Sussex Harmony Sacred Harp Singing Day

South Malling Parish Church, Church Lane, Lewes BN7 2JA

10 am - 4.30 p.m.  Saturday 4 July 2009

We are singing from 10.00 - 4.30 with the traditional 'bring and share lunch ' in the grounds. Refreshments are available.

Also loaner copies of  The Sacred Harp 1991 Edition will be available on the day.

contact - Rachel Jordan on 01273 476837 or rabid2727@yahoo.co.uk  

The first half hour will be mainly a workshop for those new (or rusty) to the art of shape note singing. It will follow the format of other Shapenote singings across the world, many of the participants will have been to singings in this country and America.

SO WHAT IS SHAPE-NOTE MUSIC?

"Shape note" music is an a-cappella, traditional form of folk hymn singing that dates to Colonial times. Also known as Sacred Harp music, after the most used tune book "The Sacred Harp," first published in 1844. It has enjoyed a revival after being featured in the film "Cold Mountain" and on its soundtrack. The hymns are Christian in nature but performances are not outwardly religious. There is no musical accompaniment.

Shape note music is a system devised at the turn of the 19th century to help untrained singers read the music so that they could sing together in church. It is music written with different shaped note heads, to depict which note they are in the scale. A triangle represents fa, a circle for sol, a square for la and a diamond for mi. The scale is Fa Sol La, Fa Sol La, Me Fa. This corresponds to Doh Re Me Fa So Lah Te Doh later used in European teaching. The intervals between Fa & Sol, Sol & La, etc are always the same so can be used for any key. When rehearsing a shape-note piece singers first sing the shapes instead of the words, this gives a picture of how it all fits together, then they sing the text.  

Also unique is the way singers are organised — in an open square, with tenors, bass, alto and treble voices each taking a side. Singers take turns leading the group and beat their hands to keep time.

The result is a loud, clear, almost astringent sound that some describe as ancient, others like a human bagpipe or organ. And everyone is expected to participate — there is no division between a choir and audience. You can listen to it but the beauty of this really comes in the singing.

Sacred Harp music was replaced in many parts of the USA in the second half of the 19th century by religious hymns. But it found a permanent home in rural areas of the Southern states of USA, where "singing conventions" cropped up and people would travel for miles to sing for hours, or days, at a time. About 20 years ago, Sacred Harp attracted new enthusiasts, many of them in New England and the Midwest.  Now there are Sacred Harp groups across the states and many enthusiasts fly cross-country on weekends to join other groups. Similarly there are singing conventions in the UK, which have sprung up over the last 15 years

Further information can be found about ShapeNote music at www.ukshapenote.org.uk