Bristol Sacred Harp

Sacred Harp is a four-part a capella singing tradition from the United States. It takes its name from the shape note book that we sing from.

Sing with us

We sing every Tuesday from 7–9pm at Faithspace Community Centre, Redcliffe Methodist Church, Prewett St, Redcliffe, BS1 6PB. [map]

Singings are subject to our Covid policy (PDF).

Everyone is welcome. We are not a choir: no-one is in charge, we don’t rehearse, and we don’t perform. Everyone who attends sings, loudly and freely, for their own enjoyment. You don’t need to be able to read music, although by singing with us you will naturally start to learn.

Any week is good for you to begin — just turn up! On the first Tuesday of every month we have a dedicated singing school in the first half of the singing.

Resources

Lisa Grayson’s beginners’ guide (pdf) is an excellent introduction to how Sacred Harp singing works.

fasola.org is the main American website. UK Sacred Harp is the main UK site, and has a calendar of all of the regular singings.

You can buy a book from us if you come and sing with us. Or you can order one from the publishing company.

To hear authentic old recordings of Sacred Harp, we recommend the 1959 United Convention and the 1980 First National Convention. The 2017 Bristol All-Day Singing is a good example of current UK singing.

FaSoLa Mix is an amazing tool that allows you to mix recordings of contemporary Sacred Harp singing and isolate different parts. It is also available as an iOS app.

Get in touch