Critical Review #6: Miller 2004

Questions for Kiri:
I've noticed that several times the issue of "minor does not mean sad" has been mentioned in the Sacred Harp context. I find this refreshing, as I often have trouble explaining to my friends that major keys are not inherently happy and minor ones are not inherently sad. Is this deeper understanding of the joyful potential of minor keys and the tragic potential of major keys common among Sacred Harp singers, or do you still encounter many members of the community who carry over the preconceived notions of major and minor keys from the world of popular music?

Have you heard of any modern Sacred Harp communities starting out purposefully ignoring the traditions of the music? For example, have you heard of any Northern groups that learned about the tradition and tried to start their own group, like the people in Chicago, but successfully did so without any help from people experienced with the Southern convention tradition? I'm not sure what motivation such a group might have, but it could provide an interesting (and perhaps bizarre) interpretation if they merely followed the directions in The Sacred Harp without learning the additional details from experienced singers.


Discussion Question for class:
What do you think about the modern composers who specify the raised or lowered sixth in minor key songs? Do you think that they have the right to make such specifications, or should they merely let different communities go on singing the sixth in whichever form is traditional for them?