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Harmonia Sacra hymn sings keep local history alive

The fifth edition of the Harmonia Sacra, published in 1851, is part of the collection at Eastern Mennonite University's historical library.
Randi B. Hagi
The fifth edition of the Harmonia Sacra, published in 1851, is part of the collection at Eastern Mennonite University's historical library.

A religious musical tradition spanning back two centuries is alive and well in the Shenandoah Valley. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

Sam Showalter is a member of the Harmonia Sacra Society.
Randi B. Hagi
Sam Showalter is a member of the Harmonia Sacra Society.

[leader finds note on pitch pipe, congregation joins in]

About 60 people met in the 19th-century Union Church in Mount Jackson on Sunday afternoon. Many of them wore Old Order Mennonite head coverings and plain dress; others sported blue jeans and sweaters. One by one, attendees took turns leading the congregation in song – with people calling out requests by the hymn's number. This one is number 254.

SAM SHOWALTER: It's a very ecumenical kind of happening. … The oldest one was at Weaver's Church, out on Route 33. They've been singing there for over 120 years, out of this book.

This metal "stereotype" plate in EMU's collection was used to print the 12th edition of the hymnal in 1867.
Randi B. Hagi
This metal "stereotype" plate in EMU's collection was used to print the 12th edition of the hymnal in 1867.

Sam Showalter is a member of the Harmonia Sacra Society, which aims to promote the Mennonite hymnal that was arranged by Joseph Funk in 1832. The village of Singers Glen, where Funk made his home, was named in honor of his choral publications. An edition published in the late 1860s saw the introduction of the denomination's hallmark four-part harmonies.

[women start singing Hymn #445 in two parts, men join in]

SHOWALTER: I'm just excited about having more and more young people become interested in it, and as we old folks pass on, well, it's nice to know there are more four-part singers coming along. [chuckles]

The society's next endeavor is to purchase Funk's historic home and preserve it as a museum.

Randi B. Hagi first joined the WMRA team in 2019 as a freelance reporter. Her writing and photography have been featured in The Harrisonburg Citizen, where she previously served as the assistant editor; as well as The Mennonite; Mennonite World Review; and Eastern Mennonite University's Crossroads magazine.