Musical and Cultural Fluency in the Philadelphia Sacred Harp Community

• Rachel Herway, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Delaware

• Sunmin Yoon, DLLC, University of Delaware

The Sacred Harp, or Shape Note, community is a culture that regularly sings from tunebooks that employ a four-shape “fa so la” solfegge notation system, largely tracing back to Protestant singing styles in the 18th- and 19th-century United States. The community continues to use procedures and behaviors dating back to these time periods, including singing in a hollow square, beating time, and democratic leading. Newcomers thus face challenges not only in practicing the antiquated shape note style but also in learning the intricacies of tacit cultural practices and oral transmission. Previous research around this topic has ranged from tracking Sacred Harp identity at large amidst debates of authenticity and modernity to debating the challenges and benefits of foreign Shape Note practice. I specifically examine the varied challenges individuals face and the strategies they employ to acculturate into Sacred Harp and establish prestige and mutual respect in the community. I address this question by conducting participant observation in singing communities in urban and rural Pennsylvania surrounding the Philadelphia area. I also conduct interviews with seasoned singers who have journeyed through myriad experiences as newcomers and eventually community leaders. This paper argues that active dedication to community–for example, through consistency, travel, and volunteering–outweighs all other strategies in attaining fluency in both Shape Note music and culture. This work is not only important to Sacred Harp newcomers ready to commit themselves seriously but to anyone dedicated to successfully exposing themselves to a new music culture.