Fasola
Shape singing or fasola sounds like no other. Created as simple method to teach music, it only utilizes the fa-so-la-mi part of do-re-mi-fa-so-la. It caught on in the Southern part of America through a series of songs books titled the Sacred Harp. The songs are mostly religious in nature, and would be sung at all day singings where the participants would sit in a square and follow a new leader for every songs. The reasoning behind the square and the change of leadership is the philosophy that it is a participatory activity not a performance. These session would last up to 10 hours straight, which amounted singing until they were hoarse.
This recording is from the 1959 United Sacred Harp Musical Convention in Fyffe, Alabama. It is part of of the Alan Lomax collection being Issued by Rounder records, which in my lifetime I intend to own in completion.
From Southern Journey Vol.9 / Harp of a Thousand Strings
Hallelujah
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The Hand sewn image is by Ethel Wright Mohamed
posted by Jay at 5:16 PM
2 Comments:
this is magnificent
Like a lot of people, I first heard Sacred Harp singing while watching the movie Cold Mountain. I left the theater determined to track some of it down, but somehow that plan fell by the wayside. (Too much music to buy, too little money.) Thanks for reminding me--I'm getting on it now!
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