Jubilee Festival Singing

Laurel Theater
Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
Sunday, March 22, 2009

All selections from New Harp of Columbia, Restored Edition, 2001.

Jubilee Festival singing - March 22nd, 2009

53b, Dundee - Tina Becker
Prayer - Randy Webber
18, Windham - Randy Webber
A52, Evening Shade - Tina Becker
14, Mear - Robin Goddard
23b, Duke Street - Leslie Booher
199, Rose of Sharon - Robert Kelley
A74, Davisson's Retirement - Chris Wilhelm, see [1]
117, Coronation - Kathleen Mavournin
115, Northfield - Bob Richmond
42, Lenox - Ann Strange
83, Kingwood - Claudia Dean
180, Whitestown - Robert Kelley
181, Boylston - Mary Baumeister
144, Rowley - Steve Stone
11, Old Hundred - Tina Becker (Doxology)

Dinner on the Grounds

110, North Salem - Tina Becker
74, Never Part Again - Nancy Olsen
68t, Paradise - Sara Melton
144, Rowley - Stan McDaniel
47, The Promised Land - Carroll Ross
85, Greenland - Gid Fryer
53b, Dundee - Joe Finucane
14, Mear - Kathy Jones
35, Ninety-Fifth - Robin Goddard
80b, Shawmut - Leslie Booher
18, Windham - Virginia Douglas
81b, Golden Hill - Steve Stone
157, Creation - Roane State, see Students [2]
   “Laurel” - Randy Webber, see [3]
   “Russia” - Bob Richmond and Randy Webber, see [4]
107, Holy Manna - Tina Becker
139, Meditation - Carroll Ross
151, Pleyel's Hymn (Second) - Randy Webber, see [5]
175b, Huntingdon - Robert Kelley
15, Prospect - Mary Baumeister
114t, Zion - Chris Wilhelm
A162, David's Lamentation - Tina Becker
109, Bruce's Address - Nancy Olsen
101, Winter - Roane State, see Students [6]
98, Liberty - Robert Kelley
199, Rose of Sharon
99, Morning Trumpet - Nancy Olsen
169, Amsterdam - Claudia Dean
11, Old Hundred - Tina Becker

We sang at least six tunes we had never sung before, or sung only rarely.

[1] "Davisson's Retirement" was published by Ananias Davisson in 1820, text by Joseph Grigg 1765 (according to Marion Hatchett's Companion to the NHoC).

[2] 157 Creation was very ably sung by the Roane State Community College concert choir, directed by Brenda Luggie.

[3] Laurel is a new composition by the composition class of the singing school led by Randy Webber at the Laurel Theater, the day before the singing. Because Christian Harmony (Carolina) 179 is titled "Laurell", and J.L. White Sacred Harp (1911, recently republished) 507 is titled "Laurel Hill", I suggest we amend this title to "Laurel Arbor", in reference to singing in "brush arbors" as described by Robin Goddard in her account of singing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

[4] Russia appears in four-note notation in Sacred Harp 107; tune by Daniel Read 1786, text by Isaac Watts 1707. The version from which we sang was set up in Swan seven-note shapes by Karen Willard. Randy Weber notes that she has raised the sixth notes ("Dorian") which apparently does not appear in any published edition.

[5] Pleyel's Hymn (second) - (rimes with "dial") appears, tune and text, in Sacred Harp 143 as "Pleyel's Hymn (first)".

[6] 101 Winter was very ably sung by the Roane State Community College concert choir, directed by Brenda Luggie.

A singing school was held at the Laurel Theater on Saturday, March 21st, 2009, the day before the singing. Kathleen Mavournin and Tina Becker led the school together; Kathleen had led several singing schools previously, while it was Tina's first. About twenty people attended the "upstairs session" - roughly half of them complete beginners - while "downstairs" there were four advanced classes. Steve Stout led four difficult tunes, 127 The Rock, 46 Concord, 74 Never Part Again, and 178B Invitation. David Sarten talked about the history of Old Harp singing, and its importance in maintaining local heritage. Robin Goddard gave an extensively researched presentation on harp singing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Randy Webber led a class on composition, which led to the class actually harmonizing a tune "Laurel" (which as I noted above had probably better be called "Laurel Arbor"). And Chaz Barber led a class on leading.

Robin Goddard noted that four tune books are recorded as having been used in the Park: the Harp/New Harp of Columbia, Caldwell's Union Harmony, Knoxville Harmony, and Tennessee Harmony (as well as Christian Harmony, which was used in the North Carolina part of the Park around Cataloochee).

I found that the Hoskins rare book library at the University of Tennessee has the Union Harmony, Knoxville Harmony, and Tennessee Harmony.

Minutes: Bob Richmond.