A wash basin stand with pitcher and basin to wash and refresh the weary traveler inside the Sandwich Friends Meetinghouse
A wood stove is the only source of heat in this oldest continual used Quaker meeting house in North America since 1757!
This is how the Society of Friends or Quaker Meetinghouse looks today, just as it did when this second building was built in 1812.
Typically, an all-day singing begins between 9:30 and 10:00 AM. When the singers have seated themselves by singing part (tenor, bass, treble and alto), the singing begins with an opening song, a prayer, and a brief organizational meeting. Each individual is invited to take a turn leading a lesson, that is, standing in the center of the “class,” choosing one or more songs by page number, sounding the opening pitch (or receiving the key from an experienced singer nearby), and leading the song by beating time with a simple vertical motion of the hand, first with the singing syllables (fa, sol, la, and mi), and then with the words. The officers may call a brief recess in the morning or afternoon, but the only extended break comes at noon, when everyone proceeds to outdoor tables or a fellowship hall for an abundant dinner on the grounds provided by local families.
After an hour, or when the dinner is cleared, the singers return to the main building to continue the rotation of leaders. There may be a brief “memorial lesson” in honor of singers or community members who have died in the past year; indeed some annual singings are themselves memorials to beloved singers and family members. Singings usually end between 2:30 and 4:00, depending on the number of leaders. After announcements of upcoming singings, there is a closing song and a prayer of dismissal.
SATURDAY SINGING SCHOOL
At 11: 30 AM I travelled on to the village of Sandwich via the 6A "Ye Olde Kings Highway", and if this were 300 years ago, in 1708, I would have had to use this same path on a horseback and the trip would likely be an overnight trip. My destination was the Sandwich Quaker Meetinghouse, which has stood here since 1657.
The reason I sojourned to Sandwich was to hear real Sacred Harp singing live for the first time.
It was Saturday, in February with snow on the ground, and I felt as if my Subaru morphed into a horse just as I would have been riding 300 hence, if I were visiting a Methodist Meetinghouse in 1708!
Sandwich Quakers did not sing Sacred Harp then!
My good friend Chuck Micciche, introduced me to Sacred Harp Singing and once I had conducted all my Wikipedia, and other internet searches and found
this NPR story. I then became familiar with the concept and history of this phenomenon, now reborn within the context on the modern era.
We can play, mix, stretch, add, shorten, and even re-master recordings of dead singers with all the technology of the 21st century.
But to listen with our human ears to the sounds of other humans, up close and personal is real and social delightful.
One person said to me that "...when I am in my car, I become a black gospel singer and sing my guts out, but I am lonely; however, when I sing Sacred Harp I am never alone.."
That's just my point, we cocoon ourselves too much in the recorded music of others, which may be or may not be, authentic, and as we ride alone in out individual vehicles, imagining we are with others singing or hearing others sing as too are hearing our singing.
Do we consent or agree to be separate from others in our lives, or must we fight the temptation of being alone and reach out to touch others, in order for us to be touched ourselves?
See: Century On Self , this 4 part BBC series tells the story of "engineered consent".
We no longer seem to be traveling together, singing together, worshipping together, or meditating together. It seems like the days or reading in a public library, singing together in a group action, or even riding in a bus, train, boat with others, {omnibus meaning -for all, for everyone} are over, unless we fight this modernity with our whole hearts, souls and bodies.
We this event allowed this glimpse back to yesterday.
I felt alive and so invigorated after being greeted in the heated school room with "dinner on the grounds'' a sort of pot luck, hot covered dish of meats, potatoes, salads, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables, dips with cheese with crackers, teas, coffee, a galore of desserts from homemade apple, blueberry, and pumpkin pies, assorted cakes without bar codes on the outside, on hand thrown pottery, juices and all sorts of waters.
The room smelled very sweet with the earthy warmth of humid humanity. Women and men, young and old straight and gay, tall and short round and thin. But all were excited and happy to be in the company of other singers. Red complexions ruled the day. After eating more than a good Quaker would have, I was introduced to many folks who came from New York City, as well as upstate New York, western Massachusetts, Boston, Plymouth and Providence RI. This was the New Plymouth Sacred Harp Singers annual all day singing which started at 10AM, with Singing school, conducted by Allison Blake Schofield from Western Massachusetts.
We than sat in 4 squares c and sang until 3 pm! Every one getting a chance to lead. When my host Chuck Micciche had his turn, he welcomed me to stand up in the middle of the crowd as he lead his selection of Amazing Grace.
Now Sacred Harp singing came into my ears from the North, South, East and West. I was standing with my hymn book open, but my eyes were closed and I was actually was transcended by this experience. I now know felt what Sacred Harp singing feels like.
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