:: Back in the winter of 2007, I joined the Evergreen Singers to fill my credit requirements for the quarter. The subject for performance was an old American traditional style of music called shape-note singing. It's no different from normal singing with a few exceptions: the songs are only sung in major or minor keys, and the notes on the sheet music are in four different shapes (triangle, square, circle, and diamond) according to their place in the current key, as opposed the familiar system of all circles. Also, this Sacred Harp music (from the most popular songbook that publishes shape-note music) is not really sung for an audience, but rather for personal pleasure. The sections are arranged in a square facing inwards; in the center stands the leader of the current song.
This arrangement actually led me to use a microphone right in the middle of the square. It is not a top-notch recording, especially seeing as ninety percent of the group wasn't really aware of what was going on, but it was definitely a good experience in planning and flexibility. I got a lot of good feedback from my classmates as well...many of them were surprised at the difference between the original recordings and my finished product ::
About the Author
- Chris Duncan
- Olympia, WA, United States
- I am currently studying at The Evergreen State College. I strive to advance my skills in sound design, field recording, Foley, studio recording, mixing, editing, mastering, and production.
Wow! What an unusual style of singing. I like that the group stands in a square with the leader in the center. Tell me more about the significance of the "shaped" notes vs. the round ones we are all used to. Do they denote pitch or what?
ReplyDeleteWe've all seen the round notes used by music writers today. However, in Sacred Harp music they use the four shapes to (you got it) denote pitch, or more specifically, intervals. The pattern goes triangle (root), circle (second degree), square (third), triangle (fourth), circle (fifth), square (sixth), diamond (seventh), and triangle again for the eighth degree, which is simply the first note, or root, sung up an octave. If you want more on the basics, you can go to fasola.org and learn more about this unique notational system as well as the history of Sacred Harp music and other information.
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