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The very first thing a singer should do when receiving a new tunebook is simple: write their name in it, along with the date they took possession. It’s a practical act—but I would also suggest it’s a spiritual one. In putting your name and the date inside the front cover, you’re doing more than marking…
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In the small rural community of Louvale, Georgia, a remarkable effort to preserve and pass on the tradition of Sacred Harp singing took root in the early 1980s. While Louvale may be easy to miss on the map, many nmay not know it has a role in the continuation of shape-note music in the Chattahoochee…
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Two New Titles for Lovers of Shape-Note History — Available Now Two books close to my heart were officially published today, July 6, 2025, through Hollow Square Books. Both are now available at hollowsquarebooks.com and Amazon.com. These titles emerged from my own study of shape-note history and the desire to make neglected or out-of-print works…
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The Valley Harmonist, Containing a Collection of Tunes from the Most Approved Authors, Adapted to a Variety of Metres. Also–a Selection of Set Pieces and Anthems. J. W. Steffy, ed. 2d ed., rev., enl. 336 pages. Harrisonburg, VA: H. T. Wartmann, 1845. This copy missing at least one index page. PREFACE Having disposed of the…
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Notes from the first real-world run I was very pleased to be invited to bring my Potluck Dish Info Cards to the Northern Shenandoah Valley All-Day Singing (NSVAD) this past weekend. I wanted to post a quick follow-up, especially since a few people were asking about the cards and how they were displayed. First, thank…
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Judy Hauff’s How Sweet the Minutes, a 1996 recording of 42 shape-note tunes from Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, is now available for streaming and download on Bandcamp. Originally recorded in 1985 as a personal project to explore Sacred Harp singing, the tapes were later discovered and edited for release. Hauff performs all four vocal…
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We’re thrilled to share the launch of a new project that aims to capture the beauty, history, and community of shape-note singing: Singing the Shapes, a feature-length documentary currently in development by filmmaker Timothy Morton. The project now has a live fundraiser at https://gofund.me/8a9825ce, and your support can help bring this important film to life.…
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In the 1982 documentary Shouting Song, director Jean Youngblood Albright captured a number of Sacred Harp singings across Alabama—some large and formal, others intimate and deeply local. Among them is a segment filmed at County Line Church in Warrior, Alabama, identified onscreen as the Walter Parker Birthday and Charlie Creel Memorial Singing. The event isn’t…
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Now that I’ve published a working definition of the shape-note tunebooklet, I want to offer a detailed example—both to illustrate the term and to establish a model for future entries. For simplicity, I’ll refer to these as tunebooklets, with the understanding that I’m speaking specifically about those rooted in the shape-note tradition. Because tunebooklets are…
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I’ve been casually collecting shape-note tunebooks because I’m fascinated by the subject. In order to understand the subject I’ve found it necessary to articulate working definitions for what I’m trying to study. Definitions help clarify what materials belong within a given category, but they also reveal the blurry edges and the overlaps of those categories.…