there's this one woman in the crown that gets right to me with her super intense voice. You can just here her in the background with an insanely beautiful and pained pitch
She makes this clip, ever since the first I heard it. There's something so incredibly human about how there is chorus in the chaos of our voices - even despite or perhaps especially because of the outliers that step in and out of the tune on their own time.
Will Rice Try listening to Gaelic Psalm Singing from the Hebrides in Scotland where my ancestors came from in 1787 to Canada. A very unique form of music going back to when most people were illiterate and possibly to Early Christian times. It also has some similarities to some Appalachian singing too. I also have ancestors going back to the beginning of New England who probably would have sung this very song. I too feel something ancestral and primeval about this music. Soul touching. Absolutely Amazing.
@@dbadagna i gave it a listen. i see what you mean, that lady sings almost the exact same way as the lady in this video. i think i prefer this version, though. i prefer these song to be sung by a whole choir, not 1 or 2 people.
@@ianbirchfield5124 There are also some strange recordings of this repertoire done with piano accompaniment, from old 78-rpm records, which I think have been released by Dust-to-Digital. Cassie Franklin grew up "in the tradition" (in Alabama) rather than being a revivalist, and can probably sing many if not most of the Sacred Harp songs from memory. www.jsu.edu/news/jan_june2004/04122004a.html
We sing Sacred Harp at my Primitive Baptist Church every Sunday. My people came from Ireland, Scotland, and England through the Appalachian Mountains and I treasure my heritage. It's nice to hear the rest of the world singing it, too.
Primitive Baptist was started by melungeons_ 300 groups of people's in Appalachian come from.mixed races some pre date colonies. They are mixed 5 race or 3 races and can look like any European or Scot due to mixing with townsfolk though they went to the mountains when German settlers refused to live near them in MD and other immigrants. Due to mixing race and cultures they were all skin shades __ they didn't put race in home birth bibles, it was irrelevant. From mixes of Portuguese slaves one could already be African or Syrian or such by 1600. Then they wed native tribes and French and so on in forts. Then they wed shawnee or German and Swiss and whatever. From the beginning they mixed without care but by the time bigger settlements left the mountains and forts for Tenn and VA starting towns and post civil war_ the northern lawyers wanted one drop laws_ one drop black made one unable to vote. And they forced birth certificates on them, assigning them race tho most had green and blue eyes _ many looked European. It became a political pawn game to make one white or black (and ignoring the other ethnic ancestors) In todays world ignoring all 300.groups helps the woke pretend there was only white and black and no mixed. But we have Jewish_ Portuguese _ Blackfoot _ shawnee_ sub sah African and German Irish English_ every nation. It behooved the political post civil war to revise the northern upper crust disdain of anything but English blood__ old Boston and NY families went a long way to creating a narrative that the south was all slavers and white ethnic because of eugenics up till Hitler. So the southern mixed _ mostly poor, got the political shaft and today the acidemia and social culture uses the term colonizee for white__ whereas skin tone and eyes doesn't relay ethnic and races _ nor would dna by placename tell one what mixed they were in that country _ Primitive Baptist and the mountain way of burial traditions are mostly kept by elders. It's also streamlined in history books that mountain folk are Irish or scott__ however that largely came from the Hatfield and McCoy stories. Pre those stories, you had the virgina fort dwellers. Many mixed settling towns in KY WV Tenn and South VA. The DC suburban now were the slave plantations and WV succeeded from the union for that reason, they had wealth and influence _ mountain potato farmers had no representation in Congress _ they were the poor mixed who became miners and neigh slaves for the northern industrialist. So song like food and traditions are from immigrants mixed the settled down for trappers and explorers who were _ as you trace family trees already assimilate people's from Europe and swiss, Celts and those conquered migrating from earlier wars with Romans, Frank's whatever. Contrary to some comments of those not knowing migration of peoples from Mesopotamia and Arab slave trade__ people are all mixed. And the south and mountains particularly hold mixed. Due to the earliest transport ships, indentured and Portuguese slave ships _ though Canadian French often mated with American natives and settled in those territories. Highland clearances and Irish potato famine brought an influx of those people and they were keen to be the pioneers and were the fresh labor class__ also treated horribly in the north cities _ in slums and factories and many took to the landscape _ and people's of the mountains. A resurgence of class caste system followed the civil war under eugenics up to the 1940s. By then the elites and old money owned the forms of media and academics__ the history so to speak. As is today's narrative. But... People have their bibles and journals _ancestry noted and know the way of it. One place that mixed races and cultures found joy and strength was their songs, and their worship. So it's a joy to see the mix of voices singing in all the countries that made a unique America__ the heart and soul of it. We mutts from the first people's enjoy the unity and traditions from salt of the earth.
Breathtaking. There's some high clear wild notes from one of the female singers, it's so beautiful especially at the end (around 2:05 - 2:09, & again at 2:21 - 2:30). It reminds me so much of Sinead O'Connor, in particular the last verse of' Three Babies' (if you're curious, it's the part in 'Three Babies' where she sings "For myself I ask no one else" the second time, at the end of the song with about a minute left in the song).
From a commenter here that was there her name is Magdalena Gryszko and is the young woman in a pink hoodie here in an earlier recording ruclips.net/video/9f5pkzzmhNI/видео.html
Love your Virginia Woolf username. And likening the plaintive singing of the one singer to one of my favorite songs from Sinead O'Connor, favorite because of the passages you select "For myself I ask ..."
There are two distinctive voices, not one. One is Magdalena Gryszko from the other Idumea video. She's over on the left somewhere out of shot. You can also see her leading the same piece on a video from Warsaw. The wilder voice doing the little trills is over on the right somewhere. They sound like they're singing really high but it's not actually that high. I love it. Little did they know they'd have such an effect on people.
