Topmusicanswers
- Do Shape note singing conventions still exist in the United States today?
- Is Shape note singing used today?
- What is the most influential shape note singing book?
- Where did shape note singing originated?
Do Shape note singing conventions still exist in the United States today?
Shape note singers have been part of the African American community in Mississippi for over a hundred years. This tradition, however, has gone virtually unnoticed by scholars inside and outside the state.
Is Shape note singing used today?
Shape-note singing originated in New England, but became extremely popular in the South. ... While the use of this system of learning and singing hymns declined in the early to mid- twentieth century, there were some communities where it remained strong, and it has enjoyed a revival today, especially in the South.
What is the most influential shape note singing book?
Amazing Grace was one of the first, and is certainly the most famous, of the thousands of tunes set to Shape Note singing – a phenomenon that swept Appalachia and rural America over 100 years ago and continues to be popular in many places.
Where did shape note singing originated?
Shape-note singing is a choral tradition in which geometrical shapes and a corresponding syllable are assigned to each note in a musical scale. The tradition began in late eighteenth-century New England, and it is one of the earliest forms of distinctly American music.
