The harmonies layer and fill the room with a sound singers describe as unique and powerful.Īccording to Ben Fink, co-founder of the annual weekend-long East Kentucky Double All-Day Singing, the Appalachian region is a key part of the musical tradition’s history. After singing the notes, the four parts join and sing the words together. ![]() First, everyone learns their parts by singing the note names, like “fa,” “sol,” “la,” and “mi,” instead of words. Each section is assigned a different melodic line, and the leader stands in the middle. ![]() Shape-note singing schools and churches taught either the four-note “fa so la” scale or the seven-note “do re mi” scale.Īt a shape-note singing, the room is divided into four groups that face inward to form a hollow square. The most popular shape-note songbooks, “The Sacred Harp” (1844) and “The Christian Harmony” (1867), used four- and seven-note scales respectively.In the fledgling United States, the gospel tradition prospered first in New England, but its popularity shifted to the South in the late 19th century. Triangles, ovals, rectangles and diamonds are used in the four-note “fa so la” scale. This helps singers easily sight-read and learn new pieces of music. Instead of writing music with classic oval-shaped note heads, the system uses different shapes - a triangle for “fa,” an oval for “sol” and so on - to indicate each note’s pitch. Shape-note singing, sometimes referred to as Sacred Harp, originated from an Italian 11th-century system that uses syllables like “fa,” “sol,” and “la” to teach musical scales. Today, it persists in Appalachia and across the world. Rooted in the rural South, it thrived during the 19th century as a form of education and socializing. Wilson By Rachael KelleyĪs a tradition practiced since 1801, shape-note singing is one of the oldest forms of music in the United States. Singers also visited local restaurants, churches and community centers. ![]() In 2019, participants sang from “The Sacred Harp” on Saturday and from “Sacred Selections” on Sunday. Letcher County, Ky., is home to the annual East Kentucky Double All-Day Singing weekend.
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