[PATH-list] Shape note sing at Settlers' Museum

[tdillon27127 at earthlink.net]

PATHers,

I realize this is not going to be of interest to many, but for those who are
interested, the Settlers' Museum is planning to hold an introductory
Shape-Note Sing at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the museum, 1322 Rocky
Hollow Road in Atkins, Va. It's free and will be led by Chris Wolf, an
experienced leader from Floyd, Va. A couple of PATHers have expressed
interest, thus the reason for this message. Feel free to call or email for
more information. Or see below.

Tom Dillon, 336-725-2760

 

 

Shape Note Music from the Sacred Harp

Shape note music is one of the oldest musical styles in America. In the 18th
and especially 19th centuries, it was one of our most popular musical forms,
yet until recently it was little known outside a small region of Georgia and
Alabama, where it survived as a living tradition. The Sacred Harp has been
the best-known collection of shape note music ever since its first
publication in 1844, and it has been republished many times, most recently
in 1991. Other books of the period include The Christian Harmony (1805) and
the Southern Harmony (1835).

The term "shape note" has two meanings. The first refers to the practice,
originating in Colonial America, of printing music notes on the staff in
shapes - diamonds, triangles, squares, circles. The shapes permit untrained
singers to follow melody lines more easily. Obviously any music can be
printed in shapes, and even today many hymnals in rural churches print
standard hymns in either the four shapes used by Sacred Harp or the seven
shapes used by Christian Harmony. There is much of the latter in western
North Carolina.

The second meaning of "shape note" refers to a compositional style and
performance characteristic of 18th century New England Congregational
churches. The idea was full participation by all members; therefore, unlike
modern music with the melody in the high soprano, the melody of shape note
is in the tenor (third line down) and is sung by men and women. That means
the melody is often obscured for casual listeners by the strong harmony
lines. The music is loud, vigorous and meant to be sung, not listened to.
Full of modal melodies, gapped scales and old folk tunes, the tunes of
Sacred Harp are a direct link to nearly-buried traditions of American and
British music.

A characteristic of shape note singings is the practice of "singing the
notes" - fa for a triangle, sol for a circle, la for a square and mi for a
diamond. The tradition of singing the song once through with the syllables
helps the singers grasp the tune firmly and permits a remarkably
sophisticated level of sight reading among experienced singers.

 

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