Community invited to Sacred Harp Sing

Northwestern College will host a Sacred Harp Sing, a gathering featuring the singing of hymns using shape notes, on Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 8 to 9 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The public is invited to participate.

Shape note music, also known as fasola, consists of notes in the form of diamonds, triangles, circles and squares to help singers distinguish between pitches. The music is sung in four-part harmony without instrumental accompaniment. Singers sit facing inward in a hollow square formation with one voice part on each side.

Sacred Harp singing gets its name from the most common songbooks of the form used today, “The Sacred Harp.” The first hymnbook with that title was published in 1844.

Songbooks will be provided at the Northwestern event, and participants do not need to have any musical experience. Northwestern students will receive chapel credit.

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