Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp
Encyclopedia
Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp is a 2006 documentary film
directed by Matt and Erica Hinton, and narrated by Jim Lauderdale
. It follows the folk tradition of Sacred Harp
singing, a type of shape-note singing
, kept alive by amateur singers in the rural
American South.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Matt and Erica Hinton, and narrated by Jim Lauderdale
Jim Lauderdale
Jim Lauderdale is a musician & singer-songwriter who performs bluegrass and country music. He has recorded since 1986 and has released nineteen studio albums. Artists who have recorded his material include George Strait and Patty Loveless.-Biography:...
. It follows the folk tradition of Sacred Harp
Sacred Harp
Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music that took root in the Southern region of the United States. It is part of the larger tradition of shape note music.- The music and its notation :...
singing, a type of shape-note singing
Shape note
Shape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools...
, kept alive by amateur singers in the rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
American South.
Cast
The Sacred Harp singers:- Richard DeLongRichard DeLongRichard Lee DeLong is a leading figure in contemporary Sacred Harp singing. He has taught frequently in singing schools and served as the youngest member of the editorial board that created the 1991 Revision of The Sacred Harp, the most widely used book for Sacred Harp singing.Born in Atlanta,...
- Raymond Hamrick
- Richard A. Ivey
- Rodney Ivey
- Warren Steel
- Judy Caudle
- Joyce Smith Walton
- Hugh McGrawHugh McGrawHugh McGraw is a leading figure in contemporary Sacred Harp singing. He was the General Chairman of the committee that created the 1991 Denson revision of The Sacred Harp and played an important role in promoting the spread of Sacred Harp singing...
- Carlene Griffin
- Charlene Wallace
- Jim Carnes
- Elene Stovall
- Terry Wootten
- Jeff and Shelbie Sheppard
- Lonnie Rogers
- Ted Mercer
- William Reynolds