Photo courtesy of Martha Beverly.
The Class (Sacred Harp term for the group of singers) at a recent National Convention.
First Christian Church in Hoover will be the site of three days of Southern hospitality, fellowship and shape-note singing from the Sacred Harp Hymnal when it hosts the National Sacred Harp Singing Convention from Thursday through Saturday, June 16-18.
The annual event will take place each day from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. A covered dish lunch will be provided.
Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of choral church music that originated in the South in the early 1800s and takes its name from the hymnal, which was first published in 1844 and has since appeared in several editions.
Sacred Harp sings are “participatory events,” according to P. Gaston White, one of the organizers, who said there are no rehearsals and no formally scheduled performances.
“People who love the unique style and traditions of Sacred Harp gather to enjoy singing hymns, odes and anthems from the Sacred Harp Hymnal in four parts, a cappella,” White said.
The convention began in Birmingham in 1980 and has been held here each June since, according to White. It is also an important event in the Sacred Harp community and “draws people from all over the Birmingham metro area, plus other states (and) the United Kingdom,” White said.
The convention in Birmingham is the only three-day Sacred Harp convention in existence, according to White, who said that most such gatherings last only two days.
First Christian Church is located at 4954 Valleydale Road.
The event is open to the public, and visitors are welcome, according to White.
For more information, go to mcsr.olemiss.edu/~mudws/national.html.
