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