Faith in Christ =/= religion. We were never instructed to form religions and practice man-made rituals. If something resonates with u then please deeply consider why. It’s spiritual, and your spirit is crying out for truth. It’s unimaginable just how much God will change u if u let him in. I suggest u read the KJV Bible and I hope it resonates with u. God bless you, Brother :)
Same here, I’m an atheist but as a music lover I enjoy songs of worship and devotion as well, it speaks to something beautiful in the human spirit. But most of all hearing people singing together is always moving, it’s far more ancient than any religion.
I couldn't agree more! And it's worth noting this isn't basically "church music" in the sense that it's used in regular worship services--although it can be--but rather recreational music. It had its roots in early American "singing schools" where people learned to read from "shapes" and solmization.
It reminds me of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland I used to attend occasionally with my gran here in New Zealand. They practice Exclusive Psalmody, without accompaniment. Quite a different style of singing, but the effect was striking similar. Even though there were a declining congregation, you could almost feel the air vibrating when they sang. There's something about acapella singing that forces you to give it all you've got, since you haven't got the artificial sound of instrument to cover you, so to speak.
For me, it was 'Cold Mountain'. I came across the Battle of the Crater scene earlier this year (2020) and still think it's amazing. I haven't watched any of the rest of the movie, though.
@@fishofgold6553 same film introduced me to this lovely stuff It is a brutal opening. Worth following through with the rest of the film. The entire sound track is insane. *I wish my baby was born" is my favourite I think. Another memorable/grim scene.
My father was a minister in Missouri (close to the Ozarks) and in Oklahoma. I still love the Sacred Harp and Acapella traditions--there are some very powerful singers who come out of that tradition. (Not me--I just have serviceable baritone.)
Absolutely the best version of this song yet. These Irish folk have brought Sacred Harp to a new level. They really caught the spirit of it. I also love the high improvisations over the top by one of the ladies in the congregation.
I've also heard that in other recordings. I finally got a look at the music, and there is a divisi line in the altos, and they're higher than the sopranos, and that accounts for some of what's going on. I'd like to find out more about the 'performance practice' of this. After all, the music is not on the page, it's in the soul.
It’s the lady on the back left of the altos behind the direction the leaders are facing. I’ve sang with her often, she has a powerful voice and a beautiful connection with the spirit and sound of Sacred Harp.
And am I born to die? To lay this body down! And must my trembling spirit fly Into a world unknown? Waked by the trumpet sound, I from my grave shall rise; And see the Judge with glory crowned, And see the flaming skies! For any one that's looking for the lyrics. Some bits are repeated. The Fa So Lo bit at the start is the notes that will be sung, so that the choir, as it's unaccompanied, can find the right key and such.
In a minor scale it's la-mi-fa-sol-la-fa-sol-la. So the people singing the melody line of "And am... I born... to die..." are singing, in the warmup, "la fa..., mi la sol..., so la..." and so on. Hope this helps.
+Belligerent Stag If you google 'sacred harp' and the name of the song or the song number in the title, you might be able to find an image of the page they're singing from. Quite a few pages from that hymn book are online somewhere or other. Though the fa sol etc wouldn't be written as such, rather the notes are each given a shape which means either fa, sol, la, or mi... Look up 'shape note singing' if my explanation doesn't make sense :)
That is exactly how one sings Sacred Harp songs. The original warmup is to get everyone on line, so to speak. It is very similar to "lining" hymns in the black churches--this method goes back to the 18th century England and Methodism when most parishioners were illiterate, I would add. I grew up singing this in rural Missouri, although only in the rural churches--and I mean rural, at least in the view of most of you here.
Has anyone here heard the version with the extra part at the end? The now deleted youtube video "Native American(Sacred Harp Singers Idumea" sounds like the version used in the movie "Cold Mountain" but had an extra part at the end (something like "For I must go and see..." or "So I can see...") but I can't find that complete version anywhere. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
I love you my Irish brothers an sisters I need an up lifting so so bad today I have depression so bad at time but the very heavens opened up an smiled hearing you all.love you☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️
I love this singing, I watched Lawless and searched and searched for anything I could find and finally came across these on youtube. Beautiful I get goose bumps listening.
Greetings from Portugal! The film Lawless brought me here. I´m a music lover, and this tipe of music is the most amazing thing that i discover in a while. Keep Going! Never stop believing
Wow! Haunting quality of the music! My minister this Sunday just introduced us to this form of singing, as he was discussing the book of Samuel and David mourning the loss of his son, Absolom.
