WASHINGTON, Ark.-Washington Methodist Church hosts an all-day, a cappella Sacred Harp singing this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Josh Williams, an event organizer and a curator at Historic Washington State Park, said the day involves an older style of teaching how to read and sing music. Sacred Harp singing, so named after a tune book, was developed in the 19th century.
"There were particular types of songbooks that were made for that," Williams said. They arose in the 1820s and 1830s, and singers used them to learn how to sing.
"They sit in a square with the four different parts, like alto, tenor, bass-in that sense-and soprano. They each sing their four lines," Williams said. "So that's basically what will be happening. They'll be singing a variety of different songs out of these Sacred Harp hymnals, which are reproductions that have been reprinted with original songs in them from the 1830s publications."
There are new songs added, too. "There's a national association of Sacred Harp singers, and they get together for singing conventions all around the country at different times," Williams said. "Some have written new songs to add into the hymnals."
The general public is invited to attend, no matter their experience or lack thereof. There's no cost.
"Anyone that wants to," Williams said about who can attend, noting the point is to teach people how to sing. Singers from Sacred Harp groups in Texas and Arkansas will participate.
"All of them have long-term experience in this type of thing so they will help guide you in how it's done," Williams said, who added that the singing sounds both unique and boisterous. It's like a chant. "Definitely sing out when you're doing it," he said.
"When singing there's only basically four types of shape notes that they go with. Most of us have learned the seven: do re mi fa sol la ti. But in this case it's fa sol la mi are the ones that they do," Williams said.
It's interesting in that when singers first start out a listener thinks they're singing in a foreign language, he said, as they sing the notes. Then after they've gone through once with the shape names, singers continue with the words to a song.
Groups in Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Texas, for example, meet a couple times a month to practice this method of singing. A leader guides everyone through each particular song.
Washington Methodist has hosted a Sacred Harp singing event for about five years, Williams said.
No experience is required and anyone is welcome to attend. Songbooks are provided. There's no need to sign up ahead of time. This is a come-and-go-event.
Find out more about this unique type of singing at fasola.org.
(Washington Methodist Church is located at 124 Arkansas Highway 195 South. More info: 870-703-8256 or [email protected].)