About the Project

Part storytelling circle and part shape note singing, Azariah: Whom Jehovah Helps is a spirited journey through 19th-century rural New York. On March 4 at the Old Songs Community Art Center in Voorheesville, NY (directions), the tale of Azariah will be told through participatory singing. Participants will learn to read shape note music as the story unfolds, using a tunebook created for this event.

Set in the "burnt-over district" in late 1844 (so-called because there was
no more "fuel left to burn," meaning "people left to convert"), the story
follows a young man named Azariah, a member of the Millerite sect, that
believed Jesus would return to earth by October 22, 1844. After the
prophecy failed, during the "Great Disappointment" that followed, Azariah
begins to have visions in which he encounters mysterious prophets, who speak to him through song.

We receive the Azariah story as a collection of texts and songs written in
the shape note style popular in New York State in the early 1800s; presently experiencing a revival in the Northeast. Named for its unique notation system, where notes have different shapes depending on their place in the musical scale, shape note music is full-volume, full-throated, enthusiastic singing. Azariah: Whom Jehovah Helps harnesses the traditional form of a shape note singing as a vehicle for storytelling that is both vigorous and provocative.

Azariah: Whom Jehovah Helps is free of charge and open to the public. No
singing experience is necessary, and listeners are welcome. Tunebooks will
be provided. Please join us after the singing for a potluck supper from
5:00-7:00 PM (bring dishes that can be served cold, please), and for the
monthly Albany Area Sacred Harp Singing from 7:30-10:00 at the Cavalry
United Methodist Church in Latham, NY.

About Jesse

Jesse Pearlman Karlsberg is a sound artist and shape note singer whose work explores the intersections of personal narrative, communication networks, and history as embedded in place. His work encompasses installation, music for live performance, tunebooks, web design, audio tours, and works for radio. His current work investigates the history and practice of American shape note music and the social and religious movements of nineteenth-century upstate New York.

More Information