The Dead's Alive And The Lost Is Found: A Shaped Note Blog

A secular blog celebrating the beauty of shaped note singing and other American folk traditions.

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A Whole Lot More Resources

http://home.olemiss.edu/~mudws/harp.html

http://www.his.com/~sabol/SHhistory.html

http://www.paperlesshymnal.com/shapnote/shaped.htm

And this is probably one of my favorite things, a Folkways recording!

http://www.folkways.si.edu/fasola-fifty-three-shape-note-folk-hymns-all-day-sacred-harp-singing-at-stewarts-chapel-in-houston-mississippi/american-folk/music/album/smithsonian

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Another Resource

Here are a bunch of tunebooks and related media to Sacred Harp/Shaped Note singing, including a version of the Sacred Harp itself!

http://home.olemiss.edu/~mudws/resource/chap01.html

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A Resource

This is something useful to anyone in the US(and some Europeans) who is interested in attending a sing in the next few months of this more than half gone year,

http://fasola.org/singings/

I hope this is useful to someone.

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4liEuDm8ac)

This one is a classic, much like Idumea. I love how joyous the singers on this recording are. In general I enjoy the Cork Sacred Harp Convention’s recordings, because they are of good quality audio quality, and they have lovely performances. 

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zRMz3bonY8)

This song is one I’ve just found, so pardon me if I don’t have much to say about it. It is haunting though, the melodies are stunning.

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98fVjc4MfXQ)

This is one of my all time favorites, in terms of music in general. Idumea, also known as And Am I Born To Die, is a classic and what got me into shaped note singing again. This song has become semi-popular again, thanks to Current 93, Sufjan Stevens and others. I enjoy the apocalyptic vision that is presented in this song, though the version here is somewhat shortened.

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dL4AVKA6tM)

This is a version of the folk standard “Poor Wayfaring Stranger”. This version is much more religious, as the later folk versions took the religious context away and instead made the song more personal to the singer. 

I personally enjoy any version of the song, because it’s always fun to see different interpretations of it, as it’s cultural context changes.

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87EceGEnIyo)

A rather lovely version of the 93rd Psalm. I think I enjoy Bible verses when sung in such a way, it brings out the inherent poetry in the piece. Well, that’s not to say that other sacred books aren’t equally poetic! 

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD5qUKMz6HY)

This is another song that is very dear to me, as it reminds me of my recently passed godmother. 

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6hkbIdycpc)

This is one of my favorite songs from the Sacred Harp, and the song from which this blog gets it’s name. 

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The First Post

Gosh, this one is always the hardest isn’t it? First and foremost I’d like to state that although this blog is about music that is based in folk traditions native to the United States, it is not exclusively about that. I celebrate sacred music from all over, because I personally believe that sacred music is very important culturally. 

I realize that in this day and age, religion has become inextricably linked to politics, and I would like to say that this blog is run by a person who does not consider themselves religious in any real way. I am an agnostic personally, but I find there is a beauty in sacred music and I’d like to have a space where it’s okay to celebrate it without anyone spouting political nonsense(especially with how hectic the political climate around the world is today). 

I invite you, the viewer, to submit sacred music from other cultures. I am always happy to hear new music, as it is a primary means to explore that culture. That is primarily what this blog is about, a glorification of what makes human cultures beautiful. I hope that in stating this, I can clear up any confusion about my intentions with this blog. I do not mean to offend, only to showcase culture in as non-confrontational a way as possible. I would like to have dialogues with people to foster a better understanding of each other, and I think a blog about something so deeply cultural as music is a great way to do so. 

I’m sorry for such a long post, and I hope that you enjoy the music.