Chattahoochee Musical Convention
Encyclopedia
The Chattahoochee Musical Convention is a Sacred Harp
singing convention. It is an annual gathering whose purposes are the singing of Sacred Harp music and fostering of bonds of fellowship among singers. It bears the distinction of being the oldest surviving Sacred Harp musical convention, having been founded in 1852.
. It was organized in 1852 in western Georgia at Macedonia Baptist Church in Coweta County
. The impetus for the Chattahoochee Musical Convention was the success of the original Sacred Harp hymnbook and the Southern Musical Convention
that was then affiliated with it. With the northward geographic spread of Sacred Harp singing into the Coweta County region, it was felt that the time had come for the residents of this area to have their own convention. The early sessions were attended by Sacred Harp founder B. F. White
and other leading Sacred Harp figures of the day.
In its early period the convention was four days long, ending on the first Sunday in August and beginning the preceding Thursday. Currently it is a two-day convention, ending on the same day.
The convention missed some sessions during the American Civil War
. As Thurman (1952/2002, 34) states, "the progress of the Convention was greatly disrupted by the war. Many of the leading singers were called to arms and it was a serious blow to the body." At the end of the war in 1865 the Convention met again at Mount Zion
in Carroll County, Georgia
to begin anew; B. F. White and other Sacred Harp luminaries were in attendance. That year, the Chattahoochee Convention began keeping written records of its proceedings, records which have survived to the present time and serve as a historical resource for Sacred Harp scholarship. In 1866, the Convention adopted a written constitution.
The members of the Convention have included some of the creators of the modern editions of The Sacred Harp. According to Thurman, Joseph Summerlin James
, who headed the committee that created the 1911 edition from which the modern "Denson" edition descends, "had been a member of the Chattahoochee forty-four years when his revised edition was given to the public." The primary creators of the Denson edition (1936), Thomas Denson and Seaborn Denson, also attended the Convention on a number of occasions starting in 1878; and Thomas's son Paine Denson, who completed the work of the 1936 edition, was a member.
The Convention has met every year since resuming after the Civil War, with the sole exception of 1881.
, called Wilson's Chapel, for the express purpose of housing the Chattahoochee Musical Convention. The Convention has met here for most of the years since 1938, and exclusively since 1989. The building continues to be maintained by the Wilson family.
, one of the principal streams of Georgia that flows through the region of the convention. It is said to come from an expression in Creek
meaning "painted rock."
Sacred Harp
Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music that took root in the Southern region of the United States. It is part of the larger tradition of shape note music.- The music and its notation :...
singing convention. It is an annual gathering whose purposes are the singing of Sacred Harp music and fostering of bonds of fellowship among singers. It bears the distinction of being the oldest surviving Sacred Harp musical convention, having been founded in 1852.
History
Plans were laid for the convention in the fall of 1851 at the home of composer Oliver Bradfield, north of Newnan, GeorgiaNewnan, Georgia
Newnan is a city in Coweta County, Georgia, about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. The population was 16,242 at the 2000 Census. Newnan is one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia, with an estimated population of 27,097 in 2006 and 33,293 in July 2008...
. It was organized in 1852 in western Georgia at Macedonia Baptist Church in Coweta County
Coweta County, Georgia
Coweta County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 89,215. The 2009 Census Estimate placed the population at 131,936...
. The impetus for the Chattahoochee Musical Convention was the success of the original Sacred Harp hymnbook and the Southern Musical Convention
Southern Musical Convention
The Southern Musical Convention was the first Sacred Harp musical convention, organized by B. F. White and others in 1845. It was formed at Huntersville in Upson County, Georgia....
that was then affiliated with it. With the northward geographic spread of Sacred Harp singing into the Coweta County region, it was felt that the time had come for the residents of this area to have their own convention. The early sessions were attended by Sacred Harp founder B. F. White
Benjamin Franklin White
Benjamin Franklin White was a shape note "singing master", and compiler of the shape note tunebook known as The Sacred Harp. He was born near Cross Keys in Union County, South Carolina, the twelfth child of Robert and Mildred White.-Musical career:White and Elisha J...
and other leading Sacred Harp figures of the day.
In its early period the convention was four days long, ending on the first Sunday in August and beginning the preceding Thursday. Currently it is a two-day convention, ending on the same day.
The convention missed some sessions during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. As Thurman (1952/2002, 34) states, "the progress of the Convention was greatly disrupted by the war. Many of the leading singers were called to arms and it was a serious blow to the body." At the end of the war in 1865 the Convention met again at Mount Zion
Mount Zion, Georgia
Mount Zion is a city in Carroll County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,275 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mount Zion is located at ....
in Carroll County, Georgia
Carroll County, Georgia
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 87,268. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 111,954...
to begin anew; B. F. White and other Sacred Harp luminaries were in attendance. That year, the Chattahoochee Convention began keeping written records of its proceedings, records which have survived to the present time and serve as a historical resource for Sacred Harp scholarship. In 1866, the Convention adopted a written constitution.
The members of the Convention have included some of the creators of the modern editions of The Sacred Harp. According to Thurman, Joseph Summerlin James
Joseph Summerlin James
Joseph Stephen James, of Douglasville, Georgia, was a lawyer, shape note singer, composer, and a reviser of the tunebook known as The Sacred Harp.J. S. James works include A Brief History of the Sacred Harp and Its Author, B. F...
, who headed the committee that created the 1911 edition from which the modern "Denson" edition descends, "had been a member of the Chattahoochee forty-four years when his revised edition was given to the public." The primary creators of the Denson edition (1936), Thomas Denson and Seaborn Denson, also attended the Convention on a number of occasions starting in 1878; and Thomas's son Paine Denson, who completed the work of the 1936 edition, was a member.
The Convention has met every year since resuming after the Civil War, with the sole exception of 1881.
Venue
In the 1930s, Matthew Wilson built a structure near Carrollton, GeorgiaCarrollton, Georgia
Carrollton is a city in West Georgia, United States, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,388...
, called Wilson's Chapel, for the express purpose of housing the Chattahoochee Musical Convention. The Convention has met here for most of the years since 1938, and exclusively since 1989. The building continues to be maintained by the Wilson family.
Etymology
"Chattahoochee" is a local place name, notably of the Chattahoochee RiverChattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
, one of the principal streams of Georgia that flows through the region of the convention. It is said to come from an expression in Creek
Creek language
The Creek language, also known as Muskogee or Muscogee , is a Muskogean language spoken by Muscogee and Seminole people primarily in the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Florida....
meaning "painted rock."
External links
- Sound files from the 150th Chattahoochee Musical Convention, held in Wilson’s Chapel, Carrollton, Georgia, August 2–4, 2002; from pilgrimproduction.net
- Minutes of the 2002 Convention, from fasola.org.