Shapenote singing is a tradition developed in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s that helped everyday people sing music even if they couldn’t sight-read standard musical notation. Shapenote and the Sacred Harp songbook are still allowing people to share a musical experience until this day. Learn more about this tradition from Anne Heider, Robert from the Chicago Shapenote Singers, and Ruth Reveal.

Click here to download and read Ruth’s paper on shape note singing and Sacred Harp.

You can learn more about Shapenote, the Sacred Harp, and find singings in your area at fasola.org.

Thanks to Kate Lumpkin for her help with this episodes.