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WE WENT TO THE GEORGIA MUSIC HALL OF FAME IN MACON…...

The HALL OF FAME was introducing a SPECIAL EXHIBIT on Sacred Harp Singing this weekend, featuring the wonderful documentary, AWAKE MY SOUL.

The filmmakers were there, but that wasn’t the big attraction for us—we wanted to meet a couple of the grand old men of Sacred Harp, Hugh McGraw and Raymond Hamrick. Singing with these two gentlemen is roughly the equivalent of playing a round of golf with ARNIE....who knew BOBBY JONES; or playing pepper with CARL YASTRZEMSKI.... who played with TED WILLIAMS; or shooting a game or HORSE with KAREEM....who played against both WILT and BILL RUSSELL.

The Hall of Fame “doings” didn’t start until 2:00 p.m., which might make you think that we slept in and left after a late breakfast…..but no. In the morning, at 9:00 a.m., in a little church in BREMEN, GEORGIA

there was a “singing school” scheduled, and HUGH MCGRAW was to lead out. So, would YOU skip a golfing lesson from Jack Nicklaus? I didn’t think so…....

What you see is a simple church, with a roofed structure on the right where the “dinner on the ground” is served - that’s what a potluck is called down here. Out behind - although you can’t really see it here - is the cemetery. We went inside:

and after chatting as others arrived, and getting signatures in our songbooks, we started the “school”. After a bit of introduction, we just sang.

Even with so few people, the sound was pretty good. Hugh led most of the songs,

but others got a chance—*I* even led one, which hardens my resolve to wait a few years before trying to add that skill to my repertoire!! The sound of the music is WONDERFUL from inside the square, but there are too many things going on for me…..I’m not enough of a musician to keep track of them all and wave my arm in the right cadence, as well.

At 12:00, Hugh called it quits with a last song and a prayer, because he had to be in Macon at 2:00. We left about the same time, and headed for the Hall of Fame in Macon.

Inside, they had directions reminiscent of the signs along backcountry roads in the wilds of Alabama, directing the “city-folk” to the singing at one of the small churches back in the mountains.

Just to the left was the entrance to the exhibit room (sorry about the lousy quality of this photograph):

Inside was a space filled with enormous enlargements of vintage photographs hanging from the ceiling, smaller displays of old books and other artifacts, and a couple of stations where one can listen to selections of singings

There was also a full-size “square” where we all sat down and sang.

There were some wonderful singers in the group, and we probably sang for an hour or more….it was glorious. One of the highlights was when RAY HAMRICK would lead

as he did two or three times. This is a grand old man - he’s in his 90s now, and still goes to work as a watch repairman, in the same store in downtown Macon where he has worked for almost 70 years (with time out for military service, and so on). He owned it at one time, but now works with the folks who
bought it.

Seeing Raymond and Hugh standing together was such a treat—each of them has written half a dozen or more songs that are in the current edition of our Sacred Harp songbook.

I think my favorite hymn in the entire book is a Raymond Hamrick tune that you can listen to—but remember something important. Sacred Harp isn’t music intended to be “performed” for an audience. It really isn’t “listening music”. Even now, we don’t listen to it - we *sing* it. In fact, as I listen to some of these songs, it strikes me that had someone tried to get me interested by listening to the music, I’d have said “Meh! I don’t think so.” The power in this music is in going and singing with a group of people who come together to sing praise and worship to the Living God. Honestly.

Nevertheless, check out the Ider, Alabama church singing RAYMOND HAMRICK’S “LLOYD”. Being there, and singing with the brethren, makes all the difference. I have rarely completed this song without tears running down my face.

We were finally done in Macon…..the filmmakers, Matt and Erica Hinton, were there with their little girl. At the end, she went over and climbed up in Ray Hamrick’s lap

The torch is definitely being passed.

If you’d like to see whether singing Sacred Harp is something you’d like to do, DO NOT get a CD (or find a website) and listen to a bunch of it. FIRST, go to FASOLA.ORG, click on “Singings” and scroll down to where the States are listed. You can check to see what will be going on near you. Call one of the people listed and find out if anything is happening that isn’t listed.

Last…..please don’t decide you aren’t interested until you’ve been to a “real” singing—one where 40 or 50 experienced singers are present. We have had a wonderful afternoon with as few as seven people (no bass part).....but to be “hooked”, I believe you need to experience the power of Sacred Harp as it was intended to be sung. Check out Awake My Soul, and then try to get to a county or state convention, or to an annual singing where there will be a really good and experienced group.

Can you tell I’m a missionary for Sacred Harp? It’s the music of heaven—at least if you believe Ellen G. White!

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/05 at 08:46 PM

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WE WENT TO THE GEORGIA MUSIC HALL OF FAME IN MACON…...

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