Leading Sacred Harp Music - The Method of Leading

The Method of Leading

Sacred Harp singers sit in a hollow square, with rows of seating for each section surrounding a fairly small central open area. The leader stands in this area, facing the tenors.

Sacred Harp leaders do not use a baton, nor do they use the fairly elaborate motions that symphony and choral conductors use to mark the beat. Instead, a smooth down-and-up motion is preferred, most often made with the open hand. Most lead with one hand, while the other holds the book. Expert leaders may lead without a book, enabling them to use both hands if desired.

The motions of the leading hand reflect the seven "modes of time" as follows. In the Common time modes (2/4, 2/2), the hand falls on the downbeat and rises on the upbeat. In triple time (3/2, 3/4) the hand falls part of the way down on the first beat, the rest of the way down on the second, and rises on the third. The modes of Compound time 6/8 and 6/4 are treated much like Common time, with the hand falling in the first half of the measure and rising on the last half.

4/4 time is likewise normally treated as a binary rhythm, with the hand falling on the first and second beats and rising on the third and fourth. In the original editions of The Sacred Harp, supervised by B. F. White, this was specified as the only way to lead a 4/4 song. However, today some leaders occasionally adopt a four-beat pattern for leading 4/4 songs, especially in slow rhythm: the hand moves down, left, right, and up on the four beats.

Each mode of time is associated with a traditional tempo or range of tempi specified in older editions of The Sacred Harp, though this may be modified by regional practice, the presence of affective markings in the score, or the personal preference of the leader; leaders differ in their ability to get the group to adopt an unusual tempo. Cobb suggests that the choice of tempo can be contentious: "As a rule, Sacred Harpers get by with little bickering, but they admit that the question of tempo has been an irritant for several decades."

Leaders often turn the body or gesture with the hand toward a particular section when it makes a musical entrance. This is particularly useful at repeat signs. In a fuging tune, the leader often turns toward each section as it enters.

Leaders normally sing the tenor part while leading, no matter what section they normally occupy; this matches the part of the singers they are directly facing.

When the leader's turn ("lesson") is over, she simply returns to her seat. Sacred Harp singers do not applaud after songs.