Southern Musical Convention
Encyclopedia
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
.
From its founding until 1867, White's The Sacred Harp was the "textbook" of the convention. After that it adopted a policy of using other song books and began to slowly drop out of significant influence in the history of Sacred Harp
. The Southern Musical Convention, under White's leadership, sponsored three revisions of the Sacred Harp (1850, 1859, 1869). The 1849-1850 committee consisted of B. F. White, Leonard P. Breedlove, E. L. King, Joel King, R. F. M. Mann, A. Ogletree, S. R. Pennick and J. R. Turner. The second revision committee of the Sacred Harp in 1858-1859 consisted of B. F. White, R. F. Ball, J. T. Edmunds, A. Ogletree, E. T. Pound, J. P Reese, T. Waller, and A. S. Webster. The Southern Musical Convention selected White, Edmund Dumas, R. F. M. Mann, Absalom Ogletree and Marion Patrick as the committee to revise the Sacred Harp in 1869-1870.
Not only did the convention provide a gathering for vocal musicians, but also created an authoritative body to approve of teachers for singing schools. In January of 1852, the Convention authorized a newspaper, The Organ, which was published at Hamilton, Georgia
. B. F. White was "Superintendent" of the publication.
The Southern Musical Convention supplied the pattern for many subsequent Sacred Harp musical organizations, including the two oldest existing Sacred Harp Conventions - the Chattahoochee Musical Convention
and the East Texas Musical Convention
.
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 :...
musical convention, organized by 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 others in 1845. It was formed at Huntersville in Upson County, Georgia
Upson County, Georgia
Upson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is a part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area . It was created on December 15, 1824. As of 2000, the population was 27,597. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 27,562...
.
From its founding until 1867, White's The Sacred Harp was the "textbook" of the convention. After that it adopted a policy of using other song books and began to slowly drop out of significant influence in the history of Sacred Harp
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 :...
. The Southern Musical Convention, under White's leadership, sponsored three revisions of the Sacred Harp (1850, 1859, 1869). The 1849-1850 committee consisted of B. F. White, Leonard P. Breedlove, E. L. King, Joel King, R. F. M. Mann, A. Ogletree, S. R. Pennick and J. R. Turner. The second revision committee of the Sacred Harp in 1858-1859 consisted of B. F. White, R. F. Ball, J. T. Edmunds, A. Ogletree, E. T. Pound, J. P Reese, T. Waller, and A. S. Webster. The Southern Musical Convention selected White, Edmund Dumas, R. F. M. Mann, Absalom Ogletree and Marion Patrick as the committee to revise the Sacred Harp in 1869-1870.
Not only did the convention provide a gathering for vocal musicians, but also created an authoritative body to approve of teachers for singing schools. In January of 1852, the Convention authorized a newspaper, The Organ, which was published at Hamilton, Georgia
Hamilton, Georgia
Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Harris County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. B. F. White was "Superintendent" of the publication.
The Southern Musical Convention supplied the pattern for many subsequent Sacred Harp musical organizations, including the two oldest existing Sacred Harp Conventions - the Chattahoochee Musical Convention
Chattahoochee Musical Convention
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...
and the East Texas Musical Convention
East Texas Musical Convention
The East Texas Musical Convention, now usually called the East Texas Sacred Harp Convention, is an annual gathering of shape note singers. Songs are sung a cappella from the Sacred Harp tunebook. The Convention was organized in 1855, and is the oldest Sacred Harp convention in Texas, and the second...
.