Valley Tradition: Shape-Note
Singing
In
a recent Monday Lyceum lecture on music tradition in the Valley, the subject of
shape note singing was mentioned. The
audience, many of whom are transplants to our area, was unfamiliar with this
type of singing which is an important part of Valley traditions. The following briefly describes shape-note
singing and its association with the area.
The
illustration below shows the shapes and syllables with which the notes of a C
major scale are sung.
A
system similar to scheme dates back to the 11th century Italian
monk, Guido d’Arezzo. Over time, many
reiterations of the notations, particularly the seven-syllable system, were
developed but the image shown above is still the basic and most familiar one.
The system facilitated sight reading of music, which given the illiteracy of
then and many centuries to follow, allowed for a robust participatory religious
musical experience. English and German
colonist in the 17th century carried a singing tradition to America,
particularly in New England and Pennsylvania.
The
Shenandoah area was settled by Brethren, Mennonites, Methodists, and Lutherans
each of whom have music central to their worship experience. Dr. John Wayland reported in 1912: “Most of
the people of the county are church-goers, and nearly every member of the
congregation sings. Singing is a common
pastime in many homes, and singing classes are frequently conducted in churches
as a well as in the schools. All-day
singings at churches are not uncommon.” [HofRC p.339] The person most people associate with this
tradition in the Valley is Joseph Funk who was originally from Pennsylvania. In 1832, he published A Compilation of Genuine Church Music (later changed in 1851 to Harmonia Sacra), which is a shape-note Mennonite
hymn book and tune book and was used in singing schools including Funk’s own at
Singer’s Glen. Over the years, many editions
incorporated different shape-note systems. The book in the current 26th
edition provides tunes in both four and seven shape-notes.
Other
people contributed to the local musical heritage – many of whom were related to
Joseph Funk. His son, Timothy, taught
music classes throughout the Valley.
A.S. Keiffer, a grandson, and J.H. Kieffer, a great grandson,
established a well known publishing house, Ruebush-Kieffer Company in Dayton that published
many music books. Brothers A.J. and J.H.
Showalter, the former head of a music publishing company and the later writer
of songs and compiler of music books, were the grandsons of Joseph Funk’s
sister Elizabeth.
 |
| From Jean Schaeffer's Raised on Songs and Stories. |
After
the Civil War shape-note singing was mostly found in the south. Today, local “Hamonia Sacra Singers” activities
can be found on Facebook. Sam Showalter
organizes ten annual singings (held on the first Sunday of the month) in the
Valley – some of them all day events.
Since 1902 the Weavers
Mennonite Church
has held singing on January 1.
By Diane Rafuse
