Music In The Family History

Last month I attended a family reunion on my dad’s side of the family. A photo was shared of my grandfather gathered with a choir outside a building. In the photo, he is holding my father, who was a baby at the time. I believe the photo was taken around 1938. The label on the photo identifies the group as the Black River Baptist Church Choir.

I knew my grandfather taught shaped-note singing, but I thought he taught it to his local congregation choir. Apparently, he traveled to teach as well. I was five years old when he passed away, so I only have vague memories of him.

My dad also taught and mentored singers and piano players throughout his life. His teaching wasn’t structured or scheduled as “lessons.” He would spend time with family or friends who wanted help singing harmony, playing piano, or learning something new.

I’ve heard my dad say that my grandfather didn’t always appreciate the kind of music he and his friends sang. Dad loved quartet music by the Statesmen Quartet. The Jordanaires were another vocal group Dad enjoyed. They were best known for providing backup vocals for Elvis Presley. Later, my dad also had his own musical preferences and wasn’t particularly drawn to some of the newer worship music.

I think it’s natural for each generation to have its own musical preferences. We tend to connect with the music we grew up with and the music that has meaning to us. At the same time, music continues to change and develop, much like clothing fashions. There is beauty and worship in many different styles, from Gregorian chant to modern worship.

Thinking about my grandfather and dad made me realize that we’ve gone full circle in some ways.

Shaped notes are a method of reading music in which each note of the scale has its own shape. Today, many of my students want to learn the number system, which is also based on the scale. The methods are different, but both provide a way of understanding and communicating music.

Music in all its forms is a creative endeavor. Those who sing and play are expressing their own unique interpretation. While we all have individual preferences, I think it’s important to appreciate the courage of those who are willing to sing and/or play and share their gift with the world.

Perhaps that is part of the music in our family history: teaching, learning, sharing, and passing music along to the next generation.