Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

The Dispersed Harmony Online Singing Project was convened over Facebook, beginning on Friday before the fourth Sunday in March and continuing until such a time as Covid-19 is no longer a thing and we are able to sing in person again, (or until we get bored or run out of music, whichever happens first). Parts for each song were uploaded to Google Drive over the course of several days before being put together and mixed once everyone who wished to participate in that lesson had done so. The first person to upload a part for a song is considered to be the leader. Amanda Parkes called the virtual class to order by calling 263. Jan Geerts posted an opening prayer and a tutorial on how to edit and produce videos using Shotcut, for reference by anyone who wished to try.

Leaders: Anne Altringham 22b (ShH); Richard Mayers 268; Margaret Bradshaw 440; Jan Geerts 38t; Amanda Parkes 521; Richard Mayers “Northwich Street” (Fynnian Titford-Mock); Anne Altringham 264b (ShH); Jan Geerts 386 (CB); Léopoldine Guillaume 117; Colleen Jones 347; Anne Altringham 112; Jan Geerts “Uppsala” (Jan Geerts); Sandy Semeonoff 68b; Aislinn Ahern 30b; Jan Geerts 546; Hannah Land 67.

April

April’s singing began with Amanda Parkes leading 546b (CH). Leaders: Richard Mayers 254 (ShH); Mark Wardlaw 548 (CH); Anne Altringham 41 (ShH); Hannah Land 532; Anne Altringham 133 (CB); Hannah Land 111b (CH); Anne Altringham 420t (ShH); Richard Mayers 132; Sandy Semeonoff 122; Mark Wardlaw 53 (CH); Frédéric Eymard “Old Indian Hymn” (Indian Melodies, p63); Anne Altringham 448b; Bridget McVennon-Morgan 33b; Jan Geerts “Dawn” (Jan Geerts); Colleen Jones 162 (ShH); Kerry Cullinan 415; Richard Mayers 417b (CH); Lisa O’Grady 404t (ShH); Amanda Parkes 13 (CH); Jan Geerts 76t (ShH); John Hughes 417 (ShH); Amanda Parkes 567 (CB); Mark Wardlaw 507b (CB); Hannah Land 184 (CH); Kerry Cullinan 53 (AV); Richard Mayers 30t (CB); Margaret Hughes 57; Helen Brown 336 (for Barrett); Anne Altringham 27 (ShH); Sandy Semeonoff “Eventide”; Richard Mayers 504; Calum Parker 207 (ShH); Kerry Cullinan 128b (AV); Anne Altringham 137 (ShH); Jan Geerts 200 (ShH); Richard Mayers “Nativity”; Anne Altringham “Isolation” (Richard Mayers); Aislinn Ahern 442; Amanda Parkes 143 (CH); Mark Wardlaw 11 (NHC); Hannah Land 224.

May

May’s singing began with Richard Mayers leading 8 (CH). Leaders: Bridget McVennon-Morgan 403 (ShH); Jan Geerts 67b (CH); Kerry Cullinan 356 (CH); Anne Altringham “Woolman” (Micah Sommersmith); Joan Gordon 452; Lisa O’Grady 428; Richard Mayers 455; Amanda Parkes 138t (CB); Anne Altringham 260t (ShH). Kerry Cullinan spoke for the departed and for the sick and housebound, after which Ron Trial and Myra Meadows Dalton led 515 (WB). Leaders: Kerry Cullinan 12 (AV); Barrett Patton “Matchless God” (Barrett Patton); Richard Mayers 32t; Myra Meadows Dalton & Anne Altringham 429 (ShH); Mark Wardlaw 287; Ron Trial and Gaylon Powell “From the Heavenly Choir” (Harp of Ages, p127); Richard Mayers 148 (NH).

June

June’s singing began with Alex Fradera leading 34b. Leaders: Jan Geerts 339 (ShH); Bridget McVennon-Morgan 380t (CB); David Smead and Lisa Bennett 54 (GH) (in memory of Raymond Hamrick); Marisa Strutt 49b; Constance Des Marais “Come To Zion” (Constance Des Marais); Anne Altringham 372 (CH); Amy Cutts and Amanda Parkes 172 (CH); Richard Mayers 209; Ron Trial 83 (NbH); Hannah Land 64 (CH); Pleasance Crawford and Charles Crawford 180 (MH); Kerry Cullinan “Salem’s Bright King” (Harp of Ages, p166); Margaret Bradshaw 267; Shana Wenger 260t (ShH).

July

July’s singing began with Margaret Hughes and John Hughes leading 278 (ShH). Leaders: Don Bowen with Jan Geerts 336t (CB); Jan Geerts “Wonder (If I Am Saved)” (Jan Geerts); Richard Mayers 510t (CH); David Smead and Lisa Bennett 110 (EH1); Frédéric Eymard “Chandesse” (Frédéric Eymard); Shana Wenger “Oneida” (Indian Melodies, p392); Sarah Shepherd with Frank Griggs 146 (ShH); Anne Altringham 105 (ShH);

August

August’s singing began with Lisa Bennett and David Smead leading 154 (ScH). Leaders: Richard Mayers 453; Constance Des Marais 344; Anne Altringham 448t; Richard Mayers 194 (ShH); Constance Des Marais 246b (ShH).

September

September’s singing began with Frédéric Eymard leading “St. Louis” (Robert Lee Vaughn). Leaders: Jan Geerts 191; Hannah Land 454 (in memory of Ruth Steggles).

October

October’s singing began with Lisa Bennett and David Smead leading 50b (in memory of David Grant). Leaders: Richard Mayers “Healed by His Power” (Darlene Dalton); Pleasance Crawford and Charles Crawford 368; Marielle Minutella with Jan Geerts 457b (CH); Mary Hodgkins 163b.

November

November’s singing began with Richard Mayers leading 245. Leaders: Lisa Bennett and David Smead 297; Ruth Holman 132 (ShH); Joan Gordon 143; Anne Altringham 72b.

With the pandemic and this project set to continue well into 2021, it was decided that we should draw a line under the minutes at this point so that they could be included in the minutes book for this year. A fresh set of minutes will be started covering December, 2020, onwards. As of Monday, 30th of November the group has sung 116 songs from fifteen books (including some unpublished songs), led by thirty-five people. There were 217 members of the group and parts submitted by 122 singers from nine countries (Canada, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK, and USA), including eighteen US states (AL, CA, GA, IL, ME, MD, MA, MN, NY, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT, VT, WA, and WI), two UK nations (England and Scotland), and two Canadian provinces (British Columbia and Ontario).

Chairman—Amanda Parkes, Jan Geerts; Vice Chairman—Anne Altringham; Group admins—Jan Geerts, Anne Altringham, Seth Dickens, Colleen Jones