Bibliography & Links, Sweet Is the Day

http://fasola.org - This website is the widely-accepted home for fasola singing on the web. It contains contact information for local singing groups, information on email communities, resource guides for recordings and printed matter, links to related pages, and schedules, directions, and maps for annual singings.

http://www.alabamafolklife.org - The Alabama Folklife Association has an extensive section about Sweet is the Day, including the complete study guide in .pdf format.

Southern Spaces - Stormy Banks and Sweet Rivers: A Sacred Harp Georgraphy by James B Wallace is highly recommended.

Bibliography

The Sacred Harp. 1991 Edition. The Sacred Harp Publishing Company, c/o Hugh McGraw, 1010 Waddell St., Bremen GA 30110.
Current prices (postage included) are: $15.50 per book, $106 per box of eight.

Bealle, John. Public Worship, Private Faith: Sacred Harp and American Folksong. University of Georgia Press, 1997.
This dense historical work treats the position of fasola and tunebook singing in American culture, tracing the path from New England singing schools to the Sacred Harp revival. The author grew up in Tuscaloosa and discovered Sacred Harp singing in college coursework. He resides in Cincinnati, where he has helped introduce Sacred Harp singing.

Cauthen, Joyce, ed. Benjamin Lloyd's Hymn Book: A Primitive Baptist Song Tradition. Birmingham: Alabama Folklife Association, 1999.
This collection contains articles on Benjamin Lloyd's Primitive Hymns, including its compilation and publication history and its contemporary use.

Cobb, Buell. The Sacred Harp: A Tradition and Its Singers. University of Georgia Press, 1978.
Since it was first published in 1978, this enjoyable book has been the introduction to Sacred Harp tradition for numerous readers. It astutely conveys deeply-held values of singing tradition as well as the extraordinary history of the book's publication. Written before the "Sacred Harp revival" swept the nation, the author has added a revised foreword to recent editions. The author grew up in Cullman, Alabama, and studied English at Auburn University; currently he resides in Birmingham and is an avid singer and Sacred Harp organizer.

Jackson, George Pullen. White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands. Orig. University of North Carolina Press, 1933; reprinted in various editions.
This is the most relevant of the voluminous writings of George Pullen Jackson, the twentieth century's most diligent scholar of fasola singing. Jackson was a native of Birmingham, but as a "New South" southerner did not discover fasola until he was an adult. In large part this sense of discovery fueled his lifelong passion for the study of fasola singing, which he undertook while a professor in the German Department at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. This book is currently out-of-print, but is widely available in libraries.

Willett, Henry, ed., In the Spirit: Alabama's Sacred Music Traditions. Birmingham: Alabama Folklife Association, 1995.
This is a collection of short articles on various sacred music traditions in Alabama. The most relevant article is Buell Cobb, "Sand Mountain's Wootten Family: Sacred Harp Singers" (pp. 40-49), which, like the film, provides detail on the history of the Wootten family and their long association with Sacred Harp music. Other relevant essays include Joyce Cauthen, "Shape-Note Gospel Singing on Sand Mountain" (81-84) and Fred C. Fussell, "Of related interest-Convention Gospel Singing on Sand Mountain" (85-88).

Wootten Family Discography

Antioch Annual Sacred Harp Singing.
Recordings of the 1999, 1998, 1997, and 1996 Antioch singing are available in the following formats: video tape sets ($45 for two tapes, shipping included), audio cd sets ($45 for four CDs, shipping included), and audio cassettes ($20, shipping included). Available from Wayne Murphree Ent., 25735 AL Highway 71, Flat Rock AL 35966

"Bound for Canaan: Sacred Harp Singing from Sand Mountain, Alabama."
Recording of the 1990 Antioch singing. Available on cassette ($10, shipping included) from Buell Cobb, Hollow Square Productions, 2216 Shady Dell Lane, Birmingham AL 35216. Selected by American Folklife Center as one of the best folk music recordings of 1990..

"The Wootten Cousins: Sacred Harp Singing on Sand Mountain."
The recorded 1995 cousins' singing is available in the following formats: CD ($17, shipping included) and cassette ($11, shipping included). Recorded by Keith Willard; notes by Jim Carnes. Available from Terry Wootten, 3342 County Road 141, Ider AL 35981.