Wednesday, December 24, 2003
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Wednesday, December 24, 2003 |
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Local teacher gets taste of Hollywood, appears on ‘Cold Mountain’ soundtrack By MICHAEL BOYLAN The big name stars of the upcoming film “Cold Mountain,” which arrives in theaters around the country this week, are Nicole Kidman, Jude Law and Renee Zellweger. But there is a growing amount of buzz for the Sacred Harp Singers, whose songs are being deemed highlights of both the film and its soundtrack. Starr’s Mill English teacher Lela Crowder is one of the voices that can be heard singing in the film and on the soundtrack, and her experience has been extremely memorable. Crowder began Sacred Harp singing four years ago when some friends introduced her to it at a Georgia state convention. She became hooked and has been singing very often and with many Sacred Harp groups at events called “All Day Singings” ever since. “It’s like a really big family,” said Crowder, describing the unity of Sacred Harp groups. Sacred Harp singing is a non-denominational community musical event emphasizing participation. Singers of different vocal parts — tenor, alto, bass or treble — sit facing inward, creating a hollow square. The group sings songs from “The Sacred Harp,” an oblong songbook published in 1844 by B. F. White and E. J. King. There is no musical accompaniment and the music is printed in patent notes where the shape of the note indicates the syllables fa, sol, la and mi. Each individual has an opportunity to stand inside the square, lead the song and beat the time of the song with their hand. This style of singing stems from singing schools in the colonial period. The traditions have been preserved in the South, and Sacred Harp singing, also called fasola singing or shape-note singing, is making a major resurgence in cities and campuses throughout North America. If “Cold Mountain” and its soundtrack strike a chord with the public, Sacred Harp singing could really make a comeback. That is very exciting to Crowder and her fellow Sacred Harp singers. Before finding Sacred Harp singing, Crowder sang with church and school choirs. She attended Jonesboro High School and was named music student of the year during her senior year. She also sang with the Georgia State University Singers and has also performed in Spivey Hall and the state capitol. Last year, she was invited to sing with some Sacred Harp Singers at Liberty Church in Henagar, Ala. Tim Ericksen, who acted as a musical consultant for the film and appears on the soundtrack, got in touch with the singers in Henagar and got them on the soundtrack, singing the songs “I’m Going Home” and “Idumea.” As if that wasn’t enough, the singers were invited out to Los Angeles for a recent event, “The Words and Music of ‘Cold Mountain,’” which featured readings and performances from the film. Crowder joined some of her Sacred Harp friends on stage to perform these songs. They in turn were joined by Law and Kidman during one of the songs. “Jude Law shared my songbook,” said Crowder, who couldn’t bring a camera on stage and get pictures of her close encounter. She did have many other adventures during her stint in L.A. She rented a convertible and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway, visited the Santa Monica piers and several museums, searched for the Hollywood sign and then had an experience, much like one in many of the sitcoms that are created out in La-La land, when she and a friend got stuck in an elevator. The two were only trapped for 15 minutes, but they were late for their rehearsal. Also at the event, Crowder got to see performances from Jack White of The White Stripes, Sting and Alison Kraus, as well as a question and answer period with director Anthony Minghella. As for the film, she didn’t get a free screening of it, but plans on paying $7 to see it just like everyone else. Crowder is looking forward to doing more and more Sacred Harp singing, though she states that singings tend to taper off during the holidays. She will be singing in a New Year’s Eve singing at Antioch Primitive Baptist Church in Ider, Ala. For those interested in learning more about Sacred Harp singing, visit www.fasola.org or www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/-mudws/harp.html.
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