I shared an instrumental version of this shape note hymn a few weeks back. While Tim Eriksen's version is good, this astringent take from Molly and Maggie of The Ephemeral String Band is mind-boggling in its beauty.

In fact, this performance inspired me to dedicate today to shape note -- or sacred harp singing, so stay tuned for more of this uniquely American art form.

As for why they begin by using solfege, if the documentary trailer in the next post doesn't give you a clue, the full movie will.