What is The Sacred Harp?
The Sacred Harp is the most famous of a number of hymn books typified by a particular style of four-part harmony, intended for group participation rather than concert performance. The singers sit in a hollow square, arranged by sections, facing inward. They are singing for themselves and each other, not for an audience. The music is written using “shape notes”, a variation on normal music notation which was designed to be easier for beginners to learn, while immediately readable by experienced music readers. This Christian music is some of the most emotionally powerful music in the world.
