Who We Are
Our
group sings a Capella four part
harmony music, and uses the Sacred Harp,
a collection of sacred songs,
and anthems, published
continuously since 1844. The
music is written in standard
musical notation, but is
supplemented by shaped note
heads, originally intended to
accommodate those who could not
read music.
About
the music. Music from the
"Sacred Harp" does not follow
rules of conventional harmony,
but uses a polyphony style in
which no one part stands out .
Often the chords in the harmony
change with every note, making
the harmony freely moving or
dispersed. The music includes
18th century New England fuging
tunes, anthems, folk and gospel
hymns, camp-meeting songs from
the 19th century, and some
modern tunes in these
traditions. Shape note singers
gather for enjoyment, not in
preparation for performance.
There is no need to proficiently
read music, and all are welcome.
We meet
the 2nd Thursday of each month
at 7 PM to sing. We welcome new
singers.
Map
For more
information call 814-352-8029 OR
814-926-3142 OR email Linda
History of Shape
Note Singing in Southern
Somerset County
|
Sacred Harp is
a haunting form of shape note
hymn singing with deep roots
in Early America that has
survived over 200 years.
The first
feature documentary about
Sacred Harp, “Awake
My Soul”
captures both the history and
the vitality of a music that
is utterly unlike any music
most have ever heard. Over the
course of seven years, two
Atlanta film makers, Erica and
Matt Hinton, have
painstakingly amassed hundreds
of hours of traditional Sacred
Harp singings in the southeast
as well as interviews with the
most prominent traditional
Sacred Harp singers and
composers.
Sacred
Harp has seen increased
exposure and attendance as
traditional singings have
grown over recent years. For
more information visit www.fasola.org
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