Exhortation First and Second, From The Sacred Harp

These two fuguing tunes from The Sacred Harp both have words by Isaac Watts based on scripture paraphrases from the Psalms ( SH 171, Exhortation first) and from Ecclesiastes (SH 272, Exhortation second). 'My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the Morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee' (Psalm 5:3); 'Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not nor the years draw night when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.' (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

Recorded in 2007 and 2008 at the annual Southern Wisconsin Singing.

In keeping with the tone of the words, the tune of Exhortation First, by Hibbard (1796) is joyous and uplifting. The more somber words of Exhortation Second are set to a minor mode tune by Eliakim Doolittle (1800).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Sacred
• Harp
• shape
• note
• fasola
• singing
• Exhortation
• Isaac
• Watts

[neetrab]

Thank you for recording this. This might be on my music history test next week!

[PLBrayfield]

@neetrab Wow! Imagine this kind of 'roots' music being on a music history test! I hope that it doesn't make Sacred Harp singing less enjoyable :) And I hope you ace the test.

[neetrab]

@PLBrayfield - The second part of this video was heard in our class the other day. I'm guessing you are shocked that this type of music IS being taught in schools and college by your "Wow!" response.  It's a good thing!

[PLBrayfield]

@neetrab Not shocked, but pleasantly surprised. Yes, it is a good thing that your are learning about this music. Maybe it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but people who like it tend to love it.

[neetrab]

@PLBrayfield - I hope so too!! lol! I do appreciate this music. I'm a young black woman that went back to school for music and usually listen to black gospel choirs and never really hear any type of solfege/shape note singing nowadays.

[Summerlandtopcat]

Brilliant as always.