarkably diverse musical and religious backgrounds.

Our tunebook, The Sacred Harp (first published in 1844 and most recently revised in 1991), is written in "shape notes": standard musical notation supplemented with variously shaped noteheads that make it easier for beginners to learn the notes of the scale and to learn to read music. But you don't need to read music to join in singing with us!

We sing in the traditional way, sitting in four sections facing each other around a hollow square, beating time together, taking turns leading from the center of the square. Three- and four-part counterpoint--whether devised by largely self-taught "folk" composers or by disciples of the classical masters--is enriched and expanded to six parts by octave doublings. Some songs are lively, some sober; a strongly felt rhythmic pulse governs both.

We sing early versions of standard hymns such as Amazing Grace, Old Hundred, Wayfaring Stranger, and Wondrous Love, much of the music in The Sacred Harp will be unfamiliar even to experienced choral singers: majestic ancient English and European psalm tunes, spirited 18th-century New England "fuging tunes," anthems, folk and gospel hymns, camp-meeting songs from the 19th-century frontier, and compositions in all of these traditional genres by the women and men who have preserved The Sacred Harp and its music through all the years of the 20th century.

For more information about Sacred Harp singing and Sacred Harp resources on the Internet, we recommend starting with Warren Steel's Sacred Harp page at the University of Mississippi.

Call or write us!

More information about Sacred Harp in New Jersey

Want to sing some more? Or get a head-start before the convention? Do you live in our area? Are you visiting? You are always welcome at our monthly Sacred Harp singings in Montclair, New Jersey.

You can also view our archive of pages for previous conventions and other past events.