Full lyrics (only verses 1 and 3 are sung here, after "singing the shapes" through once; only the first three verse are printed in the Sacred Harp): 1. And am I born to die? To lay this body down? And must my spirit, trembling, fly, into a world unknown? 2. Soon as from earth I go, what will become of me? Eternal happiness or woe, must then my portion be? 3. Waked by the Trumpet's sound, I from my grave shall rise; and see the Judge with Glory crowned, and see the flaming skies! 4. How shall I leave my tomb? In triumph or regret? A fearful or a joyous doom; A curse or blessing met? 5. I must from God be driven, or with my Savior dwell, must come at His command to heaven,' or else depart: to Hell 6. Thou who wouldst not have, one wretched Sinner die! Who diedst Thyself, my soul to save, from endless misery! 7. Show me the way to shun, Thy dreadful wrath severe, that when Thou comest on Thy throne, I may with joy appear 8. And must I leave this world, And shall the dead arise, and not a single soul escape, His all-discerning eye? 9. How shall my heart endure, the terrors of that day, when earth and heaven, before His face, astonished, melt away? 10. Ere the trumpet shakes, the mansions of the dead, Hark, from the Gospel's cheering sound, what joyous tiding spread! 11. Come sinners, seek His grace, whose wrath ye cannot endure! Come seek the shelter of the cross, and find Salvation there! Lyrics by Charles Wesley, 1763, tune by Ananais Davisson, 1816 (as usual, the song and lyrics were not wedded back then, but were interchangeable) An older setting of the tune was with some of Isaac Watts poetry, which was also fitted to various songs. My God, my life, my love, to Thee, to Thee I call! I cannot live if Thou remove, for Thou art all in all! Thou art the sea of love, where all my pleasure roll, the circle where my passions move, the center of my soul! The Thee my spirits fly, with infinite desire, and yet how far from Thee I lie dear Jesus. raise me higher! (As printed in the Missouri Harmony; a video of this version can be found on RUclips) Usually I prefer Watts to Wesley, but in this case I think the best set of poetry won, and became matched to the tune. Neither was written expressly to be matched with this tune, nor vice versa. In this case, the poetry (Wesley's) so well fits the tune that it seems to have become quite impossible to have one without the other, like the poem 'Amazing Grace' became wedded to the tune 'New Britain', and are now quite impossible to separate.
This was a great read, and very interesting - can you explain a bit more about what you mean by 'singing the shapes' preceding the main verses? Is that something that's unique to sacred harp music?
@@IBBangin19 it is unique to shape note music, which is not exactly redundant with Sacred Harp. Sacred Harp is just the most common and best known shape note book. But yes, it is part of the shape note tradition, where each shape is assigned a solfege name (fa, so, la, mi) and the song is sung through once using just the solfege before starting the actual words. It is one of the oldest parts of the tradition. Seven shape systems such as used in the Christian Harmony use the modern do, re, mi, fa, so, la, so solfege with seven shapes and seven syllables, but the Sacred Harp uses the older 4 note system where the scale is rendered using only 4 shapes and syllables, ie fa, so, la, fa, so, la, mi (or la, mi, fa, so, la, fa, so in the case of a minor scale song). I like shape notes as a learning system, and I find singing the shapes highly enjoyable and much easier than singing the actual poetry, for me personally).
I find it fascinating that Sacred Harp singing has become known in Ireland. Irish and Scottish music contributed so much to the development of American country music. Now American music is coming back to Ireland.
From a commenter here that was there her name is Magdalena Gryszko and is the young woman in a pink hoodie here in an earlier recording ruclips.net/video/9f5pkzzmhNI/видео.html
And am I born to die? To lay this body down! And must my trembling spirit fly Into a world unknown? Waked by the trumpet sound, I from my grave shall rise; And see the Judge with glory crowned, And see the flaming skies!
There are so many recordings of this song, but this is the one I always come back to There's something so earnest about it, many other recordings seem like people are trying to make a good recording, where this feels...earnest, I guess is a good term
Thomas A. Dorsey was a song writer who learned his craft from sacred harp singing, truly an inspiration when you find out WHICH religious songs he wrote. "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "Peace in the Valley" are just two of the over 3000
That's the treble section. I couldn't tell you who that loudest singer is, if that's what you mean, but this music is based on four melodies sung simultaneously, forming a sort of rough harmony (by modern standards). But it's very effective and moving for those who like it, and this is one of tho more moving songs.
the beauty you see is not with your eyes you hear no Harmony your words they despise. your food is with mourners didn't ever dine in you're crusty shell and the mold Within. go to the offended and ask for forgiveness, then turn to the Lord and He is gracious to forgive. with love we do give you
A bit new to this fashion of singing. I love and am drawn to the sound. I think maybe it not being touched by modernity of very appealing. Currently trying to find a singing in my area. Praise the Lord.
It's important to remember that Sacred Harp is not performative singing. I have an affinity for High Renaissance Chorall. I also love the entire body of music coming out of the many strains of the Protestant Reformation Like Sacred Harp it was sung for joy often in vast outdoor gatherings. You can hear this joy in the skylarking of the two untrained high soprano voices. It is to be seen in the totally in the moment, whole body singing of Claire Hogan one of the two lining out the Idumea. I'm a person who can't sing without moving, laughing, perhaps crying for joy, sometimes bemused, often throwing her head back in a kind of abandon she shows visually the ecstatic joy that I and all of its singers experience signing Sacred Harp.
Idumea or Edom in Hebrew was the region south of Judea originally inhabited by the reputed descendents of Jacob's brother Esau. And am I born to die? And lay this body down? And as my trembling spirits fly Into a world unknown A land of deeper shade Unpierced by human thought The dreary region of the dead Where all things are forgot Soon as from earth I go What will become of me? Eternal happiness or woe Must then my fortune be Waked by the trumpet's sound I from my grave shall rise And see the Judge with glory crowned And see the flaming skies
I've always wanted to go to a singin in Ireland its some truly beautiful words I lobe to lay down and give each section there own speaker and just listen to dozens of different songs and it sounds like your really there. But I probably won't be going to Ireland anytime soon I'm only 13.😢
+TheDarkFalcon In Sacred Harp singing (or shaped note singing in general) the beginning of a song consists of each part being sung "note for note" using the syllables Fa, So, La and Mi (in the 4 note system). It gives the singer the opportunity to focus on the melody without having to try to learn the melody while singing the lyrics.
The dynamism and energy are incredible. A re charge for the spirit. There were Sacred Harp workshops at the Whitby Folk week this August but alas I am no singer. Nonetheless, I can listen!
