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Is Sacred Harp Really “Babel Confusion?” It’s been called “Babel Confusion,” “authored by devils,” “a miserable device,” “outlandish gibberish,” and “a fearsome hodgepodge of sound.” Its historical detractors were not shy.
Everyone who has seen The Sound of Music is aware of solmization, the singing of syllables. Julie Andrews sang in a major scale “Doe-ray-me-fah-so-la-tea-doe.” (Doe is first and last, because it is the same tone, separated by an octave.) The practice actually goes back to 11th century Italy, when Guido D’Arezzo created a seven-syllable system—-one for each full step in an octave: “ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and si.” It was a musical aid for teaching clerical music. By Elizabethan times, the folk of England had eliminated three syllables. The remaining syllables were fa, sol, la, and mi. If Julie had lived in the 1500s, she would sing, fa, sol, la, fa, sol, la, mi, fa. Why four syllables, when there are seven major tones in a scale? It is apparently yet another simple thing that the English managed to complicate! It
was not till 1700 that these syllables became associated with notation
(round noteheads, in this case). By 1800, the syllables took shapes—-round,
square, triangle, and diamond. Because the logic of four syllables escapes
most people, a seven-note system re-emerged by 1850. This time, seven
shapes were invented as well. Both four- and seven-note singers are practicing
in the South still. However, when a person says she sings “Sacred
Harp,” she is clearly preferring the older four-note system. Those
of us who learned round notes on a piano bench may remain skeptical about
the value of the shapes. I hasten to add, however, that Sacred Harpists
are better informed about Denominational
Influences. Congregationalists started singing schools in the 18th century.
Even then, though, the schools were for the community and decidedly not
denominational. Further, neither schools nor tunebooks have ever been
adapted to any denomination’s regular worship service. Nevertheless, the fa-sol-las survive today, largely due to the post-Civil War practice of Primitive Baptists. One reason is that Primitive Baptist theology is resistant to outside influences. Shapes and syllables were deemed destructive by Lowell Mason and others in the 1830s. Where other denominations deferred to Lowell’s judgment, the Primitive Baptists were indifferent. We should all be grateful for their sense of tradition. Since 1980, there has been a revival of Sacred Harp, ironically in urban settings and in New England. Singing schools have thus returned to their origin. Today’s new wave of singers are Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Moslem—-any tradition. It is truly inter-denominational now. The
Sound of the Music. Even from your first exposure to Sacred Harp, you
will recognize a connection to America’s 18th century roots. The
discordant and pentatonic structures of the harmony are your clues, and
they are often compared to the bagpipe. On the other hand, the shapes
and syllables, while fascinating, have nothing to do with the plaintive
harmonies. Listen to the music without the shapes and syllables. That’s
the true test of the music. The
greatest hymn of all time, “Amazing Grace” (#45a), is called
“New Britain” among Sacred Harpists. There no doubt is such
a place in New England. Conclusion Sacred
Harp is not “Babel Confusion,” nor any of the other derogatory
titles. We may think of it as typically American—-a combination of
a lot of traditions.
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Nowadays,
new listeners often have similar reactions to Sacred Harp music. Is there
mysticism in the syllables? Why do you need shapes if you have a musical
staff? How are the shapes and syllables related to the discordant harmony?
Is the music denominational? What about the song titles? Here is an attempt
to de-mystify the culture: