#376

July 18, 2008 · Print This Article

No, it’s not the number of blog posts. Not a house number and not my ticket number at El Torero. Got it yet? Here’s a hint - B.F. White, 18th century. Don’t worry, three years ago I would not have known the answer.

My friend Matt Hinton reintroduced me to Sacred Harp music while he was filming the first ever documentary of America’s oldest original music - Awake My Soul. My mother sang Sacred Harp or “Shape Note” music as a child and teenager and I grew up in a small church in South Georgia so I had heard the Fa Sol La Mi but had never actually been to a singing.

Matt is working on the final touches of a companion cd to the film which contains reinterpretations of traditional Sacred Harp or songs inspired by this style of composing and singing. I was asked to come in and sing a harmony to Mac Powell’s version of #376 - Help Me To Sing. We recorded monday might at Matt Goldman’s studio (Glow In The Dark Studios). I had alot of fun learning the song and think Mac made a great choice with this song. Here’s a challenge to Danny to figure out why it was fitting that I was asked to sing on this particular hymn. Hint: search the words.

Comments

2 Responses to “#376”

  1. Danny Stephens on July 18th, 2008 7:57 pm

    I’ll take that challenge on. Googling isn’t getting me very far, but I think my Dad has a Sacred Harp songbook….

  2. Danny Stephens on July 19th, 2008 10:20 am

    Okay. Got it. These lyrics are the hint:

    Ye souls who are bound unto Canaan,
    Come join in and help me to sing
    The praises of my loving Jesus,
    My Prophet, my Priest, and my King.

    Prophet, Priest, and King is an old Smalltown Poets song written by me, Michael, and Miguel DeJesus. it was one of the Poets’ more popular songs back in the day, and the video can be found on Youtube here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=S654P1d552o

Got something to say?