Leading Sacred Harp Music - Choosing The Leader

Choosing The Leader

In a singing convention (that is, a full-scale, usually annual gathering of singers), the forms of parliamentary procedure are adhered to, usually in an informal way that uses little time. The convention is presided over by a chair, and there are committees, resolutions, and so on. Among the committees is an arranging committee, whose task is described in the Rudiments section of The Sacred Harp as follows: it "identifies leaders and calls on them to lead, often giving notice to the next leader as well." In modern times, arranging committees distribute the task of leading widely among the singers, so that in all but the largest conventions, everyone who wishes to lead gets a chance; see below for historical practice.

In smaller singings outside the context of conventions, a variety of ways of choosing the leader are found, for instance, rotating through the group in fixed order or spontaneous volunteering. Leading is not required.