If you don't know the scale and notes. My Grandfather taught me in the early 60s. I can sing it. And...I know it was developed for those who could not read the words. I'd love to come hear and sing along.
It reminds me of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland I used to attend occasionally with my gran here in New Zealand. They practice Exclusive Psalmody, without accompaniment. Quite a different style of singing, but the effect was striking similar. Even though there were a declining congregation, you could almost feel the air vibrating when they sang. There's something about acapella singing that forces you to give it all you've got, since you haven't got the artificial sound of instrument to cover you, so to speak.
there's this one woman in the crown that gets right to me with her super intense voice. You can just here her in the background with an insanely beautiful and pained pitch
Agreed. Her voice has a wild, untrained quality which is just perfect for this kind of rustic heartfelt folk music.
@@TomorrowWeLive Have you heard Cassie Franklin?
ruclips.net/video/diCwaf9rXPw/видео.html
I hear her, too. It's incredible....
higher register harmony
I know what you mean... I really miss it in the original tune. Props to the lady.
"and am I born to die"
This little section would smack over a war scene perfectly
It’s in the opening battle scene of Cold Mountain and it does go perfectly.
@@TheUnknownCountry that is where I first heard this song. Battle of the Crater. Absolutely gut-wrenching and powerful scene.
Look up "crater ridge" you're welcome
The lady singing the high notes in the background if you listen carefully sounds epic and original. Feel like were in the times of John Wesley.
She makes this clip, ever since the first I heard it. There's something so incredibly human about how there is chorus in the chaos of our voices - even despite or perhaps especially because of the outliers that step in and out of the tune on their own time.
@@DeusExMalto There's something about the song that makes me want to play it over and over and over
That lady's descant is the reason I keep coming back to this video!
@@PDXVoiceTeacher for sure 👌
Listen to Cassie Franklin in this video:
ruclips.net/video/diCwaf9rXPw/видео.html
Thank you to New Model Army for introducing me to this particular piece and this style of singing. It’s such a beautiful, raw thing to behold.
My ancestors left Ireland in 1653 for America, and ended up in the Appalachian mountains. Does my heart good to see the Irish embrace this music.
Actually it's origins are in Italy...………..
@@simonwilde9683
Actually 18C England.
Will Rice Try listening to Gaelic Psalm Singing from the Hebrides in Scotland where my ancestors came from in 1787 to Canada. A very unique form of music going back to when most people were illiterate and possibly to Early Christian times. It also has some similarities to some Appalachian singing too. I also have ancestors going back to the beginning of New England who probably would have sung this very song. I too feel something ancestral and primeval about this music. Soul touching. Absolutely Amazing.
@@Wotsitorlabart Actually this song was composed by Ananias Davisson from Kentucky in 1816.
@@ericweaver2088, you mean the tune? The words themselves were written by Charles Wesley.
Can you hear it? Two older people singing above the rest? Rather haunting. Beautiful - well-done people.
the reason this is my favourite rendition of this song is because of that lady's voice singing above the rest.
@@ianbirchfield5124 Check out Cassie Franklin in this video:
ruclips.net/video/diCwaf9rXPw/видео.html
@@dbadagna i gave it a listen. i see what you mean, that lady sings almost the exact same way as the lady in this video. i think i prefer this version, though. i prefer these song to be sung by a whole choir, not 1 or 2 people.
@@ianbirchfield5124 There are also some strange recordings of this repertoire done with piano accompaniment, from old 78-rpm records, which I think have been released by Dust-to-Digital.
Cassie Franklin grew up "in the tradition" (in Alabama) rather than being a revivalist, and can probably sing many if not most of the Sacred Harp songs from memory.
www.jsu.edu/news/jan_june2004/04122004a.html
That's Aine Ui Cheallaigh singing those ornaments. Check out her Irish Sean Nos Singing.
We sing Sacred Harp at my Primitive Baptist Church every Sunday. My people came from Ireland, Scotland, and England through the Appalachian Mountains and I treasure my heritage. It's nice to hear the rest of the world singing it, too.
Ulster-Scots
I WOULD TRULY LOVE TO ATTEND A CHURCH AS SUCH
Primitive Baptist was started by melungeons_ 300 groups of people's in Appalachian come from.mixed races some pre date colonies. They are mixed 5 race or 3 races and can look like any European or Scot due to mixing with townsfolk though they went to the mountains when German settlers refused to live near them in MD and other immigrants. Due to mixing race and cultures they were all skin shades __ they didn't put race in home birth bibles, it was irrelevant. From mixes of Portuguese slaves one could already be African or Syrian or such by 1600. Then they wed native tribes and French and so on in forts. Then they wed shawnee or German and Swiss and whatever. From the beginning they mixed without care but by the time bigger settlements left the mountains and forts for Tenn and VA starting towns and post civil war_ the northern lawyers wanted one drop laws_ one drop black made one unable to vote. And they forced birth certificates on them, assigning them race tho most had green and blue eyes _ many looked European. It became a political pawn game to make one white or black (and ignoring the other ethnic ancestors)
In todays world ignoring all 300.groups helps the woke pretend there was only white and black and no mixed. But we have Jewish_ Portuguese _ Blackfoot _ shawnee_ sub sah African and German Irish English_ every nation. It behooved the political post civil war to revise the northern upper crust disdain of anything but English blood__ old Boston and NY families went a long way to creating a narrative that the south was all slavers and white ethnic because of eugenics up till Hitler.
