Subject: Awake My Soul to be on GPB 11-13-06
From:
GUEST,matt's Dad (who else?)
Date: 10 Nov 06 - 05:05 PM
Documentary film on Sacred Harp
Television
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"Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp," a documentary film produced in Georgia by Matt and Erica Hinton will broadcast at 10 p.m. Monday on Georgia Public Broadcasting.
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By Chris J. Starrs | Correspondent | Story updated at 2:13 AM on Thursday, November 9, 2006
The haunting, hypnotic custom of Sacred Harp singing has existed for several centuries, but for many years it has floated well below the cultural radar, surviving primarily in rural churches, small towns and camp meetings.
A form of shape-note, instrument-free vocalizing, Sacred Harp singing is considered to be America's oldest music form, but it remains a mystery to many, including musical scholars and educators.
"Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp," a documentary film produced in Georgia by Matt and Erica Hinton, seeks not only to examine the rich history of Sacred Harp singing (which can be heard in the feature films "Cold Mountain" and "Gangs of New York"), but also to highlight those who continue to practice the preservation of some of the oldest songs in America.
The Hintons' film, offering the first in-depth look at the history, music and traditions of Sacred Harp singing, makes its debut at 10 p.m. Monday on Georgia Public Broadcasting. "Awake, My Soul" will be rebroadcast on GPB stations at 12 a.m. on Nov. 17.
"Music professors really don't know much about it," says Matt Hinton, an Atlanta native who works as a professor of religion at Morehouse College. "People thought it had died out, that it was old-fashioned and that it broke all kinds of musical rules."
Hinton says he became aware of Sacred Harp singing (which takes its name from the shape-note singing hymnal, published in Georgia more than 160 years ago) during his high school days, when he attended a "singing" in Alpharetta. He continued to haunt Sacred Harp events and even became emboldened enough to try it himself.
"The only surprise about all of this was that the singers allowed me to get away with it for so long," he quips. "But these people are part of a welcoming community, and they welcomed me to come up and help lead a song. I've found, however, that the idiosyncrasies of tradition can prove to be stumbling blocks for trained musicians."
"Awake, My Soul" was created over a seven-year period, beginning when the Hintons worked together on a 10-minute documentary film about Sacred Harp singing that was an assignment in one of Erica's classes at Georgia State University. Realizing that such a short period of time couldn't scratch the surface of the story, the couple began amassing footage of shape-note singings.
"Over time, we realized that we'd spent so much time on it, if we didn't do anything with it, it would have been a waste," says Hinton. "We had enough footage and began looking to raise funds to complete the project."
Mac Powell and Tai Anderson of the popular Christian rock group Third Day came to the Hintons' financial rescue, signing on as the documentary's producers, and at that point, it was just a matter of determining what to leave in and what to leave out, which proved to be an arduous task.
"When we began editing, I knew there were two story strands - the history and the contemporary singers," says Hinton. "The rough cut of the history part was more than four hours long. That was when I knew we'd have to really dig in to get this done. Since we go back as early as the 11th century, the prospect of boiling that down to an hour and 15 minutes was difficult."
The version of "Awake, My Soul" that will air on GPB is around 55 minutes long, but the 75-minute version is available for purchase at www.awakemysoul. com.
Hinton says he hopes the film will be syndicated by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and aired throughout the country.
"Hopefully, people in other parts of the country will have an open mind, despite what appears to be a film with a regional theme," he says.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 110906
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