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Sacred Harp Singing in Cincinnati |
We sing EVERY MONTH at Community Friends Meeting in North Avondale. This is on the 2nd Sunday of each month, 4:30-7:30, with a potluck meal. Any changes to this schedule will be posted prominently here on this page.
Sacred Harp singing uses the book The Sacred Harp (orig. 1844), which features a style of music popular during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its most distinctive characteristic is the use of shape notes to indicate the degree of the musical scale. Just as in nineteenth century singing schools, Sacred Harp singers sing the names of the notes "fa," "sol," "la," and "mi" before singing the text. Singers sit in a "hollow square," with the bass, tenor, treble, and alto facing the leader in the center.
As the film clip describes, Sacred Harp singing is undergoing a revival in northern cities like Cincinnati. For more information on Sacred Harp singing in general, the "fasola" webpage is a good resource—http://fasola.org.
Directions and Singing Information
Sacred Harp singing meets on the 2nd Sunday of each month, 4:30-7:30pm. We have a communal meal at 6:00pm—please join us!
The meetings are informal and proceed by taking turns choosing songs from the book. Often easy songs are chosen if newcomers are present. Veteran singers are eager to answer any questions. There is no admission charge, no membership, no audition, no choir director, no rehearsal, and no performance—just singing. Sacred Harp singing thrives on large numbers, so veterans are usually eager to help newcomers learn the fundamentals.
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Community Friends Meeting
Potluck — We have a potluck meal around 6pm during the singing. Most singers bring a modest contribution but this is not required. There is a fully-equipped kitchen with a gas stove with oven, fridge, utensils, dishes, etc. Donation — The church has asked for $2/person donation for use of the building. We will pass a collection basket midway through the singing. |
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NEW YEAR'S DAY SINGING
Each year on January 1st, Cincinnati sponsors an "all-day singing" from 10am-3:30pm. This is a wonderful event that attracts singers from around the midwest and brings together old friends who are in Cincinnati for the holidays.
EMAIL LIST
We have a low-volume email list to announce special events, changes to the schedule, monthly reminders, and other important news. This a yahoogroups list, so you can manage your own subscription. Or you may contact the moderator, John Bealle at jbealle@spsp.net. When your subscription is appoved you should receive a welcome message and then you'll begin receiving the announcements when they occur.
The pertinent email addresses for the list are these:
HISTORY
Records indicate that the first meeting was held June 26, 1988, with six singers. In 1990 we hosted a singing school taught by Richard DeLong, held in a classroom at Xavier University. There for the first time we met the singers from Columbus. Soon after, we jointly established the Yellow Springs singing.LINKS
Link to this page: http://tinyurl.com/CincinnatiSacredHarp