APPALACHIAN SHAPED NOTES - HARP MUSIC - SINGING SCHOOL

I loved attending the old mountain church singing schools in Appalachia, when I was a child. We learned to sing-song the hymns by the "shaped notes". or "harp music". Churches held these singing schools because they either couldn't afford to purchase musical instruments, or they didn't allow musical instruments in their churches (some did, some didn't). Being able to "read" the notes made it easier to learn new songs when we got new song books - usually once a year. From my Grandfather's old rudiment book: "Music is the science of sound, or a rhythmical succession, or combination of pleasing tones." DO , RE, MI, FA, SO, LA, TI, DO
#harpmusic #harp #shapenotes #appalachia #appalachian #easttennessee #tennessee #music #mountainmusic #mountainlife #rural #shape note singing #Shape note #sacred harp
LINK TO VIDEO OF OLD HARP SINGING CONVENTION AT CADES COVE: • Old Harp Singing, Cade...
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[@bibbiana4Lyfe]

I'm African American and my rural southern church used to do this during my childhood. When I try to describe it to others they don't believe it. I'm so glad I came across this!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

I’ve also had people look look at me like I’m crazy, when I talk about this! LOL Thank you so much for your comment, and for watching!🤗

[@marydavis575]

My father was born in 1912. He often told about the singing master coming through to teach everyone shape note singing. What a beautiful thing!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Mary Davis Thank you so much for commenting and for sharing your father’s story!❤️ It will always be a special memory of my childhood!

[@atheodorasurname6936]

The novel "The Last of the Mohicans" has a character who is a singing master of "psalmody" (similar to sacred harp) in the mid-18th century. He travels around with other characters involved in fighting the French and Indian War. All he knows is religion and hymns -- he can't use weapons and is even opposed to war, but he and his singing skills still play an important role in the story.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

@@atheodorasurname6936 I just now saw this comment! How interesting! I’ve never read this classic, but now it’s on my bucket list. Thank you so much for this comment, and for watching!🤗

[@BoDTalks-bj7kc]

Used this video to help with my collegiate music appreciation course. Thank you!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

I hope you didn’t lose points for my poor editing skills! LOL. That’s awesome! Thank you so much for watching and sharing.🤗

[@acetaminophetus]

It is my opinion as a music educator that we should be using shape notes in every music classroom across America.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Thank you for the comment, and I agree. My college choir director was from Chicago (early 70’s). He had heard of shape notes, but didn’t know the particulars. When I sat down and showed him how it worked, and how to easily transpose, he was fascinated, and pretty much said the same thing you said. He’s like, “Why aren’t we teaching this to our kids?”

[@dennieweaver6731]

I'm thrilled to come across this. I learned shaped notes as a young girl here in West virginia. When older attended my first singing school our pastor taught us. For many years I taught singing schools here in West virginia and have taught piano for over 55 years. My husband and I directed a county side choir following a shaped note singing school with over 100 members. It was a great time. The choir performed many times and had many practices during those 28 plus years we had to retire the choir several years ago due to physical issues and busy schedules of many of the members. Brenda and Dennis weaver. Point pleasant. Wv

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

How awesome! I’m always so glad to hear from those who experienced this wonderful way of learning to sing the notes. I’m sure it has extra special meaning for you, since you taught the singing schools. We children thought the singing-school teachers were celebrities! Lol. We looked up to them and were thrilled to receive encouragement and praise from them. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for watching my little video!

[@nancynash2174]

My great grandfather would come to Nashville to Scarritt college for conventions . The only music at his funeral was shapenote singing of the hymns. I was 8 years old and have never forgotten the heavenly magic of that experience. Thank God it hasn't been lost.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

How interesting that the college held conventions, Nancy! I always assumed they were always held at churches (just based on my experience), but Im sure other colleges hosted them, as well. What a beautiful tribute to have the shape note singing at your grandfather’s funeral. Thank you for watching and for sharing!🤗

[@nancynash2174]

You are so welcome. During the pandemic I used mostly Utube to goback and sort of reacquaint myself to the old music. I'm sure you will be familiar with the Rose Ensemble. I ordered their cd's and really enjoyed the journey back in time. God bless you for sharing this with all of us.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

@@nancynash2174 Actually, I haven’t heard of The Rose Ensemble, but I will make time in the coming days to be sure and look up their music, (as soon as I get some free time, where I can actually enjoy it). Thank you, so much!

