Over the course of 7 years, Atlanta filmmakers/ Sacred Harp singers, Matt & Erica Hinton, created Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp, the first feature documentary to explore the history, music, and traditions of Sacred Harp singing, the oldest distinctively American music. This haunting music has survived over 200 years tucked away from sight in the rural deep South, where Sacred Harp singers begin each song by intoning syllables which are represented by each “shapenote” in their hymnal: fa, sol, la, and mi (triangle, oval, square and diamond). To the casual observer, it is some foreign, unintelligible language, but to these Sacred Harp singers, it is the key that unlocks mysteries: songs of both beauty and sorrow, of life and of death, songs that cause feet to stomp and tears to flow, often at the same time.
Awake, My Soul aired nationwide on PBS in 2008 and was been featured in TIME, Paste Magazine, The New York Times, Pitchfork, SPIN and on NPR.
Awake, My Soul, the 2025 Revision, is the result of the long-term desire to make the film available again for a new generation. “The original film was released at precisely the best and worst time,” according to co-director/ editor, Matt Hinton. “It was the best time because there was still a strong monoculture: if a film aired on PBS, lots of people saw it. It was also a period of physical media, so we sold tons of DVDs. But on the other hand, it was the worst time to have made a film– from the time we began production to the end of post-production, the culture was moving from standard definition to high definition, so within a year of its release, very many people owned high definition TVs. Nothing makes a standard definition film look ‘standard’ like high definition. As a result, the Hintons spent much of 2025 remastering and re-editing Awake, My Soul. The 2025 Revision is now in hi-definition, with a new sound mix and over 10 minutes of material not previously seen.”
This screening to be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers, Matt & Erica Hinton. The Hintons are longtime Sacred Harp singers who have taught Sacred Harp singing schools around the country. Matt composed the song “Clayton” which was included in the 2025 Revision of the Sacred Harp songbook. He directed and edited the award-winning documentary “Parallel Love: The Story of a Band Called Luxury.”
“Awake, My Soul features some of the most raucous group vocals that have been recorded.” -Pitchfork
“Spectacular… Get enough people singing weird harmonies at the top of their voices and you start feeling a little sorry for the devil.” –Washington City Paper
This special 20th Anniversary screening of Awake, My Soul launches two days of interactive activities presented in partnership with Savannah Sacred Harp Singers.
Additional Sacred Harp activities:
Singing School with Professor Esther Morgan-Ellis (University of North Georgia)
Trinity United Methodist Church (Telfair Square) on Friday, March 27, 2:30 – 4:00 PM (immediately following film screening/Q&A)
Sacred Harp Singing
Christ Church Anglican (2020 Bull Street) on Saturday, March 28 10 AM – 3 PM
Lunch served at noon to all attendees.
“A Southern Harmony Compline”
Christ Church Anglican on Saturday, March 28 at 9 PM
The Christ Church Compline Choir, with help from traditional singers, will offer this special 30 minute musical service in the sanctuary of Christ Church Anglican. The service is followed by coffee and dessert.
