Jo Puma – Wild Choir Music
“Sacred Harp” music represents an entire body of traditional American choral music.
Why then has it not been taught in the schools?
– Maybe it was not taught because the sectarian lyrics were found to be inappropriate for public schools.
– Maybe it was not taught because its shape-notes were not clear enough to be easily read.
– Maybe it was not taught because it uses standard solfege syllables in a nonstandard way.
– Maybe it was not taught because the harmony is just too wild and unpolished and violates too many rules.
Well, Jo Puma has resolved the first 3 of those 4 possible objections:
– Jo Puma lyrics still have a richness in thought, but they are egalitarian and secular.
– Jo Puma still uses shape-notes, but they are crisp and clear.
– Jo Puma still uses solfege syllables (Jo, Pu, Ma, Bee), but they don’t clash with conventional solfege syllables.
However Jo Puma hasn’t touched the music. The music still sounds as wild as it always has with its parallel fifths and octaves, its incomplete and second-inversion triads, its open fourths and fifths, and it’s pentatonic-flavored melodies stuck down in the tenor. Why? Because it’s fun to sing. It’s not music written for an audience, it’s music written for living, breathing singers. It’s a social, participatory activity. It’s square-dancing for the voice. Fun as it is to hear the loud and rambunctious machinery of these songs, the real joy is in the doing.
Although the bound 80-page book is available for purchase at Amazon (Jo Puma), the songs may be FREELY DOWNLOADED below. (The song listed under each Jo Puma title is the corresponding Sacred Harp title and number.)
1. As We Gather Our Sweet Harvest
Return Again (335)
2. The Book
Fairfield (29)
3. Bumper Cars
New Jerusalem (299)
4. Celebrate the End of Night
Present Joys (318)
5. Choo-Choo, Chugga-Chugga
Warrenton (145)
6. Come Pull, Pull, Pull
Confidence (270)
7. Communication is the Answer
Coronation (63)
8. Each Journey Starts with Just One Step
Exhortation (171)
9. Elder Tree
Corinth (32)
10. Everybody Has a Song
Ninety-Fifth (36)
11. A Farmer Planted
Primrose (47)
12. I Give My Voice
Pleyel’s Hymn (143)
13. I Know the Prisoner
I’m Going Home (282)
14. I Saw My Child
Panting for Heaven (384)
15. I Work For Peace
Cowper (168)
16. Job To Do
Hallelujah (146)
17. Labor and Neighbor
Antioch (277)
18. Lifted High
St. Thomas (34)
19. Losers’ Parade
Murillo’s Lesson (358)
20. Making Circles
Canaan’s Land (101)
21. May My Journey
Amsterdam (84)
22. Parents Gone
Wondrous Love (159)
23. Reducing Pain and Suffering
Africa (178)
24. Rise and Shine
Holy Manna (59)
25. Shattered Dreams
Consecration (448)
26. So Count Me In
Northfield (155)
27. Story of the Sea
Ortonville (68)
28. Strong Teachers
Calvary (300)
29. This Long, Long, Long Strange Trip
China (163)
30. Tick-Tock
Stratfield (142)
31. Tiger
Sacred Throne (569)
32. Up or Down?
Last Words of Copernicus (112)
33. We Keep Our Equanimity
Schenectady (192)
34. We May Be Lost
Bridgewater (276)
35. We Talk and Listen
Lenox (40)
36. Work of Art
Gospel Trumpet (99)
A wealth of information about Sacred Harp books, recordings, activities, singing schools and camps may be found at at the Fasola website. A wonderful free audio library of hundreds of Sacred Harp songs (including all the original songs on which the Jo Puma series is based) can be found at the Boston Sing website.
Most people find the Jo Puma songs after first becoming familiar with the Secular Hymnal. But if you’re going in the opposite direction, here’s where to find the complete collection of the original secular hymns:
Just as with the Jo Puma songs, the 144 SATB hymns of the Secular Hymnal have been given new, respectful, egalitarian lyrics. These famous hymn-tunes are much tamer than the Jo Puma music – even tame enough for choirs to use as sight-reading material! Click on the book-cover to visit its download page.
The current Jo Puma book is a compilation these earlier publications which are no longer available:
