Sacred Harp singers gather Saturday in Old Poway
By Cynthia Robinson
On Saturday picnickers in Old Poway Park will hear a heavenly sound emanating from the Templar’s Hall. They will peek into the historic hall and marvel at the dozens of people gathered, singing old hymns acappella-style.
The event is the 15th Annual All-Day Sing of the San Diego FaSoLa Singers. The event is a memorial for Marilou and Don Jolly, a late couple who was loyal to this type of singing. People from all over California who love Sacred Harp singing will join the regular San Diego group.
It will be a curious sight and sound to people who have not experienced Sacred Harp singing. People sit in a square, sopranos across from the bass, altos across from the tenors. A song leader stands in the center of a square, marking out the rhythm by moving his hands, keeping time.
The San Diego FaSoLa website explains that this music recalls the days when church music was intended to be sung by the congregation rather than the choir. People sing for the joy of it. While listeners are always welcome, the singers do not think of themselves as putting on a performance. Everyone is welcomed to join in and give it a try.
Sacred Harp singing was featured in two different scenes in the 2003 movie “Cold Mountain.” In the chapel scene, a group of people sitting in square form are sitting, facing each other, singing at the top of their lungs. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law sing right along with others in their town in a rousing rendition of “I’m Going Home.”
Because Sacred Harp uses shape notes, it is also called shape-note singing, referring to a different shape to each of the four syllables—fa, so, la, me — in the musical scale. The shapes facilitate music reading for people who are not familiar with the musical scale.
Each time the Sacred Harp Singers meet for a singing, they vigorously intone hymns and anthems from a hymnal. The poetry of the songs is written by well-known authors like Isaac Watts, Samuel Pearce and Robert Robinson.
In the year 1770, William Billings of Boston published the New England Psalm-Singer, the first volume of original music composed by an American. The early Singing Masters spread their music by teaching singing schools. The sings would become community meetings and a major source of entertainment for all ages.
“The sacred harp is the voice,” explained Jerry Schreiber, who is the singing group’s unofficial leader.
“It’s singing therapy,” said Carroll Lunsford, who has sung for decades with FaSoLa.
There are no auditions, nor rehearsals. At the sings, nobody gets told that they are singing off-key or even too loud. The music’s origins are in folk music sung by ordinary people.
“The whole idea is for everyone to sing out as loud as they can,” said Schreiber, who carries his hymnals in a tote bag with the inscription “Loud is Good.”
“We are by no means a religious group,” Schreiber said. “We are simply singing for the joy of it.”
The only way to fully appreciate Sacred Harp Singers is to become one of them. The perfect chance to do so will be at the free All-Day Singing on July 30. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a break at 12:30 p.m. for a potluck lunch.
For more information, go to www.sdfasola.org.
