Critical Review #9

Questions for Kiri:
When the Chicago Sacred Harp singers talk about being "founders" of a new tradition, how do they say this word? Do they believe themselves creators of something entirely new, or is there some sort of reverence for the past, as in much of the Sacred Harp singing community?

Is it viewed as more prestigious to be able to lead a song without the book? Is this reserved for older members of the community? Have you ever led a song without the book?

Question for the class:
Kiri talks a bit about the Sacred Harp book and the Bible. We discussed this a bit in our last class. How can it be made clear to singers that the Sacred Harp is NOT a sacred text? In our listserv reading, it sounded like some singers consider it to be the law. What other areas of society and culture have arguments about this type of codification?