Leading Sacred Harp Music - The Leader's Choice of Song

The Leader's Choice of Song

Traditionally, a particular leader's appearance is called a "lesson". The leader chooses the song or songs that will be sung in the lesson. They are chosen from the edition of The Sacred Harp that is being used at the singing. Most often this is either the "Denson edition" or the "Cooper edition" (for discussion of editions, see Sacred Harp). They offer a choice of 557 and 599 songs, respectively.

In a lesson, leaders may be permitted to lead just one song, or sometimes two or three. Sacred Harp scholar Buell Cobb asserts that according to "purist" taste, in a lesson consisting of two songs, both should be major or both minor. A more strictly adhered-to rule is that no song may be called twice in the same day; leaders who mistakenly call a song already sung are told that the song has been "used", and must pick another.

Leaders choose songs for many reasons: personal taste, a sense that the song would fit well with the time of day it is called, a wish to acquaint other singers with a seldom-called song, a connection between a song and a deceased or sick relative, and so on.

To "call" a song, a leader announces its page number in a loud voice. The phrase "on the top" or "on the bottom" is added for songs appearing two to a page.