Sacred Harp Music to Fill Niles Gallery
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2009) - "You can hear the singing at a Sacred Harp convention 12 blocks away, I'm told. My children say 12 blocks isn't far enough - death metal folk, they call it,” writes author Mary Rose O'Reilly of Sacred Harp music in her book "The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd."
Kentucky's Appalachian Association of Sacred Harp Singers honors just the musical tradition O'Reilly describes in her book and this week they will perform at the University of Kentucky as part of "Appalachia in the Bluegrass," a concert series that explores traditional music in the Appalachian region. The free public concert featuring this 19th century folk hymnody is scheduled for noon Friday, Nov. 20, at the Niles Gallery, located in the University of Kentucky Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center.
Appalachian Association of Sacred Harp Singers is an informal group that comes together to sing from the Sacred Harp and Southern Harmony shape-note tradition. Formed around 1980, the group meets every second Sunday of the month to sing. An annual event, the Kentucky State Sacred Harp Singing, celebrating this form of vocals is presented each year at Pisgah Church in Woodford County on the Saturday before the third Sunday of May.
Sacred Harp is a uniquely American tradition that brings communities together to sing four-part hymns and anthems. Participants are not concerned with re-creating or re-enacting historical events. The form's tradition is a living, breathing, ongoing practice passed directly to today's singers by generations of singers, many gone on before and many still living. All events welcome beginners and newcomers, with no musical experience or religious affiliation required — in fact, the tradition was born from colonial “singing schools” whose purpose was to teach beginners to sing and the local group's methods continue to reflect this goal. Though "Sacred Harp" is not affiliated with any denomination, it is a spiritual experience, and functions as a religious observance for many singers.
Sacred Harp "singings" are not performances. There are no rehearsals and no separate seats for an audience. Every singing is a unique and self-sufficient event with a different group of assembled participants. The singers sit in a hollow square formation with one voice part on each side, they face inward so each individual can see and hear the other. However, visitors are welcome to sit anywhere in the room and participate as listeners.
"Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series, presented by UK's John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, showcases a diverse selection of traditional musical expression. This series focuses on the many faces of indigenous American folk music, celebrating its roots in old-time music. All "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concerts take place in the gallery of the Niles Center in the Little Fine Arts Library on UK's central campus. Niles Gallery concerts are scheduled on Fridays at noon and are free and open to the public.
The John Jacob Niles Center for American Music is a collaborative research and performance center of the UK College of Fine Arts, UK School of Music and UK Libraries.
For more information on the Appalachian Association of Sacred Harp Singers concert, contact Ron Pen, director of the Niles Center, by phone at (859) 257-8183