A Beginner's Guide To Shape-Note Singing (In English)

A Beginner’s Guide to Shape-Note Singing
Hints, stories, advice, and minutiae
by Lisa Grayson Fifth edition 2012

Contents
Introduction; first impressions Basics of shape-note singing Four frequently asked questions The story of shape-note music
Contents may be reprinted, photocopied, or transmitted electronically, in whole or in part, as long as the text is unedited and credit is given tothe author. First edition © 1994, second edition © 1997, third edition © 2001, fourth edition © 2009 Lisa Grayson. Much of the material published in this book originally appeared in The Chicago Sacred Harp Newsletter as part of the author’s series of tutorials for beginners. Reprinted by permission. “Old Hundred” reprinted with permission from The Sacred Harp, © 1991 Sacred Harp PublishingCompany. Thanks to Becky Browne, Aldo Ceresa, Annie Grieshop, Judy Hauff, Melanie Hauff, Sam Hinton, Marcia Johnson, Ted Johnson, Jesse P . Karlsberg, Kathleen Kuiper, Clarke Lee, Steven Levine, Ted Mercer, Janet Miller, and the new singers who inspired this booklet. For more information about this guide, please contact the author, Lisa Grayson: lisa@publica.com.

A Beginner’s Guide to Shape-NoteSinging Fifth edition, 2012 — Letter-sized handout © 2012 Lisa Grayson, except “Suggestions for song leading” (by Becky Browne), “Why fa-sol-la?” (by Sam Hinton), and “The true Sacred Harp” (by Clarke Lee).

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What’s with those shapes? Anatomy of a Sacred Harp tune Do you have a vocal identity crisis? Intervals; sight-reading for beginners Suggestions for songleading Leading your first tunes ...And some final leading suggestions Tips on beating time Why fa-sol-la? The true Sacred Harp Find a singing near you Further reading and listening

Introduction
If you respond to the pulsing beat, the rich harmonies, the powerful poetry, or the deep spiritual current of a Sacred Harp singing, you are joining generations of Americans who found sustenance andjoy in this musical tradition. This booklet was compiled with an eye toward introducing you to the basics of the music, so that you can fully enjoy and participate in singing. Like many brand-new singers, your author fell in love with Sacred Harp music from the very first song I heard at the University of Chicago in February 1990, even though my nose was buried in the tunebook, and my mind inconfusion, all afternoon. I plowed on for months, often clueless, for I was moved by the sound in a way I am still unable to articulate fully. Most of the entries in this booklet are the result of my continuing Sacred Harp self-education, and should be treated as such: a collection of tips and anecdotes by an amateur with no formal musical training. Please write to me with any comments, and SacredHarp questions that remain unanswered, so that I can address them in future editions. Meanwhile, realize that you have entered on a marvelous musical journey that will bring you into the company of some of the finest people anywhere—Sacred Harp singers.

Abraham Lincoln, shape-note singer?
Carl Sandburg wrote in The American Songbag: “A famous oblong songbook of the pioneer days in the middle westwas the Missouri Harmony.... Young Abraham Lincoln and his sweetheart Ann Rutledge sang from this book in the Rutledge tavern in New Salem, Illinois, according to old settlers there.” Miss Rutledge’s sister recalled,* “They used to sing together. There was one song I didn’t like to hear, and he would sing it to tease me. He would tip back his chair and roar it out at the top of his voice, overand over again, just for fun.” The song is as follows: “When in death I shall calmly recline/ O, bear my heart to my mistress dear; / Tell her it lived on smiles and wine/ Of brightest hue while it lingered here; /Bid her not shed one tear of sorrow/ To sully a heart so brilliant and bright, /But healing drops of the red grape borrow/To bathe the relic from morn to night.”
*J.E. Gallagher, Best...