So the southern mixed _ mostly poor, got the political shaft and today the acidemia and social culture uses the term colonizee for white__ whereas skin tone and eyes doesn't relay ethnic and races _ nor would dna by placename tell one what mixed they were in that country _
Primitive Baptist and the mountain way of burial traditions are mostly kept by elders. It's also streamlined in history books that mountain folk are Irish or scott__ however that largely came from the Hatfield and McCoy stories. Pre those stories, you had the virgina fort dwellers. Many mixed settling towns in KY WV Tenn and South VA. The DC suburban now were the slave plantations and WV succeeded from the union for that reason, they had wealth and influence _ mountain potato farmers had no representation in Congress _ they were the poor mixed who became miners and neigh slaves for the northern industrialist.
So song like food and traditions are from immigrants mixed the settled down for trappers and explorers who were _ as you trace family trees already assimilate people's from Europe and swiss, Celts and those conquered migrating from earlier wars with Romans, Frank's whatever.
Contrary to some comments of those not knowing migration of peoples from Mesopotamia and Arab slave trade__ people are all mixed. And the south and mountains particularly hold mixed. Due to the earliest transport ships, indentured and Portuguese slave ships _ though Canadian French often mated with American natives and settled in those territories. Highland clearances and Irish potato famine brought an influx of those people and they were keen to be the pioneers and were the fresh labor class__ also treated horribly in the north cities _ in slums and factories and many took to the landscape _ and people's of the mountains.
A resurgence of class caste system followed the civil war under eugenics up to the 1940s. By then the elites and old money owned the forms of media and academics__ the history so to speak. As is today's narrative. But... People have their bibles and journals _ancestry noted and know the way of it. One place that mixed races and cultures found joy and strength was their songs, and their worship. So it's a joy to see the mix of voices singing in all the countries that made a unique America__ the heart and soul of it. We mutts from the first people's enjoy the unity and traditions from salt of the earth.
Most of your ancestors were Ulster Scots (scotch Irish you call us in American)
Breathtaking.
There's some high clear wild notes from one of the female singers, it's so beautiful especially at the end (around 2:05 - 2:09, & again at 2:21 - 2:30). It reminds me so much of Sinead O'Connor, in particular the last verse of' Three Babies' (if you're curious, it's the part in 'Three Babies' where she sings "For myself I ask no one else" the second time, at the end of the song with about a minute left in the song).
From a commenter here that was there her name is Magdalena Gryszko and is the young woman in a pink hoodie here in an earlier recording ruclips.net/video/9f5pkzzmhNI/видео.html
Love your Virginia Woolf username. And likening the plaintive singing of the one singer to one of my favorite songs from Sinead O'Connor, favorite because of the passages you select "For myself I ask ..."
There are two distinctive voices, not one. One is Magdalena Gryszko from the other Idumea video. She's over on the left somewhere out of shot. You can also see her leading the same piece on a video from Warsaw. The wilder voice doing the little trills is over on the right somewhere. They sound like they're singing really high but it's not actually that high. I love it. Little did they know they'd have such an effect on people.
The woman everyone is talking about with the high notes feels the spirit. Bless her soul. Praise the ALLMIGHTY
I'm not a religious man, but this is beautiful. Genuinely moves me to the core, beautiful
Faith in Christ =/= religion. We were never instructed to form religions and practice man-made rituals. If something resonates with u then please deeply consider why. It’s spiritual, and your spirit is crying out for truth. It’s unimaginable just how much God will change u if u let him in. I suggest u read the KJV Bible and I hope it resonates with u. God bless you, Brother :)
Same here, I’m an atheist but as a music lover I enjoy songs of worship and devotion as well, it speaks to something beautiful in the human spirit. But most of all hearing people singing together is always moving, it’s far more ancient than any religion.
I can't listen to the harmonies in this music without getting a pang in my chest and tears in my eyes. Such beautiful music.
Same! 💕
Proud to say I went to my first Sacred Harp gathering tonight, and we sang this song.
Lucky!
MY HATS OFF TO YA, TRULY GOD IS AMONG YOU.
Shivers up my spine! Amazing, god bless
I love how this is uniquely American (Appalachia/south/New England) music but you can tell its roots are northwest Europe. Beautiful!
Sacred Harp singing is so powerful to participate in. Listening is also great, but to sing with such gusto and abandon is very healing.
+PABWECG, yes, you are right. It always sounds differently, too, when you're singing with the group. It's an indescribable experience.
I want to go and get healed! Does anyone have a spare ticket to Ireland?
I wish! :D
I couldn't agree more! And it's worth noting this isn't basically "church music" in the sense that it's used in regular worship services--although it can be--but rather recreational music. It had its roots in early American "singing schools" where people learned to read from "shapes" and solmization.
It reminds me of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland I used to attend occasionally with my gran here in New Zealand. They practice Exclusive Psalmody, without accompaniment. Quite a different style of singing, but the effect was striking similar. Even though there were a declining congregation, you could almost feel the air vibrating when they sang. There's something about acapella singing that forces you to give it all you've got, since you haven't got the artificial sound of instrument to cover you, so to speak.
i didn't know about Sacred Harp singing until I stumbled across that scene in the movie 'Lawless'.
Me too.
For me, it was 'Cold Mountain'. I came across the Battle of the Crater scene earlier this year (2020) and still think it's amazing. I haven't watched any of the rest of the movie, though.
@@fishofgold6553 I hope you've remedied that! One of the best film of all time. Killer cast, amazing acting, and great representation of the book.
@@fishofgold6553 same film introduced me to this lovely stuff
It is a brutal opening. Worth following through with the rest of the film. The entire sound track is insane.
*I wish my baby was born" is my favourite I think. Another memorable/grim scene.
Glad I found it too.