[@buckan8r999]

Been reading Durwood Dunn’s book Cades Cove. The Life and Death of A Southern Appalachian Community 1818-1937. On his chapter on The Folk Culture (page 155 & 156) he speaks about “old harp songs” and the misrepresentation by Horace Kephart and Justice William O. Douglas, both untrained phoneticians. I then looked up this on KZbin and found this video. I’m so glad I did because this provided me with so much context about the people that lived in the areas of Cades Cove. Thank you

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Not sure how I missed this comment! I want to read this book. Thank you for telling me about it and for watching!

[@buckan8r999]

@@auntmemeintennessee8033 We just arrived today in Gatlinburg and look forward to seeing Cades cove again!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

@@buckan8r999 That’s great! Cades Cove never disappoints. I’ve been there probably 50+ times in my lifetime (only about an hour away from me). It’s like stepping back in time. Last time we were there, we saw a couple of bears, in addition to deer and turkey. Welcome to East Tennessee! Enjoy your vacation! 👍

[@andreah.5962]

I have my grandma's shape note hymnal. Love this!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Andrea H. Precious memories, for sure! Oh, how life has changed. Thank you for watching!❤️

[@karenvann8833]

You are brilliant, and I am so grateful for your explanation!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Oh no, it’s the technique that’s brilliant! Simple, but so easy to learn. Thank you for your kind comment, Karen! 🤗

[@MusicMagick]

This is just lovely! Thank you so much for sharing. I enjoyed the history lesson! I am a music research student and you and your video are fabulous! (And I have always believed eastern Tennessee is heaven on earth!)

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Thank you so much for this kind comment!🤗 Good luck with your music research career. What an interesting career choice!

[@deborahboland5175]

Thank you for the video, the story of family is a blessing. Love is what makes a family.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

I agree 100%, Deborah!🤗

[@James-tn7uy]

My father taught this kind of music. He was tenor in a gospel quartet. We were from Carter county TN.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Thats awesome! Do you have recordings or tapes of your Dad’s quartet music? The harmony from the mountain quartet music was (and still is) wonderful. Carter County is about 2 hours from where I was raised. Small world!

[@blueridger28]

Im very familiar with sacred harp. I grew up and still live in the blue ridge mountains of NC. I play dog house bass and swimg a hammer, a carpenters hammer. Thank you

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Blue Ridge Mountains... so beautiful! I just subbed to your channel so I can hear you play. Thank you for watching and for sharing!

[@shalynn2577]

When I was going to school in the 70's, this is how my chorus teacher was teaching us how to read notes. I never realized that this was different from the regular musical notes. Maybe that's why I never could understand them.. because my learning of the notes stopped right there because my Mom moved us south. But I learned this in southern Ohio.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Ohio…interesting!

[@atheodorasurname6936]

Thank u for this video. The photos remind me so much of looking at old albums of my mother's family from southern Kentucky. They mostly belonged to the Church of Christ which used a shape note hymnbook and did not permit instrumental music. I attended that church through age 10. Throughout her life Mama used the do-re-mi system to read and learn any tune from sheet music or a songbook, while i learned the usual musical notation in school learning singing, violin and piano. Although no religious believer, i always missed the C of C's a cappella singing, but as good as that was, sacred harp singing is better with a wealth of incredibly beautiful hymns, most of which i never knew before i heard them on YT.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I remember visiting mountain churches that did not allow musical instruments, and a couple of those churches are still active in my area, today. The Appalachian/mountain way of life is quickly being replaced with technology and progression, but the culture and traditions are unique and beautiful. I hope stories like ours will help the younger generations to always remember and respect our heritage. As you stated, one can appreciate and respect a culture and their traditions, without necessarily agreeing with them; although it is my opinion that we can learn a lot from our mountain ancestors. Their resourcefulness and ingenuity helped them to survive, and music and worship were an important part of their lives, giving them hope during hard times. Their faith was, and still is, impressive. Thank you again for sharing!

