Critical Review #9: Campbell 1997

Campbell writes mainly about the changes in shape-note singing in the South following the Civil War. He mentions the incorporation of gospel music and the creation of seven shaped notes, as well as attempts by Aldine S. Kieffer to spread this "new" tradition. He also describes five revisions of The Sacred Harp: William Cooper's The Sacred Harp, Revised and Improved, three revisions by J. L. White (the first in conjunction with his brother B. F. White Jr.), and Joseph James' The Original Sacred Harp. At the time, most singing conventions wanted a revision, but without corrections other than typos, without any songs in the gospel style, and with new songs at the end of the book. Campbell also goes into much detail about how James "sold" his book to both traditionalists, by emphasizing the features that kept the old traditions, and modernists, by appealing to their "obsession with numbers, output, and quantification" (182). Interestingly, James did not limit himself to the musical style found in The Original Sacred Harp: he also published two other books. One included many newer gospel tunes, and the other was "specially arranged so its compositions can be easily played on instruments" (183). Regardless, Campbell did effectively prove that the shape-not tradition was not interpreted in any unique way, and that it was evolving.

Discussion Question: Do you think that James' revision, The Original Sacred Harp, would have been as popular if he did not include notes describing the traditions his book preserved as well as elements appealing to the more progressive?