"As Far From Secular, Operatic, Rag-time, and Jig Melodies As Is Possible": Religion and the Resurgence of Interest in The Sacred Harp, 1895-1911

Since its publication in 1844, the shape-note tunebook The Sacred Harp has primarily found use in the nonsectarian venue of the singing convention. Around the turn of the twentieth century, however, several promoters of Sacred Harp singing tried to identify the singing tradition more closely with impulses toward religious revival within Southern Protestantism. This identification was one of the factors that fueled a revival of interest in Sacred Harp singing itself during these years.