COME JOIN US FOR
SHAPE-NOTE SINGING!
Second & Fourth Mondays
of Every Month
6:45 pm - beginner instruction
7:00-8:30 pm - singing
at
University Mennonite Church
1606 Norma St.
State College, PA
of Every Month
6:45 pm - beginner instruction
7:00-8:30 pm - singing
at
University Mennonite Church
1606 Norma St.
State College, PA
Come participate in this 200 year old tradition as we sing Early American folk hymns, anthems and fuging tunes from "The Sacred Harp" and
"The Shenandoah Harmony"
Books are provided.
No musical experience necessary.
Singers and listeners welcome!
"The Shenandoah Harmony"
Books are provided.
No musical experience necessary.
Singers and listeners welcome!
Directions from Campus
From College Ave., drive 1.5 miles south on S. Atherton St.
Turn right on Norma St., just before the Ramada Inn.
Church is one block in on the right.
Directions from Boalsburg
Drive north on S. Atherton St.
Go past the light at University Drive.
Make second left on Norma St., just past the Ramada Inn.
Church is one block in on the right.
From College Ave., drive 1.5 miles south on S. Atherton St.
Turn right on Norma St., just before the Ramada Inn.
Church is one block in on the right.
Directions from Boalsburg
Drive north on S. Atherton St.
Go past the light at University Drive.
Make second left on Norma St., just past the Ramada Inn.
Church is one block in on the right.
For more information, contact
Hal Kunkel hal.kunkel@gmail.com
Vaccinations and boosters requested for all participants
Hal Kunkel hal.kunkel@gmail.com
Vaccinations and boosters requested for all participants
In the Sacred Harp tradition, singers arrange themselves in parts, facing inward in a hollow square formation, singing for each other and not an audience. The music is full of unusual and distinct harmonies, and is usually sung loudly and vigorously. Shape-note singing places more emphasis on group participation and less on individual musical ability. In recent years, it has experienced a resurgence of popularity across the country.
THE 2011 CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA ALL-DAY SINGING
In the America of the early 1800's, tunebooks were a popular way to convey new music to the general public. The tunebooks were collections of popular folk
hymns and spiritual songs written down using shape-note
musical notation to help musically untrained people learn
to sing parts . The songs were written on musical staffs
with shaped note heads -- diamonds, circles, squares, triangles -- to indicate relative pitch on a scale.
A singing tradition grew up around these books, especially in the rural South where singings from “The Sacred Harp” (1844) became wildly popular.
hymns and spiritual songs written down using shape-note
musical notation to help musically untrained people learn
to sing parts . The songs were written on musical staffs
with shaped note heads -- diamonds, circles, squares, triangles -- to indicate relative pitch on a scale.
A singing tradition grew up around these books, especially in the rural South where singings from “The Sacred Harp” (1844) became wildly popular.
Click video below to learn about historic shape-note singing in the South
Click video below to learn about present day shape-note singing
in the Pacific Northwest
in the Pacific Northwest
You are invited to join us on the second and fourth Mondays of the month in a beautifully restored 19th century one-room schoolhouse to participate in this uniquely egalitarian and distinctly American musical tradition!
For information on singings in other parts of the state, visit www.pennsylvaniasacredharp.com.
For information on locations of other shape-note singings in the country go to fasola.org
To hear recordings from our 2010 Central Pennsylvania All-Day Sacred Harp Singing, click here.
For information on the history of the Sacred Harp, go to the great article on Wikipedia.