The following article is the second half of a two part examination of Sacred Harp music.

Sacred Harp music is firmly rooted in the traditions of rural England and owes its evolution to the rural southern United States. It, like many other hearty institutions that have weathered changing times, has remained true to its roots while finding modern avenues through which it can reach a younger audience. In the past 30 years, Sacred Harp singing has been the focus of television programs on PBS and national networks. In addition, singers have practiced their craft in Hollywood productions such as “The Long Riders,” in which a variant of the Jesse James story was revealed. And more recently, Sacred Harp music became an integral part of the 2003 film “Cold Mountain.” The first half of the 20th century witnessed major contributions to Sacred Harp coming from Alabama in the form of the Denson brothers, who were natives of Cleburne County. In more recent years, social media has helped disseminate the uniqueness of Sacred Harp music and a Georgia based museum has secured the legacy of this American art form.

For a decade or more, northeast Alabama was the site of a major gold rush which served as the prequel to the 1849 California event. At a long forgotten site in Cleburne County where gold was once king, two icons of Sacred Harp made their way into the world mid-century. Seaborn McDaniel Denson (1854-1936) and his brother Thomas Jackson Denson (1863-1935) taught Sacred Harp, sang and ultimately produced the definitive Sacred Harp songbook which still remains in use today. The Denson’s came of age in Arbacoochee, Alabama in the aftermath of Alabama’s largest gold boom which was dominant throughout the 1830s and 1840s. The area grew exponentially as the discovery of gold ushered in a population that topped 4,000. Just as quickly, the boom became bust as gold was discovered in California. The Densons were undaunted, however, as their destiny lay in the contributions they would make to Sacred Harp over the course of their lives.

The talent displayed by the Denson brothers came naturally as both sides of their family had musical abilities. Subsequently, those talents were put to use in support of their Christian faith. What’s more, their father, Levi Denson, was a Methodist minister and their great-uncle, James Denson, had written a song included in the 1844 songbook authored by Benjamin Franklin White. The brothers married sisters Sidney and Amanda Burdette whose family was also immersed in Sacred Harp. In the 1890s, the brothers moved their families to Winston County, Alabama where they combined the work on their farm with teaching Sacred Harp music. The brothers maintained their lifelong devotion to the music they loved, teaching classes as far away as Texas.

The siblings began work on a new songbook in 1933 after Thomas created the Sacred Harp Publishing Company. The work was almost complete when the brothers, died not one year apart, in 1935 and 1936. After their deaths, Thomas’ son, Paine, was able to complete the work on the songbook and bring it to publication in 1936. This work, though now revised, remains in use and is known as the Denson book.

 To carry on the Sacred Harp tradition established by the Densons and others before them the Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association was established with its focal point in Alabama. Based on the association’s website, it is dedicated to “preserving and perpetuating Sacred Harp singing and its traditions.” The organization can be found online at fasola.org. To further memorialize the music, the Sacred Harp Museum was established just outside Carrollton, Georgia — which is situated east of Atlanta, along the Interstate 20 corridor. The museum holds copies of rare Sacred Harp songbooks, a library focused on Sacred Harp history and a collection of audio and video recordings.