Bringing the Community Together in Song: Shape Note Singing at Nelson Library

The Monadnock Folklore Society sponsors a bimonthly Shape Note Sing to bring the community together in song. The next one is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m. in the lower level of the Nelson Library. According to publicity materials, Shape Note, also known as Sacred Harp, is a tradition that dates back to late 18th Century America. Tunebooks were published to assist settlement-era residents to sing a cappella in the simple churches of the time, which had no piano, organ or other instruments. The most famous books of the time were written by Boston composer/singing-master William Billings and were engraved, printed and published by Paul Revere. Lisa Sieverts of Nelson has served as a board member of the Monadnock Folklore Society since 2004 and recently spoke with The Keene Sentinel. She says, "The shape notes help singers with no musical background to quickly learn to sing in harmony. This style of singing is participatory music, not performance music." According to Sieverts, "singers face each other in a square, with the parts: treble, alto, tenor, bass on each side, and singers take turns leading songs. It has a distinctive sound: modal, open chords, octave doubling and unusual harmonies. Shape Note is usually sung at full volume in an exuberant outpouring of sound and feeling." She explains that the name is derived from The Sacred Harp, a historically important songbook first printed in 1844. The book was updated in 1991 and a new edition came out in 2025. "So we all feel like, 'wow, it's a big deal that we're alive for the 2025 revision.'" "Now that we have this new songbook, we'll sing something that was written in the early 1700s and then the next song we'll sing is something that was written in 2023!" Why is the book called The Sacred Harp? "It's a metaphor, because the human voice is the sacred harp," she adds. "Experienced singers will appreciate the chance to build sight-singing and pitching skills. New singers will experience the joy that comes from singing in harmony with others," says Sieverts. When did the shape note sing start at Nelson Library? "I heard about it in the 1990s. It's another folk tradition. There's a lot of overlap between the contra dancing and shape note communities. In October of 2012 a few of us formed a core group that started meeting regularly. And so that's the origin of the group that still meets today," adds Sieverts. Between 3 to 14 people show up for each shape note sing with about 100 people on the mailing list. When asked what she likes the most, Sieverts adds, "The thing I love about it is that it's so participatory. We're not rehearsing for a performance. We are singing for the pleasure of singing with each other and hearing those ringing harmonies between our parts. It's a musical form that was designed for people who did not know how to sing, and it grew out of a time when churches in the Colonial era often didn't have any instruments, and so the only source of music was people's voices; so this was a way to try to make harmony singing accessible to people who didn't have a lot of resources." Since 1982, the Monadnock Folklore Society has presented dances and traditional music programs. "Our mission is to promote and preserve the traditional music of the region. As part of that, we present concerts of folk and folk-adjacent music. We sponsor contra dances in Nelson and Peterborough and several other programs, such as the twice monthly Shape Note Sing. We have the scholarship program for young musicians, and a few other projects that we take on," Sieverts says. IF YOU GO: WHAT: Monadnock Folklore Society Shape Note Singing (no experience necessary, admission is free and loaner books are provided) WHEN: Feb. 22, 2 to 4 p.m. (takes place the second Saturday and fourth Sunday) WHERE: Nelson Library, lower level, 1 Nelson Common Rd., Nelson MORE INFO: Call 603-762-0235, email shapenote@monadnockfolk.org and visit www.monadnockfolk.org