Video is from the annual 4-Book Shapenote Singing at the Alabama State Dept of Archives 2013. Sponsored by the Alabama Folklife Association and the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Video by Steve Grauberger.
Sacred Sounds of Alabama | Alabama Folklife Association
Kelton Design worked with the Alabama Folklife Association to develop and produce a traveling exhibit highlighting sacred music traditions in Alabama.
Sacred Harp singing is a music tradition that goes back to the founding of our country. Today, people come to Alabama from all over the United States and Europe to learn this type of folk singing.
Sacred Sounds of Alabama provides an introduction and overview of Sacred Harp singing to those who are unfamiliar with the tradition. Just as in typical Sacred Harp singings, church pews and chairs are arranged in a square known as the "Singing Square." The Singing Square allows visitors to experience a shape note singing event by serving as the leader of the square and selecting a song using a custom designed iPad app.
To understand the culture and heritage of Sacred Harp singing, Kelton Design participated in focus groups with noted Sacred Harp singers and scholars, as well as singings at Burritt on the Mountain, and the annual singing at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
