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John Orth, Present Joys, 2007 |
45. PRESENT JOYS BY ALABAMA SACRED HARP SINGERS, 1928 REMIX: JOHN ORTH, PRESENT JOYS, 2007 Orth describes his response: “When I was a kid I would drive to the downtown branch of the library to thumb through the endless cache of records they had in the basement. On one of these excursions, I came home with a Folkways recording that included the song ‘Present Joys’. I recorded it onto cassette and listened to it on headphones that night before bed. The song was both thrilling and frightening to me. It did not square with my staid, Presbyterian understanding of religious expression in which hymns were to be droned and didactic. I did not recognize the unfettered outpouring of emotion that was expressed by the Alabama Sacred Harp Singers. I imagined their shrill, unhinged exuberance being fodder for, or borne of, otherworldly visions and stark conversions. My drawing tries to imagine one such vision. The windows of a church in Alabama vibrate with the unbridled joy of the music within. Just beyond the glass, tendrils of Spanish moss hang heavy in the trees. Suddenly, a tangle of moss blooms an impossible cache of crystals and gems, a fantastic combination of worldly wonders. It is an offering to the congregation and a tribute to this song.” John Orth is an artist and musician who lives and works in Gainesville, Florida, USA. He works in close association with Cinders Gallery in New York and sings for his band Holopaw on Sub Pop records. www.johnorthisthehobbyist.com |
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