Benjamin Franklin White
Encyclopedia
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...
"singing master
Singing school
Historically, singing schools have been strongly affiliated with Protestant Christianity. Some are held under the auspices of particular Protestant denominations that maintain a tradition of a cappella singing, such as the Church of Christ and the Primitive Baptists...
", and compiler of the shape note tunebook known as The 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 :...
. He was born near Cross Keys in Union County, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, the twelfth child of Robert and Mildred White.
Musical career
White and Elisha J. KingElisha J. King
Elisha James King was, with B. F. White, the compiler of The Sacred Harp, a shape note hymnbook that came to be used widely in the rural South. In revised form, the book continues to be popular among singers to this day....
published The Sacred Harp in 1844, using the four-shape shape note notation. King died in 1844. In 1845, White led in the establishment of the Southern Musical Convention
Southern Musical Convention
The Southern Musical Convention was the first Sacred Harp musical convention, organized by B. F. White and others in 1845. It was formed at Huntersville in Upson County, Georgia....
. In 1850, he issued a second edition of The Sacred Harp, adding 97 songs and 103 pages. With the 1850 and future editions, White was assisted by a musical committee appointed by the Southern Musical Convention
Southern Musical Convention
The Southern Musical Convention was the first Sacred Harp musical convention, organized by B. F. White and others in 1845. It was formed at Huntersville in Upson County, Georgia....
. In 1859, a third edition of The Sacred Harp was released, adding 74 more songs on 63 pages. A fourth edition came out in 1869. For the first time, in this revision White replaced old songs with new ones, rather than simply adding the new songs to the back of the book. A year later, he released a copyright of the same book signed only by himself and his son, D. P. White
David Patillo White
David Patillo White was a shape note singing teacher, composer, and a co-issuer, with his father, of the 1870 Sacred Harp. He was the second child of Benjamin Franklin White and Thurza Melvina Golightly, whose other children were William Decatur, Robert H., Mary Caroline, Nancy Ogburn, Thurza...
, perhaps clarifying ownership. In 1911, White's youngest son, James Landrum White
James Landrum White
James Landrum White was a shape note singing teacher, composer, and a reviser of his father's shape note tunebook known as The Sacred Harp.-Musical career:...
, reissued this fourth edition with a supplement of newer gospel songs.
As journalist
In 1852, B. F. White was named as Superintendent of the first newspaper published in Harris County, The Organ, which was "published by authority of the Southern Musical ConventionSouthern Musical Convention
The Southern Musical Convention was the first Sacred Harp musical convention, organized by B. F. White and others in 1845. It was formed at Huntersville in Upson County, Georgia....
". This newspaper, published in Hamilton, Georgia
Hamilton, Georgia
Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Harris County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, served a double purpose: it printed various local and national news stories, taken from major newspapers or off the telegraph, but was also meant as a musical publication. Among the musical materials it included were "songs, minutes of singing conventions, musical debates, letters from singers, and advertisements for books." White participated with gusto in a number of debates about music in the pages of this paper.
A few Sacred Harp songs to this day appear in the W. M. Cooper
Wilson Marion Cooper
Wilson Marion Cooper of Dothan, Alabama, was a notable musician and music teacher within the Sacred Harp tradition. Marion Cooper was born in Henry County, Alabama, the son of W. S. and Elizabeth Ann Cooper. He was a cousin of Alabama governor William C. Oates.- Overview :W. M. Cooper prepared a...
edition of the book with the mysterious notation "For the Organ". This notation, otherwise baffling in a tradition that is firmly a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
, apparently simply indicates the original venue of publication.
Family life and descendants
Benjamin F. White married Thurza Melvina Golightly on December 30, 1825. William WalkerWilliam Walker (composer)
William Walker was an American Baptist song leader, shape note "singing master", and compiler of four shape note tunebooks, most notable of which was The Southern Harmony.-Life:...
, publisher of the Southern Harmony
Southern Harmony
The Southern Harmony is a shape note hymn and tune book compiled by William Walker. The book was released in 1835 under the full title of The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion. It is part of the larger tradition of shape note singing....
, married Thurza's sister, Amy. The Whites moved to Harris County, Georgia
Harris County, Georgia
Harris County is located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 14, 1827. As of 2000, the population was 23,695. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 29,073. The county seat is Hamilton...
in 1842.
To B. F. and Thurza were born nine children: William Decatur, David Patillo
David Patillo White
David Patillo White was a shape note singing teacher, composer, and a co-issuer, with his father, of the 1870 Sacred Harp. He was the second child of Benjamin Franklin White and Thurza Melvina Golightly, whose other children were William Decatur, Robert H., Mary Caroline, Nancy Ogburn, Thurza...
, Robert H., Mary Caroline, Nancy Ogburn, Thurza Melvina, Benjamin Franklin, Jr., James Landrum, and Martha America. Of these, David Patillo, James Landrum, and B. F. Jr. grew up to be prominent figures in Sacred Harp singing.
Death and eulogy
B. F. White died in 1879 and was buried in the Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. The following year, members of the Chattahoochee Musical Convention
Chattahoochee Musical Convention
The Chattahoochee Musical Convention is a Sacred Harp singing convention. It is an annual gathering whose purposes are the singing of Sacred Harp music and fostering of bonds of fellowship among singers...
eulogized him thus:
- After teaching twenty years, his soul became so bounding with music that he could not rest until he had the satisfaction of seeing his own productions and the many rich collections from his co-laborers in one grand compilation--the Sacred Harp, 1844. He was highly delighted with the circulation of the work.--He was charmed with each revision and edition, with their appendices, millions of copies of which have been sold throughout the land. ... Thousands and tens of thousands have enjoyed the music found alone in the Sacred Harp. ...
- Maj[or] White was never more at home than when surrounded with a band of sweet singers ... He was spirited and never failed to animate all whom he led. ... All were naturally drawn toward him as he discoursed upon music and its charms.
External links
- A biography by William J. Reynolds, from the Web site "Sacred Harp Singing in Texas".
- Biography at the Cyber Hymnal
- Picture of B. F. & Thurza White