Style in Leading
The 1991 Rudiments discourage flamboyance in leading:
- Although leaders may assume considerable discretion in the manner of marking time, modest downward and upward strokes are much to be preferred to "winding", "grabbing", and "snatching" methods.
The teachers at a major singing school for Sacred Harp, Camp Fasola, likewise urge their students not to engage in flamboyant leading (see External Links, below). The prohibition on flamboyant leading evidently has a very long history; the 1869 edition of The Sacred Harp recommended that in leading "all affectation be banished".
Such prohibitions have never been entirely successful, and actual singings in fact involve a great variety of less-discreet leading styles. These include dramatic hand motions, two-handed leading (that is, from memory without the book), and various forms of whole-body movement. Strolling around the central area is not uncommon, particularly when the leader is bringing in the various entrances of a fuging tune from each section in succession.
Read more about this topic: Leading Sacred Harp Music
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