Thank you to all the sponsors of our Sacred Harp loaner book buy. We’re excited to have more people showing up to fa-so-la along with us.
One thing we’ve recently done is add a page on the inside front cover with a few “quick reference” items, including a quick overview of the shape notes, the hollow square, the four parts of the tune, helpful links and, most useful, a short list of some relatively easy and popular tunes to call for folks who are completely new to singing.
UPDATE: We’ve had a few singers ask if they can download this for their loaner books, so I made a version that wasn’t Baltimore specific. Print it out on 8.5×11″ sticker paper and cut the dotted line. The “Thank you” text beneath the graphic I cut out and put on the inside back cover, otherwise that’s just wasted paper! I’ve also included a statement that the design is placed into the public domain, so you can feel free to use any of the text or graphics for your own group without asking permission.
Here is the text on the first panel:
GOOD TUNES FOR BEGINNERS TO CALL
Everyone has a chance to call a song, but it might be hard to figure out what to pick. Some options:
Use a lucky number. Open the book to a random page. Roll dice. Select a good and easy tune from the list below. All tunes with a “*” at the end have a “Learn to Sing Sacred Harp” video on YouTube.
34b St. Thomas
39 Detroit
40 Lenox*
45t New Britain*
47b Idumea
49t Old Hundred
59 Holy Manna*
62 Parting Hand
65 Sweet Prospect
101t Canaan’s Land
142 Stratfield*
146 Hallelujah*
155 Northfield*
159 Wondrous Love*
162 Plenary
178 Africa*
209 Evening Shade
277 Antioch
282 I’m Going Home
354 Lebanon
425 Golden Streets
457 Wayfaring Stranger
448t Consecration
