Appalachian Shape Note Singing
Heavenly Highway Hymns
I sometimes include hymn lyrics in my novels. Characters sing them or refer to their favorites. While I can easily look songs up on-line, I prefer to use one of my treasures as reference. It’s a 1956 copy of Heavenly Highway Hymns from Laurel Fork United Methodist Church.
By the time I was a kid in the 70s, we’d replaced the worn, softcover hymnals with foil stamped hardback copies. But, of course, no one threw away the old ones. So, probably 20 years ago, I asked for one of the 1956 copies (turns out to be the first printing). And now I treasure it. And refer to it often when working on a manuscript.
The problem is, once I dip into those fragile pages, I’m typically lost. On the way to “Rock of Ages”–#225–I stumble across #241. And I have to sing it (aloud if no one’s around). Who can resist a chorus like:
“Lord, build me a cabin in the corner of glory land;
In the shade of the tree of life that it may ever stand;
Where I can hear the angels sing and shake Jesus’ hand;
Yes, build me a cabin in the corner of glory land.”
I can hear Smutt and Anna, Uncle Willis and Aunt Dorothy, Aunt Bess, Mom & Dad, Glenn and Mary, Freddie and Mary and all the others singing a capella because no one could play the piano sitting silently at the front of the church. Freddie hit the bass notes.
And what’s even better, is that my book is a shape note hymnal. It’s an old-style of singing where each note (do, re, mi, etc.) is assigned a specific shape (diamond, square, triangle, etc.). It was a way to teach folks to sing without having to teach them to read music.
While my impromptu hymn-singing when I’m supposed to be writing can turn into a serious distraction, I think it’s also really helpful. Because I write about Appalachia–where shape note (or sacred harp) singing still hangs on. And those side trips back to my childhood in a one-room church where I first learned to call God by name–well, that’s why I write. It’s good to be reminded. And maybe to sing a few verses of #99.