[@atheodorasurname6936]

@@auntmemeintennessee8033 Mama seldom had much spare time, but if she did, she might acquire an old used songbook or sheet music of songs she wanted to learn, and would lightly pencil in the solfeggio names for each note, then she could read and sing the tune quite well. She used that to teach herself and me and my two sisters lots of songs.

[@clintjohnson7023]

I think you have a beautiful singing voice.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Aww… that’s very kind of you! It’s nothing special. Thanks for watching! Have a great week!🤗

[@DavidParker-cf2km]

The pictures bring back memories. It was just like that growing up in the Ozarks too. We carried water, had kerosene lamps, and lived in a two room log cabin with a fireplace at each end before Daddy chiseled a hole for a stovepipe and put in a stove. Mom could cook an angel food cake in a wood stove for birthdays (we had 12, counting Mom and Daddy) plus all sorts of delights for Christmas.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

David Parker Wasn't it a great childhood? It was a hard life, but full of love. Great memories! Thank you for sharing!

[@dorasmith7875]

Thanks! I really appreciate your clear explanation. Each note had a shape! OMG. I wondered why "shape note" music looks so much like plain ordinary music in a hymn book. Each note has a geometric shape I never noticed that! The real trick is learning to get the notes right, though. My mother tried to teach us sight reading, but I never mastered it. Could play the flute, and the piano a little, not get the notes right to sing from a sheet of music off the top of my head. Brain just not wired that way. I found it hard enough until I was six and a half to learn lines of hymns, or to count to ten, for that matter - if I'd had to learn to read music I'd have gone completely stark raving crazy.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Thank you for commenting! I tried the flute once.... major fail. LOL. But the flute is one of my favorite musical sounds!

[@TheFlamingPiano]

Looks kinda ancient, if that's the right word, and also fascinating!

[@dalewing4626]

I chuckled when you said “it sounds like a different language really.” As I was listening when you first started singing, it almost sounded like a Navajo language, and then you made your comment. Good stuff.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Wow, don’t know how I missed this comment! After reading your comment, I searched videos on the Navajo language, and you’re right. It does have a hint of the dialect. Fascinating ! Another commenter said shape notes are loosely based on an old language (forgot the origins). Thank you for this comment and for watching!

[@lovingatlanta]

👍😍🤩This is so fascinating & informative. Thank you. 💝

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Thank you!🤗

[@brightbite]

Wow, that is brilliant!

[@michaelhatcher4097]

The Church of Christ i attend we still use this typeof music in our worship.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Oh, wow! That’s so awesome! I’m glad to hear it. Thank you for watching and for letting me know!

[@marcsalyer9725]

Many thanks for this wonderful video and great singing!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Marc Salyer Thank you very much! (Not a singer though. LOL)

[@902auntmeme]

Interesting!

[@ashmacpherson4344]

You've explained this so well! Thank you for showing everyone! I learned some in Sunday School. I don't remember much now. Do you go to church? Maybe you could show the children in Sunday School how they used to learn this. Just to explain it... such a wonderful piece of culture.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Ash Lee MacPherson Thank you so much for your kind comment! I haven’t attended church in many years, but teaching kids this easy way to learn the notes is something I should look into. I now have a Grandson who I hope to share this (and more Appalachian traditions)with. I had a very love-filled childhood growing up in East Tennessee. It was a wonderful way of life!

[@danangeau]

keep it up

[@coolenaam]

great video, I love your accent so so much!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

coolenaam Thank you!😍

[@bigzach1000]

I thought you said you couldn't sing! I think you have a fine singing voice. Thanks for the interesting video!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

bigzach1000 bigzach1000 LOL, I really can't... But I DO love music (of every kind). Thanks for watching! Never dreamed that anyone would ever watch this video!