If you ever see 'Cold Mountain,' you'll never see this song in the same way again. It's so powerful
It opened my eyes to this music and I think I'll just listen with constant tears
My father was a minister in Missouri (close to the Ozarks) and in Oklahoma. I still love the Sacred Harp and Acapella traditions--there are some very powerful singers who come out of that tradition. (Not me--I just have serviceable baritone.)
OAKLEY!!!!
I don't need to see some movie to appreciate this song. Most people wouldn't have even heard it if not for the movie.
TEEEEACH
Perhaps the gold standard for performances of this piece on youtube
Absolutely the best version of this song yet. These Irish folk have brought Sacred Harp to a new level. They really caught the spirit of it. I also love the high improvisations over the top by one of the ladies in the congregation.
I've also heard that in other recordings. I finally got a look at the music, and there is a divisi line in the altos, and they're higher than the sopranos, and that accounts for some of what's going on. I'd like to find out more about the 'performance practice' of this. After all, the music is not on the page, it's in the soul.
Frank Zimmerman She's great, that type of singer usually takes away from the recording quality but she's like the seasoning on a refined dish!
Frank Zimmerman She's great, that type of singer usually takes away from the recording quality but she's like the seasoning on a refined dish!
It’s the lady on the back left of the altos behind the direction the leaders are facing. I’ve sang with her often, she has a powerful voice and a beautiful connection with the spirit and sound of Sacred Harp.
Her voice is so angelic and really lends a haunting beauty to the song.
Nice to know my Great great Grandpa was a circuit rider on a horse and taught shapenote..My great grandma talks about it all the time
And am I born to die?
To lay this body down!
And must my trembling spirit fly
Into a world unknown?
Waked by the trumpet sound,
I from my grave shall rise;
And see the Judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies!
For any one that's looking for the lyrics. Some bits are repeated. The Fa So Lo bit at the start is the notes that will be sung, so that the choir, as it's unaccompanied, can find the right key and such.
In a minor scale it's la-mi-fa-sol-la-fa-sol-la.
So the people singing the melody line of "And am... I born... to die..." are singing, in the warmup, "la fa..., mi la sol..., so la..." and so on. Hope this helps.
+Belligerent Stag If you google 'sacred harp' and the name of the song or the song number in the title, you might be able to find an image of the page they're singing from. Quite a few pages from that hymn book are online somewhere or other. Though the fa sol etc wouldn't be written as such, rather the notes are each given a shape which means either fa, sol, la, or mi... Look up 'shape note singing' if my explanation doesn't make sense :)
That is exactly how one sings Sacred Harp songs. The original warmup is to get everyone on line, so to speak. It is very similar to "lining" hymns in the black churches--this method goes back to the 18th century England and Methodism when most parishioners were illiterate, I would add.
I grew up singing this in rural Missouri, although only in the rural churches--and I mean rural, at least in the view of most of you here.
Has anyone here heard the version with the extra part at the end? The now deleted youtube video "Native American(Sacred Harp Singers Idumea" sounds like the version used in the movie "Cold Mountain" but had an extra part at the end (something like "For I must go and see..." or "So I can see...") but I can't find that complete version anywhere. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
fasola.org/indexes/1991/?p=47b
This website has all the lyrics to the 1991 Denson edition of The Sacred Harp.
Viewing it for the 143rd time....and crying again.
The singing is absolutely gorgeous.
THIS MUSIC, THIS SONG JUST REACHS THE DEPTHS OF MY HEART AND MY SOUL, I'VE NEVER HEARD SUCH A SOUND THAT LIFTS ME SO
I keep finding this song and losing it, but it's come back. Hallelujah.
watched cold mountain in high school, been in love with this sound ever since
I love you my Irish brothers an sisters I need an up lifting so so bad today I have depression so bad at time but the very heavens opened up an smiled hearing you all.love you☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️
Choked up a little. Lovely!
There's something about this song. Gives me chills every time
Christianity has brought the arts to the most high in music, art and architecture.
are you implying our modern style of different concrete boxes and glass are inferior? just look at all the different types of concrete boxes we have!
This genuinely made me cry. Absolutely beautiful to listen and feel from the heart.
I love this singing, I watched Lawless and searched and searched for anything I could find and finally came across these on youtube.
Beautiful I get goose bumps listening.
That's exactly how I started looking it up too.
You wanna really get the best out of this kind of music, you should hit up an actual singing like this. Nothing compares, seriously.
Greetings from Portugal! The film Lawless brought me here. I´m a music lover, and this tipe of music is the most amazing thing that i discover in a while. Keep Going! Never stop believing
How it beautifies the singers.
0:28 is where you really feel it. They all synch up and put their hearts into the song. Great stuff.
The lady you can hear distinctly at 2:07 made my eyes leak.
Agree 100%
That's Aine Ui Cheallaigh, a traditional Irish Sean Nos singer.
LYRICS please and song name
Wonderful - thank you for posting! Now to listen and find out much more about Idumea, and Shape Note singing.
Gives me goosebumps every time I hear it!
Greetings from Macedonia!
Greetings back to Greece ✋🏻
This is beautiful and gives me chills my teacher has seen sacred harp performed live and said it was beautiful
Bring this back please. It's so soothing.
Wow! Haunting quality of the music! My minister this Sunday just introduced us to this form of singing, as he was discussing the book of Samuel and David mourning the loss of his son, Absolom.
This is so powerful, so moving. It makes me want to get up and sing.
Magnifique!
and can you please make a 1 hour version of this song
Absolutely beautiful. I cry on almost every video you all make.
Cold Mountain is one of my favorite films.. This made me cry.
