Shape-Note Singing

Please note: February 12 singing will be in the Ilsley Public Library Community Room. For more information, contact David at middleburyshapenote@gmail.com.

Described as spiritual, joyful, powerful, and raucous, Shape Note (or Sacred Harp) singing is a traditional American style of four-part, a capella, community singing popular in the United States before the Civil War. This style still thrives across the US and in the UK, with strongholds in the American South and New England. It is called Shape-Note because the notes of the scale are indicated by distinctive shapes and names: Fa – triangle, Sol – circle, La – square, and Mi – diamond.

No training or musical ability is necessary; the tradition emphasizes participation, not performance. Led by Professor Emeritus David Rosenberg of the Middlebury Shape Note Singers.