Shape-Note Singing in the Twin Cities: The Legacy of The Sacred Harp
By Rachel Mueller
Most Americans are familiar with the blues, jazz, and bluegrass. All are well-know American musical traditions. What many Americans are not familiar with is the truly American style of music known as shape-note singing. Shape-note singing is unaccompanied vocal music that emphasizes participation and is fundamentally egalitarian.
History:
Shape-note singing, also known as Sacred Harp singing after the most popular volume of music used, began in the early 18th century in New England. A system of solfege (using the syllables fa, so, la, and mi) was introduced in churches to help congregations learn and sing the church hymns with more accuracy. The use of solfege gained immense popularity and took on a life of its own, extending into social life and to secular as well as sacred music. Composers began to write hymns, odes, and folk tunes with this social singing specifically in mind, resulting in very polyphonic, four-part music that rejected much of the traditional English musical theory. In 1801 the shapes that corresponded to the syllables were introduced, making it increasingly easy to read. Shape-note singing quickly gained popularity in the south and east, making a special home in the rural areas of Appalachia. It was in the rural mountains that shape-note singing persisted, as New England came under a musical reform. Farmers would gather together for several days after planting, before harvests, have ‘dinner-on-the-grounds’ (pot lucks), and sing for hours and hours.
The first edition of The Sacred Harp was published in 1844. It was considered to be the comprehensive book of the music, including most old church hymns as well as newly composed works. With the publishing of The Sacred Harp, the music began its slow spread to the north. Today The Sacred Harp continues to be the most popular shape-note music book and it maintains the tradition of incorporating newly written songs.
The Shapes:
The shapes that are substituted in the place of traditional note heads are shown below. There are four shapes that each correspond to a solfege syllable. They are extremely helpful when sight-reading. During modern singings, sight-reading is an integral part of the music. The shapes help the singer learn the intervals between the pitches, and therefore help them associate certain intervals with certain pitch changes.
At a singing, whatever song is chosen will be sung the first time only with the solfege syllables. This helps cement the melodies into the singers’ minds, but also is seen as the ‘purest’ form of the music. The solfege allows the melodies to shine without being encumbered by the text.
Singing in Practice:
No matter the singing one attends, the format of the gathering will be fairly similar. Chairs are arranged in a hollow square, facing towards the center. Each voice part sits at a different side of the square. When I attending singings, intending to observe as an audience member, I realized there was no seating for an audience. In fact, shape-note singing is never performed in front of groups. The essence of the music is participatory and I found myself attempting to sing along.
To begin a song, the leader will stand in the center of the square. Anyone can be a leader, and no one leads for more than three songs in a row. The best spot in the house is in the center of the circle, and the participatory nature of this tradition encourages everyone to experience this privilege. The leader begins by calling out a number that corresponds to a song in The Sacred Harp. A tenor sitting in the front row will then find ‘the pitch of convenience’ and will sing la, fa, la, fa, la, and establish the key. All singers will sing their starting pitch with the corresponding syllable. The leader begins the song with a strong down stroke with his/her arm, indicating the tempo of the song. Tempo is a central aspect of the music because is it sight-read. Often it is possible to observe many singers keeping times with the down strokes of their arms as well.
The Sacred Harp Community
One of the most striking things I came across when learning about shape-note singing was the immense and intentional community that surrounds this musical tradition. Annual conventions with several hundred singers can be found all across the country, and summer camps are held every year for those who want a total immersion experience. ‘Dinner-on-the-grounds’ happens at many singings and communities bond over food and song. The inclusive aspect of the music and the welcoming nature of singers make Sacred Harp singing a wonderful community for beginners and old friends alike.