A
Guide to Pacific Northwest Sacred Harp Conventions for
Beginners or;
How to Avoid Sticking Out at your First All-Day Singing
DRESS:
Let's start at the beginning, before you even leave your home.
Unlike at traditional Southern all-day singings where
dressiness is the rule, there will be a broad spectrum of
dress styles present, so much you might choose to wear will
enable you to blend in. Some men will turn up in suitcoats or
sports coats, and ties, or polo shirts and slacks, or t-shirts
(not recommended) and jeans. Some women will wear jeans (not
recommended), or slacks, or skirts of varying degrees of
"dressiness." Some will be wearing their regular church outfit
including hat. Just don't turn up in beachwear or your grungy
clean-out-the-basement outfit and you'll blend right in.
POT-LUCK
CONTRIBUTION: If you live close enough that you'll
be able to commute to the singing from your home, then you
should consider bringing a contribution to the
Dinner-On-The-Grounds potluck at noon.
The dish or dishes you choose
should be ample enough to feed at least 8-10 and, at the
Pacific NW Singings (whether in Washington or in Oregon) for
example, cooks are asked to contribute two or three sorts of
dishes (each of which serves 8-10): either an entree and
dessert, or an entree and salad, or an entree and vegetable.
If you know that the singing you're attending will have any
southerners present, consider making one of your dishes a meat
dish. Do remember all the public health warnings you've ever
heard about how to avoid food poisoning at picnics and large
potlucks, i.e. avoid cross-contamination when preparing
poultry or meat products, don't let stuff sit at the wrong
temperature, etc.
The food should be able to
travel well and you should not expect to be able to reheat it
at the singing site (some places have no kitchens at all). Be
sure your dishes are labelled with your name, and don't forget
to provide serving utensils, nor to collect them at the end of
the day!
Wrapping your dishes with
several layers of newspaper and then two to four blankets is a
proven method of keeping cold stuff cold or hot stuff hot for
hours. Boxes or laundry baskets make
convenient carrying containers. You will arrive at the singing
site and plunk your food containers on the floor beneath the
serving tables. When the class breaks for the noon meal,
quickly pull your dishes out of their carrying boxes and place
them on the table. There are usually blank labels provided at
the serving tables that you can grab and fill out for each of
your dishes to describe what you've brought. You can print
some out in advance if you like.
WHERE
TO SIT: The temptation is to sit either in the back
row of your voice part, or in the front row. Either choice is
really not the one for you, the beginner. The reason for
avoiding the back row is that you need to have voices singing
your part on all sides of you: front, back, left, and right.
The reason for avoiding the front row is more complex, and is
well covered by Miss Grace Notes. [See her advice
column, the article on the "Front Bench".]
So pick a chair right smack in
the middle of your section. Put your book and a goodie bag
containing lozenges, kleenex, small notebook & pencil (for
recording the high points of the day for later fond
reminiscing) onto the chosen chair and then go back and
register at the front table and hang up your coat.
AGREE
TO LEAD A SONG: Just about every non-Southern
all-day singing uses registration cards and name tags. Pick
out a chair first, then return to the registration table and
fill out a name tag for yourself and a registration card. You
will want to put your name, and the city you're from on the
name tag, then plaster it on your clothing (another
consideration when pondering what to wear).
When filling out the
registration card, please do agree to lead a song. It will be
the high point of the day for you, as well as terrifying. The
sound is best in the center of the square and you owe yourself
the experience at least once in your life. By agreeing to lead
a song, you are assured of getting to hear that sound.
Prepare in advance a list of 10
or so songs that you know how to sing. As the all-day singing
progresses, keep track of whether any of the ones on your list
are picked by other leaders and when that happens cross them
off your list. Songs are never repeated at all-day singings
(except for small children just learning to lead). Please
don't put any anthems on your list; this is something you're
not ready to do yet even if you've sung anthems such as ROSE
OF SHARON at your local singing before and know your
part to it.
