Mountainside Baroque interactive event, The Sacred Harp: Early American Singing offers exposure to a singing tradition that has deep roots in America, along with the prospect of good fellowship and a fun time.
Interest in singing is the prerequisite, no training required! All materials provided! There is no charge for the event, though a free-will offering will be received. ALL ARE WELCOME!
This community event is the second in 2023-2024 (the first was our “Chantalong” held last fall.) It will be led by Keith Collins, a multi-instrumentalist with a heritage in Sacred Harp, at 3pm, at Emmanuel Episcopal Parish at 16 Washington Street in Cumberland, Maryland.
ABOUT KEITH COLLINS. A past leader in the Smithsonian’s Connor Prairie living history park, Keith will return to Cumberland to lead a hands-on and voices-on workshop to learn the uniquely American phenomenon of shape-note singing. Attendees will find out how unmeasured, un-notated hymns still sung in English, Mvskoki (Creek), and Scottish Gaelic reflect the original musical impetus for “singing by note” made wildly popular in early 19th century New England by the invention of shape notes. They will learn about the origins of the style with historical recordings and images, then will divide up into treble, counter, tenor, and bass. Sitting in the traditional “hollow square,” participants learn to “sing the notes” on the syllables fa, so, la, and mi before progressing to the words.