Over the course of this blog I have posted quotes by Sacred Harp singers and/or about Sacred Harp singing. Here are some of my favorites.
"My favorite Sacred Harp song is the one I'm singing right now."
“There are three things I like about Sacred Harp: I like the songs they sing; I like the way they sing them; and, most of all, I like the folks that sing them.” -- Curtis Owen
“The Sacred Harp is a song book odd in shape, with an odd name, and as some think, has odd sounding songs sung by odd people.” -- David Waldrop
“It has shaped notes -- helpful for those that need them, unobtrusive to those who don't.” -- David "still learning" (in Eastern USA)
"It's not a religion. It doesn't favor any particular denomination. But when you're singing, it's a religious experience." -- John Etheridge
"In a cultural sense, this is the last outpost of the Old South." -- Bill Giesenschlag
"Today I seldom hear this music, but when I do, I close my eyes and recall a time when, as far as I knew, the entire world was no bigger and no more complex than our backwoods county. Life was simple, defined by daily chores and lived in rhythm with the seasons." -- Bob Lively, Austin American-Statesman
"This kind of music here, it comes out of you. There aren't any guitars or musical instruments, it comes from within you." -- Sam Craig
"Get enough people singing weird harmonies at the top of their voices and you start feeling a little sorry for the devil." -- Joe Dempsey
"Sing it right slow so we can get the juice out of it." -- Terry Wootten
"When in doubt, sing loud." -- Robert Merrill, American operatic tenor (a quote confiscated by Sacred Harp singers!)
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