The arranging committee calls
out two leaders at a time: the one to enter the square
immediately, and the one to follow. When you hear your name
called for the first time, as the one "to follow," get up from
your seat and move to a corner of the room. Go over the song
from your list that you'll lead. Pick which verses you want
and whether you want the class to repeat on the last verse it
sings.
When it's finally your turn in
the center and your name is called again, enter the square
promptly, calling out the page number of your choice,
remembering to add "top" or "bottom" if there are two songs on
that page. Face the tenors and speak softly to the main front
row tenor and confess your need of help in leading. Loudly
announce your verse and repeat choices, then nod to the front
row tenors that you're ready. Raise your arm as the class gets
its notes and begin copying the movements of the front
row tenors. You should face the tenors throughout the
song.
When your song is finished, try
to manage to squeak out a "thank you" and return to your seat.
MISCELLANEOUS
ADVICE: During the day, keep track of songs that
are new to you that were so wonderful you want to go home and
learn them. For this purpose you've put a small notebook and
pencil in your goodie bag, which you keep tucked underneath
your chair.
There will be a Memorial Lesson
at some point during the day if it's a one-day singing, and
usually on the second day if it's a two-day singing. Two sorts
of lists are prepared for this approximately 10-15 minute long
time. At the start of the singing the Chair will mention these
lists and where they are being kept. List one is for those
singers who have died in the year since this all-day singing
last met. Many northern singers will also put close family
members on this list, even if they weren't singers. Putting
national or international figures on this list, however, even
though deeply mourned, is not appropriate unless they were
also involved in Sacred Harp. List two is strictly for singers
who, due to illness or infirmity, were unable to attend the
all-day singing. During the Memorial Lesson songs will be
specially selected and sung in memory of and as encouragement
to the people whose names appear on the two lists. You will
find this part of the singing day to have more and more
meaning for you as your experience with Sacred Harp deepens.
Don't indulge in singing
anything not printed on the page in front of you (except for
the well-recognized practices in minor songs and ignoring
accidentals almost everywhere and the natural ornamentations).
Although it is pleasurable and might be permitted to create
our own harmonies at our local neighborhood singings, all-day
singings and conventions are not the place for this. Also
don't sing a part different from the section you are sitting
in. If you want to sing treble, for example, and you're in the
alto section, then go find a chair in the treble section, even
if it is only for one song.
A habit that many new singers
have is that of standing up while singing, rather than
remaining seated. It is an urban myth that standing enhances
the sound of the singing, or improves one's own singing
production very substantially. And if very many people leave
their seats to stand, the sound of the class as a whole really
does degrade. If you simply can't remain in your seat any
longer, then wait for a break if you can (they happen every
hour) and move to the back of the room, or volunteer to staff
the beverage table. If you can't wait for a break, then be as
unobtrusive as possible and get up as soon as the present song
has ended.
Do try to contain your
enthusiasm and joy, and don't break out in talk or
exclamations as soon as a song has ended. Conversation, loud
joy, and visiting should be saved for the breaks and the
dinner hour.
Drink lots and lots of water a
couple hours before the singing begins, and then drink as much
as possible during the day. Keep lozenges handy to moisten
your mouth and throat while actually singing. At many
non-Southern singings, keeping a water bottle or large cup at
your seat is allowed -- just don't spill it! It is amazing how
much moisture your body will lose through exhaling as you
sing.
If you spot an experienced
competent leader in the center of the square, then simply stop
singing and watch. It is important for you as a beginner to
observe good leaders so you can begin to learn how to do it
yourself. Also, if you find yourself sitting next to a
marvelous traditional singer, then by all means devote at
least one ear at all times to what they are doing -- and take
notes in your notebook. You'll find lovely embellishments,
slight differences in the way a part is sung, sometimes a
change in the harmony, pronounciation of words worth noting,
little tempo changes that add a wonderful richness and
texture, etc. Then be sure and introduce yourself at the break
and strike up a conversation.
Whenever a song is called to
which you know the words by heart, and you know your part,
lift your head and look around as you sing. You'll find
another dimension layering itself onto your experience of the
song.
VOLUNTEER
TO HELP CLEAN UP AFTERWARDS