Greetings from Mississippi - Loved it! There is just something about this piece that brings a tear. Thank you.
Full lyrics (only verses 1 and 3 are sung here, after "singing the shapes" through once; only the first three verse are printed in the Sacred Harp):
1. And am I born to die?
To lay this body down?
And must my spirit, trembling, fly,
into a world unknown?
2. Soon as from earth I go,
what will become of me?
Eternal happiness or woe,
must then my portion be?
3. Waked by the Trumpet's sound,
I from my grave shall rise;
and see the Judge with Glory crowned,
and see the flaming skies!
4. How shall I leave my tomb?
In triumph or regret?
A fearful or a joyous doom;
A curse or blessing met?
5. I must from God be driven,
or with my Savior dwell,
must come at His command to heaven,'
or else depart: to Hell
6. Thou who wouldst not have,
one wretched Sinner die!
Who diedst Thyself, my soul to save,
from endless misery!
7. Show me the way to shun,
Thy dreadful wrath severe,
that when Thou comest on Thy throne,
I may with joy appear
8. And must I leave this world,
And shall the dead arise,
and not a single soul escape,
His all-discerning eye?
9. How shall my heart endure,
the terrors of that day,
when earth and heaven, before His face,
astonished, melt away?
10. Ere the trumpet shakes,
the mansions of the dead,
Hark, from the Gospel's cheering sound,
what joyous tiding spread!
11. Come sinners, seek His grace,
whose wrath ye cannot endure!
Come seek the shelter of the cross,
and find Salvation there!
Lyrics by Charles Wesley, 1763, tune by Ananais Davisson, 1816 (as usual, the song and lyrics were not wedded back then, but were interchangeable)
An older setting of the tune was with some of Isaac Watts poetry, which was also fitted to various songs.
My God, my life, my love,
to Thee, to Thee I call!
I cannot live if Thou remove,
for Thou art all in all!
Thou art the sea of love,
where all my pleasure roll,
the circle where my passions move,
the center of my soul!
The Thee my spirits fly,
with infinite desire,
and yet how far from Thee I lie
dear Jesus. raise me higher!
(As printed in the Missouri Harmony; a video of this version can be found on RUclips)
Usually I prefer Watts to Wesley, but in this case I think the best set of poetry won, and became matched to the tune. Neither was written expressly to be matched with this tune, nor vice versa. In this case, the poetry (Wesley's) so well fits the tune that it seems to have become quite impossible to have one without the other, like the poem 'Amazing Grace' became wedded to the tune 'New Britain', and are now quite impossible to separate.
William Walker thank you for posting these lyrics. Fantastic to learn more and to get a full view of the poetry.
This was a great read, and very interesting - can you explain a bit more about what you mean by 'singing the shapes' preceding the main verses? Is that something that's unique to sacred harp music?
@@IBBangin19 it is unique to shape note music, which is not exactly redundant with Sacred Harp. Sacred Harp is just the most common and best known shape note book. But yes, it is part of the shape note tradition, where each shape is assigned a solfege name (fa, so, la, mi) and the song is sung through once using just the solfege before starting the actual words. It is one of the oldest parts of the tradition. Seven shape systems such as used in the Christian Harmony use the modern do, re, mi, fa, so, la, so solfege with seven shapes and seven syllables, but the Sacred Harp uses the older 4 note system where the scale is rendered using only 4 shapes and syllables, ie fa, so, la, fa, so, la, mi (or la, mi, fa, so, la, fa, so in the case of a minor scale song). I like shape notes as a learning system, and I find singing the shapes highly enjoyable and much easier than singing the actual poetry, for me personally).
Потрясающе! Спасибо, что поделились! Stunning! Thank you for sharing! From Russia 🇷🇺
Казачьим повеяло,нашим)
Now this is how this should sound. Rough and without dynamic. Just let it all out.
NO DOUBT this is the most beautiful thing my ears have ever heard. PRAISE TO HIM! Thank you for this!
Sends chills down my spine. So powerful!
smashing tune sort of crushes up the wicked and reforms there hope. first-time listener, I'll be back to sample it again thank you so much
Absolutly beautiful! Greetings from Germany.
Brought tears to my eyes, so beautiful. Thank you.
01:34 even the kid joined in and did a little adlib
Blimey, this sound literally makes me cry (in a good way).
Find a singing near you and come along and join us. Google shapenote uk and you are in!!!
Same. I just did
Beautiful, and poignant ... This song always makes me cry. The words are worth checking out.
I find it fascinating that Sacred Harp singing has become known in Ireland. Irish and Scottish music contributed so much to the development of American country music. Now American music is coming back to Ireland.
There is no one what will hold you when judgement falls. There is none but idumea.
Marvellous! Wish I could have sung with them there.
HOLY CRAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!...here coz of Lawless 2012.
That gal belting it out like an Apache squaw had an amazing voice; loved her energy.
There is a voice over all the others that reminds me of hearing older American Indians chanting. Lovely! Thank you.
From a commenter here that was there her name is Magdalena Gryszko and is the young woman in a pink hoodie here in an earlier recording ruclips.net/video/9f5pkzzmhNI/видео.html
Le sacred harp est vraiment un style de chorale que je trouve magnifique.
The exact translation of human suffering into song.
More like human hopelessness without Christ.
Try both
Christians don't have a monopoly on suffering. This is raw human emotion. Stop excluding for no reason, bub.
You are 100% on it
Suffering is pointless outside of Christ. Repent and believe
Such a beautifule song that grasps so many unique voices at once.
And am I born to die?
To lay this body down!
And must my trembling spirit fly
Into a world unknown?
