:: 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 ::
UPDATE: As well as being available for checkout at TESC's Library, this CD is now available at http://musicianator.web.officelive.com/default.aspx
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?
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