Etiquette at All-Day Singings

After Northerners had incubated for varying lengths of time in small living room-style singings, they began to venture out to all-day singings and conventions, and discovered to their astonishment the need to acquire an entire new set of behaviors and to learn new etiquette rules. Riding to their rescue (demurely side-saddle, of course), came the ever-helpful Miss Grace Notes, well-experienced in ordering to better effect the lives of Sacred Harp singers.

Published at first in the Chicago Sacred Harp newsletter, and increasingly syndicated to others around the nation, the Miss Grace Notes advice column dealt with the questions of loud singing, mixed marriages, and the mysteries of the arranging committee, among other topics.

Alas, Miss Grace Notes found it necessary to withdraw into (temporary?) retirement and it has been some years now since her column graced the pages of any Sacred Harp newsletter. We are most pleased, therefore, to bring together this compilation of her best columns so that an entirely new crop of Sacred Harp singers may benefit from her wisdom and graciously imparted knowledge of Sacred Harp ways.

1. Loud Singing
2. Aggressive Front Bench
3. The Front Row
4. A Shared Bottle
5. Mixed Marriages
6. Strong singers on 2nd Row?
7. Locals Called Early
8. All Verses & Repeats
9. Visiting Other Conventions
10. Leading A Song
11. Pitching/Keying
12. Talking
13. The Arranging Committee
14. Front Seat Theft
15. Toleration & Change