Belief it or not, the Valley of Virginia was about as close as you can come
to the Shape Note Capital of the World.  Dayton.  I have some of the old
books.

The method was intended as a learning aid to people who were uncshooled in
music.  And I guess worked since it was all so popular.  There is a local
group who sings a lot, and I think there is an active national organization.

The music has a very strong regular beat to it.  Purists do not use any
tuning devices to give the pitch, and no accompaniment.  The person who
leads hums a note, then typically everybody sings through the song on the
Italian names of the notes.  e.g.  If they were singing My Country Tis of
Thee, they would start of as:

DO DO RA TI DO RA

Randy

A few years ago, I wanted to produce an antique-looking version of I AM
BOUND FOR THE PROMISED LAND, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the
FINALE software supports printing shape notes.
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Kiracofe" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2007 3:05 PM
Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Shaped Notes


> Shaped notes are a form of musical notation that follows the scale by
> breaking things down into syllables: one shape per note.  Originally
> there were four notes (fa-so-la-mi), but this was expanded to the more
> familiar seven notes : do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do.   There was a famous
> songbook in the early nineteenth century called THE SACRED HARP that
> used these notes.
>
> David Kiracofe
>
> David Kiracofe
> History
> Tidewater Community College
> Chesapeake Campus
> 1428 Cedar Road
> Chesapeake, Virginia 23322
> 757-822-5136
>>>> <[log in to unmask]> 01/07/07 2:13 PM >>>
> Does anybody know what "shaped notes"were/are?
> I heard of them but have never been able to figure out what they are,
> exactly.
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Sunshine49" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2007 11:43 AM
> Subject: Re: OLD PRONUNCIATIONS OF NAMES
>
>
>> I've heard about that style of singing. Almost extinct, isn't it? I
>> hope someone preserves these old styles and cultural forms. I have a
>> good friend who is a native of the "Shan- a- doahr" Valley. They
>> don't pronounce it "Shen..." they say "Shan..."
>>
>> Nancy
>>
>> -------
>> I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.
>>
>> --Daniel Boone
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jan 7, 2007, at 10:55 AM, Clara Callahan wrote:
>>
>>> I do subscribe and it's a very good read, no matter the subject
>>> being addressed.
>>>
>>>   My father's family is from Pike County in eastern Kentucky and my
>>> grandmother used to pronounce chimney "chimbley," which sounds
>>> close to what you are describing.  Whenever I go into those
>>> mountains, I still love the sound of their voices.  During my last
>>> trip I went to an Old Regular Baptist meeting, in this case a
>>> memorial dedicated to my aunt's father.  If you haven't heard lined
>>> out hymnody, you haven't lived.
>>>
>>>   http://www.elderly.com/recordings/items/FOLKW40106.htm
>>>
>>>   My aunt told me it is the closest thing to the old English way of
>>> singing.  No books, no music, no instruments, just voices.
>>>
>>>   Clara
>>>
>>> [log in to unmask] wrote:
>>>   I don't know if you folks realize it but one can subscribe for
>>> about $50.00
>>> per year to the William & Mary Quarterly Online and it is downright
>>> fun!
>>> Almost every, if not all, issue of the Quarterly is on there and
>>> there are
>>> some fascinating articles from the days when the Quarterly did a
>>> lot of
>>> genealogical work. One of the issues has an article on the old
>>> pronunciations of Virginia names and that is like a trip down
>>> memory lane! I
>>> live in York County but I grew up in Warwick County which was and
>>> should
>>> still be pronounced "Warrick" but newcomers (who seem to be
>>> everywhere now)
>>> insist on saying, "Wor-WICK", which is an abomination to my ears.
>>> Old timers
>>> in Yorktown and York County pronounce "York" like "Yawk". A few
>>> years ago I
>>> was visiting in Yorkshire England and I was tickled to hear those
>>> people
>>> pronounce the word "yawk". Another word that Yorkshire people say
>>> the way I
>>> remember it being pronounced when I was growing up was "chimney".
>>> They say
>>> "chimley" which is how I said it until I went to school and was
>>> taught to
>>> say it the way it is spelled. Recently I was visiting in Lynchburg
>>> and heard
>>> a man say "Charlottesville" like "Shaw-vul". And he wasn't even
>>> very old!
>>> Baby-boomer vintage.
>>> Some of the names listed in the Quarterly comparing names with
>>> pronunciation
>>> are:
>>> Spelt:
>>> ARMISTEAD pronounced UMSTEAD
>>> BERKELEY.......................BARKLEY or BARTLETT
>>> BERNARD.........................BARNETT
>>> BROCKENBROUGH........BROKENBUROUGH
>>> BLOUNT........................... BLUNT
>>> BURWELL.........................BURRELL
>>> BOOTH..............................BOWTHE
>>> CALLOWHILL..................CARROLL
>>> CHAMBERLAINE.............CHAUMBERLIN
>>> CHISMAN.........................CHEESEMAN
>>> CRENSHAW......................GRAINGER
>>> DEGGE or DEGGES...........DIGGS
>>> DREWRY............................DRUITT
>>> ENROUGHTY.................... DARBY
>>> FARRAR-FERRER..............FARR
>>> FAUNTLEROY...................FANTILROY
>>> FONTAINE,,.......................FOUNTIN
>>> FULGHAM..........................FULLJUM
>>> GEDDY................................GADDY
>>> GILLIAM.............................GILLAM
>>> GOODWIN..........................GOODIN
>>> GOOCH...............................GOUGE
>>> HAIRSTON..........................HARSTON
>>> HEYWARD..........................HOWARD
>>> HAUGHTON-HAWTHORNE........................HORTON
>>> HARWOOD.........................HAROD
>>> IRONMONGER...................MONGER
>>> JAMES..................................JEEMES
>>> LANGHORNE......................LANGON
>>> LEIGH...................................LEE
>>> MALLICOTE.......................MALICUT
>>> MAURY...............................MURRY
>>> MICHEAUX.........................MISHER
>>> MONTFORD-MUNFORD...MUMFORD
>>> PATRICK.............................PARTRICK
>>> RANDOLPH.........................RANDALL
>>> SEWELL-SEAWELL............SOWEL
>>> TALIAFERRO......................TOLIVER
>>>
>>> That's a few listed.
>>> When I send this to the List I don't know what format it will come
>>> through
>>> as but I did my best to line everything up clearly.
>>>
>>> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the
>>> instructions
>>> at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>>>
>>>
>>> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the
>>> instructions
>>> at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>>
>> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the
> instructions
>> at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>>
>
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the
> instructions
> at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
> at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html