music: “Canaan Land”, Hoboken Church style Across the southeastern United States, there are places where people sing hymns in a tradition known as Sacred Harp. But in one small town in Georgia, they have a style all their own. I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont. “The way other groups sing that song is (sings)… and so forth. The way we sing that song is (sing).” David Lee is a fifth-generation Sacred Harp singer in Hoboken, Georgia. “We never sang with anybody except ourselves. And because of that isolation, we developed a completely different way of singing this music.” music: “Canaan Land” – Hoboken style “When we sing together in a formal, organized group, we sit in what we call a hollow square. In the middle, then, is where the leader stands. The leader walks time, meaning that he steps to a particular pace that fits the time signature of that song, and goes around and around the square as he walks time. Some people think the leader is dancing, but it’s not dancing. But it’s a way of establishing the beat of the song so that everybody can follow the leader.” Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I’m Jim Metzner.
Shape-note Singing: Hoboken
Across the southeastern United States, there's a tradition of hymn-singing called Shape-note or Sacred Harp. In Hoboken, Georgia, the singers have a style all their own.
Air Date:11/22/2000
Scientist:
Transcript:
music: "Canaan Land", Hoboken Church style Across the southeastern United States, there are places where people sing hymns in a tradition known as Sacred Harp. But in one small town in Georgia, they have a style all their own. I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont. "The way other groups sing that song is (sings)... and so forth. The way we sing that song is (sing)." David Lee is a fifth-generation Sacred Harp singer in Hoboken, Georgia. "We never sang with anybody except ourselves. And because of that isolation, we developed a completely different way of singing this music." music: "Canaan Land" - Hoboken style "When we sing together in a formal, organized group, we sit in what we call a hollow square. In the middle, then, is where the leader stands. The leader walks time, meaning that he steps to a particular pace that fits the time signature of that song, and goes around and around the square as he walks time. Some people think the leader is dancing, but it's not dancing. But it's a way of establishing the beat of the song so that everybody can follow the leader." Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I'm Jim Metzner.