Pitching Sacred Harp Music
In Sacred Harp music, it is the custom to sing a song in a key chosen for the moment, rather than the one notated in the hymnbook. Pitching (also: keying) is the act of finding such a key. A person to whom this task has been entrusted is called a pitcher or keyer.
Read more about Pitching Sacred Harp Music: Why Pitchers Are Needed, The Pitcher's Task, Pitch Pipes, Tuning Forks, Etc., The Value of Skilled Pitchers, History
Famous quotes containing the words sacred, harp and/or music:
“The scholar was not raised by the sacred thoughts amongst which he dwelt, but used them to selfish ends. He was a profane person, and became a showman, turning his gifts to marketable use, and not to his own sustenance and growth. It was found that the intellect could be independently developed, that is, in separation from the man, as any single organ can be invigorated, and the result was monstrous.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I held it truth, with him who sings
To one clear harp in diverse tones,
That men may rise on stepping-stones
Of their dead selves to higher things.”
—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)
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—W.H. (Wystan Hugh)