ADD: Fa Sol La (Shelley Posen)

Subject: ADD: Fa Sol La (Shelley Posen)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Jan 21 - 03:15 PM

I was looking for a YouTube link of a recording of this song on Finest Kind's Lost in a Song album. I haven't found it, but I did find this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvPiPgACPsQ

It's a great performance, but the recording has volume problems.
Here's my transcription from the Lost in a Song CD. It's almost the same as what Burke posted above, with a few refinements. Whether he's right or me, is not for me to say.

FA, SOL, LA
(Shelley Posen)

While walking out one evening
In a little Southern town
I saw some signs upon a fence
And looked them up and down
And there among the notices
For auction sales and cars
Was a poster that read Fa-Sol-La.

Folks said that in the morning
There would be a special sing
For everyone that lived in town
And friends that they might bring
The singers each would have a chance
To lead their favorite tune
And they would sing all day up in the hall,
With potluck lunch at noon.

CHORUS:
And they would sing: FA, LA, SOL
And make the heavens ring
Like they did so long ago
Their hearts would fill with joy and love
To sing in praise of God above
And sing out with a LA, SOL, FA.

Next morning I went to the hall,
And found a vacant chair
The singers were assembled
Sitting in a hollow square
A book they called the Sacred Harp
Was put into my hand
The notes were written all in shapes
I could not understand.

CHORUS:
But they were FA — FA, LA, SOL
They helped the singers read the music
Like so long ago
Triangle, circle, diamond, square,
Those were the notes that they read there
And named them with a LA, SOL, FA.

An old man rose and walked into
The center of the square
He called for silence, bowed his head,
And said a little prayer
He thumbed the pages in his book
And called a number out
And he gave the parts their LA, SOL, FA.

CHORUS:
And they sang FA, Sol, La — FA, LA, SOL
Their voices joined in harmony,
Their faces all aglow
Each singer was a child of grace,
Soprano, alto, tenor, bass
As they sang out their LA, SOL, FA.

The singing was so sweet in heart,
It took my breath away
I sang along as best I could
Through all that glorious day
From "Wondrous Love" to "Parting Hand"
We sang them all day long
But I do believe that "Showers of Blessing"
Was my favorite song

Sol - Fa - La
He sends His show'rs of blessings down
To cheer the plains below;
He makes the grass the mountains crown;
And corn in valleys grow.

My friends if you should ever find
This world is not your home
You've lost your faith in God or Man,
And think you're all alone
Or else you've met such happiness
That music fills your heart
Whether you are feeling joy or woe,
Sing from the Sacred Harp.

CHORUS
And you just sing FA — FA, LA, SOL
And join the gospel choir
That began so long ago
In city, town or village square,
You just might find that anywhere
They're singing with a LA, SOL, FA
In city, town or village square,
You just might find that anywhere
They're singing with a LA, SOL, FA

Showers of Blessings (Sacred Harp p.528) words by Isaac Watts, 1719
Music by A. A. Blocker and Joseph Stone, 1959

Directory of Sacred Harp Singings to experience what the song is about.

Some explanations of the song:
Major scale in FA SOL LA:
FA, SOL, LA, FA, SOL, LA, MI, FA

FA, LA, SOL should be sung as major triad 1-3-5
LA, SOL, FA descending 3-2-1 of major scale.

triangle=FA
circle=SOL
square=LA
diamond=mi

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: GUEST
Date: 27 May 02 - 06:32 PM

For the same reason that athiests like hymns...

Good tune

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: GUEST,Burke
Date: 27 May 02 - 06:26 PM

No doubt. I'm a terrible typist. I hope that's the only typo that affects the meaning.

Why do people who don't sing Sacred Harp like the song?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: Haruo
Date: 27 May 02 - 03:37 AM

But isn't it "It said" rather than "I said (that in the mornin')"?

Liland

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From:
Date: 27 May 02 - 03:19 AM

Thanks very much for posting and emailing me

Seb

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: Burke
Date: 26 May 02 - 01:55 PM

Rick, I guessed you must have been away from your computer or you would have answered. Friday I didn't have the time, but I had a few minutes yesterday.

One way the Finest Kind recording works is that it's unaccompanied, just as all the tunes at a Sacred Harp singing are. I don't think the whole song would work as unaccompanied solo, but I think some portion of it done that way would be nice. (Just my $.02, I do like your version)

I also think I've also figured out a way to adapt the tenor of the "Showers of Blessing" chorus to stand alone. That chorus has been driving me nuts because we don't sing it all that often so I need the book to sing along without getting thrown off.

P.S. I have e-mailed the words to the orginal requestor.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 26 May 02 - 01:37 PM

Great song eh? I heard Shelly singing it at the Woods Music and Dance Camp a few years ago and loved it. I was going to record it with harmonies, but eventually figured that since I work solo, that I'd just do it straight. Holds up just fine, but I urge you to get Finest Kind's recording. The way they sing it, it works on a number of levels.

Thanks for printing it out Burke. Our computer's been down....I wasn't just being lazy!