Waked by the trumpet sound,
I from my grave shall rise;
And see the Judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies!
This is the song from the opening of Cold Mountain. So haunting.
The music brings tears to my eyes.
That voice- Gives me chills
Such a beauty. Btw, does anyone know what it says between 0:20 and 1:00?
It’s the Fa So La portion to “warm up” to get in tune before singing the words. Sacred Harp shape note singing.
@@sharon9383 aha. thank you very much :)
I first heard this from the singing of the Watersons... Little did I know its apparently a Sacred Harp staple. May even get to sing it myself!
This moves me to my very soul. So powerful and beautiful. ❤
Awesome. My favorite especially with the high pitch haunted voice in background
There are so many recordings of this song, but this is the one I always come back to
There's something so earnest about it, many other recordings seem like people are trying to make a good recording, where this feels...earnest, I guess is a good term
Thomas A. Dorsey was a song writer who learned his craft from sacred harp singing, truly an inspiration when you find out WHICH religious songs he wrote. "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "Peace in the Valley" are just two of the over 3000
I love "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" so much!
Who is doing that high harmony?! Fuck that's beautiful.
+Grant Kindt my thoughts exactly
I'm happy you like it, but please have some respect in your language.
That's the treble section. I couldn't tell you who that loudest singer is, if that's what you mean, but this music is based on four melodies sung simultaneously, forming a sort of rough harmony (by modern standards). But it's very effective and moving for those who like it, and this is one of tho more moving songs.
I think this is a much more disrespectful statement, honestly.
the beauty you see is not with your eyes you hear no Harmony your words they despise. your food is with mourners didn't ever dine in you're crusty shell and the mold Within. go to the offended and ask for forgiveness, then turn to the Lord and He is gracious to forgive. with love we do give you
A bit new to this fashion of singing. I love and am drawn to the sound. I think maybe it not being touched by modernity of very appealing. Currently trying to find a singing in my area. Praise the Lord.
It's important to remember that Sacred Harp is not performative singing. I have an affinity for High Renaissance Chorall. I also love the entire body of music coming out of the many strains of the Protestant Reformation Like Sacred Harp it was sung for joy often in vast outdoor gatherings.
You can hear this joy in the skylarking of the two untrained high soprano voices. It is to be seen in the totally in the moment, whole body singing of Claire Hogan one of the two lining out the Idumea. I'm a person who can't sing without moving, laughing, perhaps crying for joy, sometimes bemused, often throwing her head back in a kind of abandon she shows visually the ecstatic joy that I and all of its singers experience signing Sacred Harp.
Idumea or Edom in Hebrew was the region south of Judea originally inhabited by the reputed descendents of Jacob's brother Esau.
And am I born to die?
And lay this body down?
And as my trembling spirits fly
Into a world unknown
A land of deeper shade
Unpierced by human thought
The dreary region of the dead
Where all things are forgot
Soon as from earth I go
What will become of me?
Eternal happiness or woe
Must then my fortune be
Waked by the trumpet's sound
I from my grave shall rise
And see the Judge with glory crowned
And see the flaming skies
"And must my trembling spirit fly"
"A land of deepest shade"
MisterDeSoto : Thank you 🙏 for posting the words.
Excellent. Be blessed!
Excellent thanks for posting this!
I've always wanted to go to a singin in Ireland its some truly beautiful words
I lobe to lay down and give each section there own speaker and just listen to dozens of different songs and it sounds like your really there. But I probably won't be going to Ireland anytime soon I'm only 13.😢
+Richard Denney
Someday! You've got lots of time ahead of you! :-)
.......Goosebumps
I have been on a mission for days now. Mission objective: point out female singing higher than all others. She sings beautiful
SnOoKiE SnOoK trying to do the same thing
Back row, left side of the alto section (behind the leaders). You can see her tip her head back and belt.
Why is the guy from Blue's Clues leading the choir?
maybe because he also sings Sacred Harp.
heheh, "choir"
What is being sung in 00:18 - 00:58? I looked up the lyrics and have no idea what part is being sung.. : -/
+TheDarkFalcon they sing just the names of the notes at the start, do re mi and all. :)
+TheDarkFalcon In Sacred Harp singing (or shaped note singing in general) the beginning of a song consists of each part being sung "note for note" using the syllables Fa, So, La and Mi (in the 4 note system). It gives the singer the opportunity to focus on the melody without having to try to learn the melody while singing the lyrics.
Il y a vraiment quelque chose spéciale dans le style. Je ne peux pas me retenir de le chanter !
Please for the love of god watch it on 3/4 speed and weep from the beauty of it all
I
finally
found that damn song!
The dynamism and energy are incredible. A re charge for the spirit. There were Sacred Harp workshops at the Whitby Folk week this August but alas I am no singer. Nonetheless, I can listen!
This gave me goose bumps!!!
They need to introduce this to kids in their area. Try middle school kids.who have had some singing, so they can get hooked on it.
Many communities have Sacred Harp, or shape note, singing. Find it in your town and join it at least once---a great experience.
What kind of people would give this a thumbs down?
If you don't know the scale and notes. My Grandfather taught me in the early 60s. I can sing it. And...I know it was developed for those who could not read the words. I'd love to come hear and sing along.
It reminds me of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland I used to attend occasionally with my gran here in New Zealand. They practice Exclusive Psalmody, without accompaniment. Quite a different style of singing, but the effect was striking similar. Even though there were a declining congregation, you could almost feel the air vibrating when they sang. There's something about acapella singing that forces you to give it all you've got, since you haven't got the artificial sound of instrument to cover you, so to speak.