[@andyb9378]

I'm surprised that the melody for Amazing Grace was in the soprano (treble) line. In my Sacred Harp book, the melody (for this and most other songs) is usually in the tenor line.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

That’s interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the melody in the tenor line. Now I’m curious. I have a box full of old hymnals. I will look through them and see if I can find that placement (when I get time!). We used the ”SDN Theory of Music Rudiment Book”. There is another comment where someone said Sacred Harp placement for the melody is always in the tenor line, so this system that we used may not actually be “Harp Music”. Thank you for the interesting comment and for watching!🤗

[@cooladesmile1]

shape notes = harp music and it was very easy for you to learn this as a child, got it, thank you for repeating it so many times

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Yes, I was nervous and you’re correct - redundant, indeed! LOL Thank you for watching, anyway!

[@pippageorge3537]

👍🏼✝🎵🎼🎵

[@J.A.7]

Just subscribed to your channel. I seen some of your interesting and informative comments on the channel where the guy was making cheese . 💝

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

So nice of you! Thank you so much. Have a wonderful week!

[@LB-eh5fz]

I JUST SUBSCRIBED,,I HEARD TIPPER OF ,,,CELEBRATING APPALACHIA,,,ON YOU TUBE MENTION SHAPE NOTES SINGING

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Thank you, L B! I will check out the Tipper channel.

[@lovingatlanta]

👍I have learned so much in 7 mins. 💖 ❓🤔Are you saying “heart” music or “harp” music? 🤔

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Thank you! I’m saying “Harp Music”, but we always just called it shape-note music. Have a great week!

[@julegate]

I took an American Music Class and Shape Note Singing was included as it was part of Early America. There are still Shape Note Singing groups around the Country and you can still purchase the song book. I would like to do this one day. By the way, you have a lovely voice!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

How awesome that it is still being taught! I hope you get to participate in one of the groups, one day. Thank you so much for watching and sharing your experience!

[@ClaussVideoArchive]

Appalachia is a fascinating place with an intriguing history and music tradition. Thanks so much for sharing this. Subscribed to the channel #368 to help out another small channel like mine. Wish you the best!

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Clauss Video Archive Thank you! I am supporting you, as well!

[@orthohawk1026]

Your comment on singing in another language may be more accurate than you believe: there was a language invented in the 18th century called Solresol which was based on the notes of the scale: do re mi fa sol la ti. I don't speak ot or read it but I've investigated it a little: dore do milasi sisol (ti was replaced by si for some reason) means "I do not love you, madam".

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Douglas Mosier How interesting,! I will have to research this; for sure. It is all so fascinating! I remember (as a very small child) the elderly people using old English and / or Scottish words, such as ye (Are ye going to worship?), thou, thee, wast, whence...I remember my mother teaching me to use the word “you” instead of “ye”. Thank you for sharing this, and for watching,

[@michaelheintz8853]

Sacred Harp Fa-So-La is alive and well.

[@DavidLarson100]

Did you use a 4-shape or 7-shape notation? I can't tell which is more common

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Hi, David. 7-shape notation, with every note of the scale having a unique shape, from C to B (Do to Ti). I think the 4-shape notation was the earliest use of shape notes and only used the shapes for fa, sol, la, mi (I could be wrong about that, though). I’ve only ever known local churches to use the 7-note. Thank you for watching!

[@michaelheintz8853]

In Sacred Harp the melody is ALWAYS in the tenor part. Also, there is no "Do", only Fa-So_La_M. Fa is Do.

[@MrJb728b]

Correct! Sacred Harp is NOT the Do-Re-Mi system. Sacred Harp is a five shape system. The full scale goes "Fa-Sol-La-Fa-Sol-La-Mi-Fa". The Aiken System, or Sofegio, is a seven shape system. The full scale goes "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do".

[@MrJb728b]

Sacred Harp is NOT the Do-Re-Mi system. Sacred Harp is a five shape system Fa-Sol-La-Fa-Sol-La-Mi-Fa. The Aiken System, or Sofegio, is a seven shape system Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

MrJb728b Thank you for the clarification! We simply called it "shape-note singing". Very interesting info! 👍

[@kelharper7971]

Sacred Harp is four-shape. Fa, so, la, mi. Where do you get "five"? Fa-so-la-fa-so-la-mi is seven, because there are seven notes between the octave, except you only use 4 shapes to separate the notes. The "Mi" only comes ones per octave.

