The sun was setting. As the horizon darkened in the distance, the skies blended, colorizing the landscape. At twilight, as light faded into brilliant color, the air was cooled by the onset of these amazing hues. While a gentle breeze blew through a canopy of trees, visible was a tiny church nestled beside a lovely woods. There had been other times when the evening fell into deep darkness, other twilight times when this wandering soul fell, seduced by the malevolent. But now this brash, rebellious heart tangled by worry had ambled home to the country church where, long ago, the wanderer had been safe, untouched by the world’s confusing details.

Unquestionably, his youth, along with golden promises of hope, had lost its luster. His life had succumbed to the mind’s unseen voices, whispering and muttering plots of destruction. Once Wanderer had the richest foods; now he was forced to beg in the streets for anything he could get. Most of the time, utter disaster darkened his face, unrecognizable like soot. Blindly, Wanderer roamed through the city streets where the friendly dare not touch him. But for now, this orphaned soul was found returning to the familiar, drawn to the warm, harmonious songs and hymns of an earlier time.

Through the arched, cathedral-like windows, visible was a tiny candle dotting each pane with a soft amber glow—an inviting scene so peaceful and gentle, filled with love. Although once upon a time he had felt sheltered, there was hesitation as he approached the sight. As joy moved his soul, breaking down barriers of destruction, Wanderer listened quietly while peering through the window as the old songs were being sung. Relaxing as he let go of the past, his eyes fell on the familiar pew where many times he had curled up in a lap surrounded by his parents’ loving care. He mused with elation, “Something old—very old—is the legacy of authenticity. This was and is real!”

It seemed as if the singing originated from one Source. They sang songs originating from a heavenly Source about how the river of life was ever flowing in heaven, there and above!

Absorbed in this surreal moment, he reflected and watched attentively. Quietly, Wanderer exclaimed, “Few have heard these elegant melodies!”

Gracefully, each tier of voices embellished the hymns, layer upon layer—bass, alto, tenor and then the sopranos, filling the tiny sanctuary with happy smiles and joyous praise. In this heartwarming scene, the soft candlelight illuminated each face, giving your goosebumps goosebumps!

Pondering his life, this destitute soul had never really understood how to cope with the messes and stresses that life had dealt him, but now Wanderer had returned home. All was better once again. And there beneath the spire of his childhood church, watching from a distance, Wanderer felt hopeful and renewed with possibilities.

During the Second Great Awakening of the 19th century, religion—faith along with the hymns sung—crept from the Atlantic Coast over the Allegheny barrier into Tennessee at the end of the Revolutionary War. The religion picture in Tennessee was bleak, with entire areas of isolated villages having no churches to attend. During this period, church growth lagged behind population growth. With predominately a subsistence lifestyle, pioneers of the day had little regard for religion, education or any cultural enrichment.

Lorenzo Dow, a Methodist preacher of the day, declared Tennessee “was a sink of iniquity, a black pit of irreligion.”

Born of necessity, a revival developed a new and unique institution during this period: the camp meeting. A circuit-rider preacher, armed with his Bible and hymnbook, was the ideal way to cover Tennessee’s scattered population. Camp meetings would gather large crowds under a canopy of trees in the wilderness to listen to these energetic ministers. These revived converts returned to their settlements and homesteads determined to form their own churches. Thus, dotted across the landscape today are those country churches that evolved and have been sustained well into the 21st century.

In the 19th century, the singing school was a common fixture in many American communities, including here in Tennessee. The singing school was formed to improve congregational singing in the church. In the singing school, rudimentary musical sight-reading and the mechanics of singing were taught by a “singing master.” These schools often became popular places for communities to socialize and a place where children could learn about music and the faith. The mostly sacred songs they learned in these schools soon became the standards they would sing in their homes and churches.

Southern singing masters continued to teach the music of their predecessors, but also introduced “folk hymns,” melodies from oral tradition which they harmonized in a native idiom and set to sacred words. Many, including tunes for “Amazing Grace” and “How Firm a Foundation,” have remained popular and have become symbols of rural Southern religion. Camp meeting and revival songs with new refrains also formed part of the Southern tunebook repertoire, especially after 1840. Southern singing masters established organizations such as the Southern Musical Association (1845) and the Chattahoochie Musical Association (1852).

The propagation of singing schools was aided by the invention of the shape-note method. The shape-note system used four distinctive note heads to indicate four syllables corresponding to the musical scale tones mi, fa, sol and la. Eventually, a seven-shape method was devised and popularized by Jesse B. Aikin in The Christian Minstrel (1846). Pupils who learned shape-note singing were able to simply correlate shapes with scale degrees, and consequently memorization of key signatures became unnecessary.

In the early days, singing schools were scheduled when folks were not preoccupied with work. The singing schools were scheduled around the growing cycle of crops, when families were free to attend the classes. Classes were held all over the South, including here in Tennessee. Many of those were held here in Rutherford County annually until mid-1950.

The singing school was a tool to enhance not only congregational singing, teaching the rudiments of music, but an instrument to increase faith and community. Singing schools led to singing conventions which appeared in the South after the turn of the 20th century. In those days, a church or community would have a singing school for about a month and end it on a Sunday with the singing of the songs that had been learned. After a few years, a church or community would invite others to join in the final day of singing. The all-day singing and dinner on the ground events became a special time of socializing in the community. Countywide conventions spread throughout the South.

Eventually, as professionalism evolved in the musical style, some of those singers formed quartets, trios, duets, and other special groups like The Oak Ridge Boys and The Blackwood Brothers Quartet. Note that some of these quartets backed up Elvis Presley on many early recordings. One notable event began Nov. 8, 1948, with an all-night singing broadcasting on the first Friday of every month at the Ryman Auditorium. These began to spread Southern gospel music and various related musical styles around the nation. No doubt, fond memories of the singing school experience have been important not only to promote singing, but the “good news” of faith as well. Many have been renewed and revived from life’s difficult circumstances with hope and promise through this beautiful music. Thus, the legacy of the singing school and gospel music continues to affect our culture positively.

The Stamps Baxter Singing School, which is still active today, sings the hymn, “Don’t Turn From the Grand Highway”