{"product_id":"traveling-home-9780252032141","title":"Traveling Home","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eA compelling account of contemporary Sacred Harp singing, \u003ci\u003eTraveling Home\u003c\/i\u003e describes how this vibrant musical tradition brings together Americans of widely divergent religious and political beliefs. Named after the most popular of the nineteenth-century shape-note tunebooks--which employed an innovative notation system to teach singers to read music--Sacred Harp singing has been part of rural Southern life for more than 150 years. \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eIn the wake of the folk revival of the 1950s and ''60s, this participatory musical tradition attracted new singers from all over America. All-day 'singings' from \u003ci\u003eThe Sacred Harp\u003c\/i\u003e now take place across the country, creating a diverse and far-flung musical community. Meanwhile, the advent of internet discussion boards and increasing circulation of singer-produced recordings have changed the nature of traditional transmission and sharpened debates about Sacred Harp as an 'authentic' form of southern musical expression. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[One of the] most penetrating and subtle ethnographic accounts of Sacred Harp singing. I wholeheartedly recommend the book to all interested in traditional music, issues of tradition and revival, diaspora and nostalgia, and religious life in the United States.\"--\u003ci\u003eJournal of Folklore Research \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Miller explains every aspect of the musical practice as both an observer and participant. The book is essential reading for anyone who has ever been stirred by singing the shapes.\"--\u003ci\u003eSing Out!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Evocative, nuanced, never reductionistic, Miller's explorations of this vibrant tradition of American hymnody merits attention in Sacred Harp circles and beyond.\"--\u003ci\u003eChristian Century\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eTraveling Home\u003c\/i\u003e is an extraordinary intellectual and social achievement. Miller has broken new ground in the study of American religious music.\"--\u003ci\u003eJournal of the Society for American Music\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Rich and worthwhile.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Alabama Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Masterfully written, brimming with wit and interpretive energy, \u003ci\u003eTraveling Home\u003c\/i\u003e will undoubtedly become the definitive work on Sacred Harp singing. One of the best ethnographies of American vernacular music, Miller's book brilliantly succeeds in mapping the complex and shifting range of meanings that Sacred Harp singing holds for diverse participants and in showing why people are attracted to it.\"--David Stowe, author of \u003ci\u003eHow Sweet the Sound: Music in the Spiritual Lives of Americans\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Narratively evocative and theoretically sophisticated, \u003ci\u003eTraveling Home\u003c\/i\u003e depicts Sacred Harp singing traditions in compelling detail and explains how its revival succeeds in embracing seemingly incompatible strains: tradition and innovation, religious and secular participants, oral practice and musical literacy, and folk enthusiasts and musical professionals. \u003ci\u003eTraveling Home\u003c\/i\u003e is rich in stories that will delight Sacred Harp singers and in ideas that will impress social theorists. An engaging read.\"--R. Stephen Warner, author of \u003ci\u003eA Church of Our Own: Disestablishment and Diversity in American Religion\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"University of Illinois Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49400421286231,"sku":"9780252032141","price":77.35,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780252032141.jpg?v=1730470644","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/traveling-home-9780252032141","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}