Cheers

Rick

Subject: Lyr Add: FA, SOL, LA (Shelley Posen)
From: GUEST,Burke
Date: 25 May 02 - 05:09 PM

FA, SOL, LA
Shelley Posen

While walkin out one evenin'
In a little southern town
I saw some signs upon a fence
And looked them up and down
And then among the notices
For auction sales and cars
was a poster that read la, sol, fa.

I said that in the mornin'
There would be a special sing
For all the folks that lived in town
And friends that they might bring
The singers each would have a chance
To lead their favoire tune
And they would sing all daay up in the hall,
With pot luck lunch at noon.

Chorus:
And they would sing: FA, LA, SOL
And make the rafters ring
Like they did so long ago
Their hearts would fill with joy and love
To sing the praise of God above
And sing out with a LA, SOL, FA.

Next mornin' I went to the hall,
And found a vacant chair
The singers had assembled
Sittin' in a hollow square
A book they called the Sacred Harp
Was put into my hand
The notes were written all in shapes
I didn't understand.

Chorus:
And they were FA: FA, LA, SOL
They helped the singers read the music
Like so long ago
Triangle, circle, diamond, square,
Those were the notes that they read there
And named them with a LA, SOL, FA.

An old man rose and walked into
The center of the square
He called for silence, bowed his head,
And said a little prayer
He thumbed the pages in his book
And called the number out
And gave the parts their LA, SOL, FA.

Chorus:
And they Sang FA: FA, LA, SOL
Their voices joined in harmony,
Their faces all aglow
Each singer was a child of grace,
Soprano, alto, tenor, bass
As they sang out their LA, SOL, FA.

The singin' was so sweet in heart,
It took my breath away
I sang along as best I could
All through that glorious day
From Wondrous Love to Parting Hand
We sang them all day long
But I do believe that Showers of Blessings
Was my favorite song

He sends His show'rs of blessing down
To cheer the plains below;
He makes the grass the mountains crown;
And corn in valleys grow.

My friends if you should ever find
That this world is not your home
You've lost your faith in God and Man,
And think you're all alone
Or else you've met such happiness
That music fills your heart
No matter if it's joy or woe,
Sing from the Sacred Harp.

Chorus
Just sing FA: FA, LA, SOL
And join the gospel choir
That began so long ago
In city, town or village square,
You just might find them anywhere
Singin' with a LA, SOL, FA
In city, town or village square,
You just might find them anywhere
Singin' with a LA, SOL, FA

Showers of Blessings (Sacred Harp p.528) words by Isaac Watts, 1719
Music by A. A. Blocker and Joseph Stone, 1959

Directory of Sacred Harp Singings to experience what the song is about.

Some explanations of the song:
Major scale in FASOLLA:
FA, SOL, LA, FA, SOL, LA, MI, FA

FA, LA, SOL should be sung as major triad 1-3-5
LA, SOL, FA decending 3-2-1 of major scale.

triangle=FA
circle=SOL
square=LA
diamond=mi

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: Burke
Date: 24 May 02 - 05:01 PM

The words are included with Rick's CD, This One's the Dreamer. I looked at them at lunch & promptly mislaid them; now I'm back at work. I hope Rick has the words in a file already because the song is kind of long to type in. I won't be having time, even when I do find them.

I bought both Rick's & Finest Kind's CD's at Old Songs last summer. I was not buying either for Fa Sol La & while I knew it was on the Finest Kind CD, I was surprised to hear Rick singing it.

The song is a contemporary folk song about Sacred Harp singing. As a Sacred Harp singer I get a kick out of the song. It really does describe pretty well what a day at a singing is like, including how confusing those funny shaped notes can be when singers actually sing solfege based on the shape.

There's a line where the song says "Showers of Blessings" was my favorite. Then Finest Kind launches into the fuge section of Showers of Blessings. It's 4 part, so the 3 part group sings the bottom 3 parts-bass, tenor & alto. I had not noticed that before & since I sing treble it's has thrown me when I try to sing along. Now I know just to sing my part by myself.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: catspaw49
Date: 24 May 02 - 03:28 PM

I thought I posted this one before, but when I went back, I found I'd posted only the last verse! It was in relating something about the song on another thread. I know the lyrics and I'll post them later from memory if no one else does. I don't think it's on the web anywhere.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 24 May 02 - 02:40 PM

Here's Finest Kind's website for more info and contacting them. (There are sound clips for their second album, but, unfortunately, not for the first and the song in question.)

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: Anglo
Date: 24 May 02 - 01:10 PM

Shelley sings it with his group Finest Kind (with Ian Robb & Ann Downey) on their first recording, "Lost in a Song."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: Burke
Date: 24 May 02 - 12:48 PM

Rick sings it, but it's by Shelley Posen of Finest Kind. Try to do it in Shelley's original because it has the fuging section from "Showers of Blessings" in the Sacred Harp that's an important part of the song.

Shelley's original version also has the la-sol-fa syllables on the correct scale degrees.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fa Sol La
From: MMario
Date: 24 May 02 - 12:29 PM

Rick should check in at some point...

Subject: Fa Sol La
From:
Date: 24 May 02 - 11:58 AM

Hi

I'm trying to get the lyrics to Fa Sol La by Rick Fielding.

Appreciate any help

Seb