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TRI-DISTRICT SINGS
The Tri-District Sings were hymn sings held on the third Sunday of every month in Monongalia County churches. They were held in the afternoon, so after everybody had gone to their own churches for the morning service and gone home and had their Sunday dinner, they’d meet at a designated church to sing hymns together from 2pm to 4pm.
What struck me as I went through these recordings and learned more about the Tri-District Sings is that it wasn’t dictated by which denomination of Protestantism the churches were. These gatherings met at local Methodist churches, Baptist churches, Apostolic churches, Pentecostal churches, and even a Mennonite church. They met at rural churches and churches in town. And they held Sings at Mount Hermon Baptist church which was a Black church. The community’s desire to make music and fellowship with their community transcended the slight differences they might have had.
The local preachers would take turns leading the Tri-District Sings, including my great-grandfather Rev. Bill Camp. My grandma describes how a typical Tri-District Sing works in this interview audio clip (click here for transcript):
Grandma and her parents, Rev. Bill and Helen Camp, would often perform a few songs for these Tri-District Sings. Sometimes her parents would sing a hymn while Grandma accompanied them on the piano or piano accordion, and sometimes she would sing a duet with her dad. (Click here for transcript.)
As Mr. Carvell mentioned in his statement about the recordings he made, he was mostly interested in the hymns that were being sung, so he only captured the music happening during the Tri-District Sings (and occasionally an opening or closing prayer). Curious about what went on between the times he recorded, I asked my grandma if there was ever a sermon given at the Tri-District Sings. (Click here for transcript.)
While several people went to the Tri-District Sings to perform an arrangement of their favorite hymn, many just went to listen and sing with the congregation. As my grandma remembers it, the little churches were usually “half to three-fourths full depending on the weather and the time of year.” All in all, the Sings were about fellowship–and after all these years, that sense of community is what my grandma cherishes the most. (Click here for transcript.)
