Front-Bench Tenor At Sacred Harp Conventions

By Ginnie Ely (April 1996)

These words of wisdom are based on traditional Sacred Harp convention practice and are meant as a guideline to persons such as unsuspecting Yankees who may appear at a Southern convention and be unaware of the customs. Or for the small and young Northern convention who find themselves struggling with how to keep the class together while encouraging many inexperienced leaders to try their hand and many new people to come right on in and participate. These guidelines apply to conventions only, although you may choose to run your local singings in a similar manner.

The front row in the Tenor section (also known as the front-bench) is usually occupied at a convention by experienced singers who know how to help keep the class together by assisting the leader in several ways. Therefore when choosing a seat at a convention, sit on the front-bench only if you are willing to perform your share of the tasks. It is also often the custom to trade off with other experienced singers so that no one becomes too tired and everyone gets a turn who wants one.

The front-bench people help to keep the flow of the convention smooth. As leaders are called, it is part of their job to listen for the page number to be called and facilitate getting that page number to everyone else. The front-bench also encourages the inexperienced leader to face the Tenor section and listen for the key note to be sounded before beginning.

Usually the person who sounds the key note that sets the pitch for each tune sits on the front-bench. This may be the front-bench of the Tenor section but it may also be the front-bench of any of the other sections as well. When a leader comes to the center and gives their page number, the person keying will sound the key note by singing the Bass note or tonic, then one or more optional chord tones, but always ending on the opening note of the Tenor part. If the tune starts on an unusual note, the keying person may sound that note as well. It is helpful if the whole class will find and sing the note on which their parts begin so that the leader can tell when everyone is ready.

One of the tasks of the front-bench Tenor is to keep the beat. They help the leader begin the song and continue a consistent beat throughout in order to help keep the class together. This is especially helpful to the Alto section who must watch the back view of each leader, and also the further ends of the Bass and Treble sections who also see mostly the back view of the leader. To help with this task, the members of the other front-benches (Treble, Alto, Bass) may also keep the beat.

There are many styles and levels of confidence amongst leaders. With a very confident and experienced leader, the front-bench has very little to do except keep the beat and relax and enjoy the song. With a less confident leader, the front-bench Tenor must help with the leading without taking away any of the joy of the experience from the person doing the leading.

Tasks performed by the front-bench:

• Help start the leading. There needs to be good eye contact between the leader and the front-bench. A smile always helps. The front-bench will either raise or lower their hand on the first beat, depending on whether the tune starts on the first beat ("down") or on the second beat ("up") of the first measure and encourage the leader to do the same if they seem unfamiliar with Sacred Harp leading technique.
• Grasp the tempo that the leader intends and help keep the class in line with this tempo. The front-bench must not assume that the tempo will be exactly the same as what they are used to, especially if they do not know the leader. They must watch the leader's hand and try to get in sync. When helping a very inexperienced leader, it is sometimes a better indication to watch the leader's mouth than to watch their hand in order to discover what tempo they really want. Their mouth may know very well how to sing their favorite song, but their arm may not know how to lead yet. A very inexperienced leader may ask the front-bench for assistance. The front-bench may actually lead the class while the new leader learns how to do it by watching and imitating the front-bench. The front-bench sets an example for good and consistent leading style.
• Watch the face and eyes of the leader. If during the singing of the notes you see indications that they are not happy, try to figure out why. There are usually a variety of non-verbal signs that will help. If it's the tempo that seems wrong, catch the eye of the leader at the end of singing the notes and ask "faster?" or "slower?" or whatever seems appropriate. This must be done quickly and without interrupting the flow if possible. But it is better to stop the whole class and get a better start then to struggle on for three verses and have it be uncomfortable for everyone. The front-bench Tenor person can say something to the whole class, like "a little slower" or "a little faster" or "watch the leader" or whatever will help.
• Likewise with pitch, if while singing the notes it becomes clear that the pitch is way too high or low, quickly re-key the tune in the short gap between the notes and words.
• On songs with lots of verses, if the leader does not volunteer the information, inquire of the leader before they start what verses they want. Help the class to hear what the verse choices are.
• Try to determine if and when the leader wants to do repeats. We all know that the usual rule is to repeat on the notes and on the last verse; but this is not always true. An inexperienced leader may not have thought about repeats before they start. The front-bench can ask the leader about what repeats they want just as they may ask about what verses are wanted. It is part of the job of the front-bench to pay attention to the leader as the tune goes along and beat the repeat in the places the leader wants.

A word to everyone: if you are consistent about stopping the hand between verses and beating through on a repeat, it is very much easier for the front-bench and the class to sing the tune the way you want it. (See my Guide To Leading Music in the Sacred Harp Tradition" for further information on leading.)

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