Sacred Harp at Gwehelog, South Wales

Ballstown (217), lead at Gwehelog Methodist Church, South Wales, 7 July 2007

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Sacred
• Harp
• Gwehelog

[PLBrayfield]

Is this a group of American Sacred Harp singers spreading the bounty abroad? Or do they sing Sacred Harp in South Wales without the help of Americans? Either way, I really enjoyed this!

[ferricm]

These are mostly English Sacred Harp singers. There are several all-day sings and a couple of conventions in the UK at present.

[29vjGKfg783Gownc]

Nope, the Sacred Harp is a uniquely Southern book containing shape-note tunes, which themselves are a uniquely American book form of music. There were some things in Britain which grew into shape-note music in America, but saying it's British would be like saying that because the idea of democracy originated in Greece, that all democratic countries are Greek.

[pokoid]

I don't know what the controversy is. Of course some of the old tunes have British roots and there were and are some shape note traditions in Britain (West gallery music/Gaelic psalms), but that doesn't detract from the fact that Americans have developed this into something uniquely American in feel. Whatever its roots I have never heard this music as a living tradition in England. It is powerful and amazing, and the Americans who keep it alive should cherish it and be proud of it!

[Sadhbhishness]

@ServusGrueziHallo Wow... Hush. Calm. It's ok. It's just beautiful music that exists in the US, this particular tradition (which is, in fact, very distinctive, if you'd care to research it) is from the US. Obviously it has its roots in various different British and Irish and other musical backgrounds, but this specific genre is neither Irish nor British, it's American; check Wikipedia if you don't believe me =D... I know that the reason we sing this in Ireland is because of an American lady.

[ServusGrueziHallo]

What do you mean taken root in the UK? Where do you think these tunes cames from in the first place????????

[ServusGrueziHallo]

You are full of crap 29vjGKfb783Gownc. Shaped-note singing comes from England. The tunes and melodies are from England, Scotland, Ireland. It is most certainly British, the English/Scottish/Irish brought the shaped-not singing with them when they came to this country. Americans with their revisionist history make me sick.

[fairman1952]

They taught us....Baptists became masters of

the shaped notes and lined out hymnody. The shaped note sings contains strong "call and response". Note how the slaves of America learned this form of self expression, because their african roots were suppressed. Some American Baptist churches actually sang in Gaelic untill the early 1900"s.

[fltsimfan]

I do not know all the history of Sacred Harp, but I do know that not only are there Sacred Harp groups in New England, but they are there because it originated in England many hundreds of years ago, so it has now come full circle.

[Myraluvsmusic]

I had the same thought! Amazing how much they sound like us!

[harpmover]

Glad to hear that Sacred Harp has taken root in the UK. May it grow and prosper. Likewis I would like to see West gallery singing start in the USA Harpmover