[@kelharper7971]

And anyway, it's the same system. You are just using fewer different shapes. Otherwise it's identical to the do-re-mi system.

[@philrichards9761]

I am aware of 4 and 7 shape-note systems used to sing harp music. The Sacred Harp (Denson, 1991) uses the former, but there are other, 7-shape tunebooks, like Wm. Walker's Christian Harmony, or Harmonia Sacra, etc.

[@whatabouttheearth]

Random fact: 'Guido of Arezzo' an Medieval Italian musical theorists came up with the "ut-re-mi-fa-so-la" mnemonic based on the first words of the lines of the Hymn 'Ut Queant Laxis' (hymn to Saint John the Baptist), this later became the Tonic Solfe, Solfege of "do-re-me-fa-so-la-ti-da". Ut queant laxīs resonāre fībrīs Mīra gestōrum famulī tuōrum, Solve pollūtī labiī reātum, Sancte Iōhannēs.

[@justforever96]

Sacred Harp is sung without instruments because it sounds better that way. The voice is the "sacred harp", and instruments don't add anything to it. Which is tied into the whole "no instruments" religion thing.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing this. I remember, so clearly, how strange and beautiful it sounded.

[@philrichards9761]

I'm sure some of the more strict churches don't allow anything in that hasn't been baptized, and baptizing a piano would ruin it.

[@andyb9378]

But Sacred Harp singing is a descendent of West Gallery singing from England. And West Gallery music was often accompanied, usually not with organ (small village churches could not afford an organ) but with cello, bassoon, clarinet, or whatever instruments were available. Often the same musicians would play for village dances on Saturday night, then accompany the choir on Sunday morning.

[@nathanielradtke7590]

Too bad you got them drums in the background.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Yes, the drums do make it a bit more upbeat than it should be, for this particular subject. The music is KZbin music (free). Probably should have used a bluegrass track, or just not used music at all. Thank you for watching!

[@laurievandenbeldt6353]

Dan Seals, huh? Who says traits aren't genetic, lol.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Laurie Van Den Beldt I've never met him and probably never will. LOL We just had our Tennessee Seal Reunion, last week. My aunt is going on 90 years old, and she said she thinks that branch of the Seal Family "set up their home places in Texas". Thank you for the comment!👍

[@laurievandenbeldt6353]

Aunt MeME in Tennessee Too bad you've never met. Would probably great time around the campfire at a family reunion! Love the shape note singing. Seems to be growing. Saw several videos last night of groups in Ireland singing shape note songs here on KZbin. Bringing our world together with music is the way to go I believe. Peace be with you. Laurie

[@blanchestarbong582]

Tycony didn't like the New one.

[@kelharper7971]

LOL, seriously? The hymn book in the opening shot credits (so-called) "Amazing Grace" to William Walker? What a crock. No-one knows who wrote that tune; closest anyone can figure it may have been Lucius Chapin. Probably these people took the tune (at several removes) from Walker's _Southern Harmony_ and somehow between there and here his name got affixed to it. But it's wrong (hey, at least they put a credit on it, which is more than a lot of old song books bothered to do). Which brings me to my next point: it's not called "Amazing Grace", it's called "New Britain". Amazing Grace is the name of the _words), which were written decades before by John Newton. The word and the tune have nothing to do with each other. Each was around for a long time before it was finally matched to the other. Now everyone just calls it "Amazing Grace, by John Newton". It's the tune that people love the best, and it's a shame that it doesn't get any kind of individual recognition or independence.

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Kel Harper Wow! Very informative. Thank you for this information!

[@albertlaw786]

do you feel better now?

[@danriley9155]

Do you really enjoy being a jerk? You would screw up the recipe for drinking water for your own joy.

[@MusicMagick]

To clarify, Wm Walker is noted as arranger. The reference would show that Mr. Walker arranged the New Britain melody into four-part harmony to further music education in churches and singing schools.

[@alexbrown-ks1hq]

god bless the people that keep the scots irish going

[@auntmemeintennessee8033]

Indeed! Thank you for watching.