BREMEN, Ga. -- "The Sacred Harp" hymnal is beloved by those who sing from it, carrying on the Christian songbook's more than 180-year-old legacy. They are young and old -- and all ages in between.

About a year-and-a-half ago, I went through a devastating breakup and, soon after, began a love affair with perhaps the strangest hobby an ex-yeshiva girl could imagine: Sacred Harp singing.

, the singing is free and open to the public. Singers are encouraged to bring their own copy of The Sacred Harp Songbook, a collection of shape-note hymns published in the U.S. before the Civil War.

Principally for 4 voices (SATB). Rev. ed. of: Original sacred harp. Denson revision, 1987 ed., 1987, c1971. "First compiled in 1844 by Benjamin Franklin White."--Preface. Shape-note notation.