Comments on: Fa So La

By: Ramey in Alabama

Ramey in Alabama — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:15:28 +0000

My father, who was born in Alabama in 1911, often told us about the famous singing instructor who came to teach Fa So La singing at a church my father attended. Probably about 12 years old at the time, my father said he never mastered the technique! But it was always delightful to hear his demonstrations, and he explained the theory pretty well. There was only one song he remembered, which unfortunately I don’t remember now. But I’m so delighted to see your post about Fa So La.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:23:35 +0000

Hi David. I’m thrilled to find someone so well versed in the subject, but it looks as though I have some explaining to do.

I never accused the music of being “atonal,” I described it as “seemingly atonal” to my 5 year old ears, a sensation that anyone who has heard actually heard someone singing the syllabic parts of Sacred Harp will recognize.

As far as the future of Sacred Harp, I’m well aware that there are practitioners elsewhere. Hipsters in Brooklyn love it, apparently, and I’m sure that’s the case in enclaves throughout the country. While perhaps not dying, the traditional form (that practiced by Southerners with a direct connection to the history of this art within their region) is certainly not growing. What may be practiced elsewhere is no doubt delightful, but if it’s being “transformed unrecognizably,” then it’s no longer Sacred Harp.

I’m well aware of its current vogue status among hipsters. It experienced a similar vogue during the late 1960s with the same set of people. Eventually, they will move on to another, more trendy anthropological curiosity, and the same people who have been singing Sacred Harp for more than a century will continue to do so, unbothered.

By: David in Nashville

David in Nashville — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:54:56 +0000

I’m glad you appreciate the wonders of fasola, but as a Sacred Harp singer myself I need to address some misconceptions. First, shape-note music is not “atonal” in the least. It’s not even chromatic, but is firmly anchored in the major and minor scales. It has some dissonances, and the chordal structure isn’t what most modern Americans are used to, but it’s definitely tonal.

My big problem, though, is with this notion that Sacred Harp is “dying.” People have been saying that for most of the twentieth century, and it’s not not still here, but by some measures it’s thriving. Indeed, the big issue right now within the tradition is how to handle all the nontraditional singers who are taking it up in places like Chicago, New England, the Pacific Northwest, and the U.K.; are they revitalizing it, or transforming it unrecognizably? Matt and Erica Hinton’s documentary is a case in point; while it focuses on the elders of the Sacred Harp tribe, it also pays attention to those of us who have come to the tradition over the last 20-30 years–Matt and Erica included. Sacred Harp has made it into the movies, has been taken up by classical performers like Chanticleer and Anonymous 4, and is influencing quite a few indie rock bands. A flash in the pan? Maybe–but for the present, while Sacred Harp will never be “mainstream,” it’s holding its own nicely, thank you.