Music written in “shape notes” was widely published in the 19th century, providing quick access to music-reading by giving different scale tones different shapes. “Fa” was a triangle, “la” was a square, and so forth.
If you can read conventional music notation, you can read the shapes: they're printed on lines and spaces you will recognize. In the deep-South shape-note tradition, participants sing with hearty voices, often beating time on their knees. We'll explore other customs as well, right up to the present day.
Shape-note singing is also referred to as Sacred Harp singing. That sacred harp is the human voice, our first and most natural instrument. The Hawley shape-note SING should appeal to both experienced and novice shape-note singers.
Like contemporary gospel music, shape-note singing is most fun if you participate. Listeners (and learners!) are heartily welcome, however.
