User:Opus33/Sacred Harp conventions

[ xxx there is an obvious source for this, namely the page in the Rudiments of Denson. Perhaps Cooper also ]

In the context of Sacred Harp music, the term "convention" has two meanings. First, it may designate a gathering of singers for purposes of singing from their tunebook, The Sacred Harp; normally, "convention" is used to designate only larger gatherings of this kind, lasting two or more days. Second, a convention may be an "organization that sponsors [Sacred Harp] singings".

History

Conventions arose not long after [ xxx ??? surely they preceded? ] the original publication of the first edition of The Sacred Harp by B. F. White in 1844. The first xxx. A few conventions still active today have very long histories; for instance, the Chattahoochee Musical Convention (founded 1852) and the East Texas Musical Convention (1868).

• spread, modern ones. Marini mentions some

Officers and parliamentary procedure

Normally a convention begins with an opening song, then a prayer, then the election of the convention officers. This election follows the forms of parliamentary procedure, but is executed swiftly since normally the officers have already been informally chosen from among those responsible for organizing a convention in a particular year and place. The remainder of the convention also follows parliamentary procedure, in an inconspicuous way (since the great bulk of the time is spent singing, and secondarily socializing during breaks and the main meal). At the end of the convention the committees normally give reports, for instances on whether donations covered expenses, where singers came from, and where the next convention will be held.

On rare occasions the use of parliamentary procedure has been more than a convenient meeting format when conventions have grappled with a difficult decision; for instance, changing to a different edition of the tunebook; this occurred for example in xxx when xxx.

Choice of leaders

The main portion of a convention consists of a sequence of leaders who are asked to "give a lesson". Normally, the "lesson" simply consists of leading one song (occasionally, more than one). Historically, there were often conventions in which the leaders were few, specifically selected for their musical authority; such leaders could more plausibly be considered as teachers of the group. The term persists, however, even in the present era with more widely distributed leading responsibilities

Leaders are chosen by the Arranging Committee, part of the elected leadership of the convention. [ xxx tact in picking leaders; link to the daunting page by an expert ]

Parting and closing songs

Holy Manna 59, Parting Hand 62

Dinner on the grounds

The middle of the day is the time for "dinner on the grounds", a potluck dinner. This is prepared by local singers and is traditionally hearty. Stephen Marini describes the dinner on the grounds for singing he attended in Blount County, Alabama; the foods available clearly emphasized Southern regional cooking.

Six picnic tables were set up end to end in front of the church and laden with homemade dishes. Platter of fried chicken, baked ham, smoked turkey, and barbecued ribs vied for space on the crowded tables with bowls of fried okra, sweet potato pie, black-eyed peas, baked beans, and collard greens. One end of the groaning board was reserve for desserts: peach and cherry cobbler, chess pie, lemon meringue pie, coconut custard pie, chocolate pie. Two ten-gallon urns of iced tea shared space with the desserts.

Refreshments, such as lemonade or iced tea, are also made available at breaks in the singing. It may be noted that Sacred Harp conventions are entirely "dry"; that is, no alcoholic beverages of any kind are served.

Prayer

opening, closing, pre-dinner

memorial lesson

Closing song

Often a convention has a particular song which is sung at the end of the day, during which time handshakes or hugs are exchanged among the singers. Often this song is "Parting Hand" by William Walker (p. 62 of both Cooper and Denson editions).

Minutes

During the convention, the elected convention secretary notes down various aspects of what took place: the convention officers, the sequence of leaders and tunes, and other details such as the memorial lesson or (for example) any singing school that took place as part of the convention. After the convention is over, the secretary trancribese these notes into a standard format for the minutes of a convention; this format is entirely factual and does not include commentary or the secretary's views. Where the tunebook used in the convention was anything other than the 1991 "Denson" edition of the Sacred Harp (the most commonly used tunebook), this is noted. The minutes are sent to the Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association, headquartered in the South, which publishes the collected minutes of singings, Sacred Harp conventions world-wide, in their annual book series Minutes and Directory of Sacred Harp Singings. For years starting 1995 the minutes have been posted in searchable form on the internet.

References

Marini, Stephen A. (2003) Sacred Song in America: Religion, Music, and Public Culture. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.