The Moravian Music Foundation holds one of the largest collections of American songbooks in the Irving Lowens Collection in Winston-Salem. Read more about the Collection >
Shape-Note (or shaped-note) music is an American style of singing that emerged from the American Tunebook traditions of the 18th and 19th centuries. In this style, noteheads are replaced with various shapes, indicating scale degrees, and acting as a “visual solfege.” As most early American hymnals did not contain written music, tunebooks were published as a way to expand a congregation’s repertoire of hymn tunes, as well as teach them to read and sightread music. The various shape-note systems were intended to be an aid for the sightreading and learning process. Out of the various notational systems that were developed during the era of the American Tunebook, only two are still in widespread use today. The four-shape system, as found in the earliest to most recent editions of The Sacred Harp; and Jesse Aikin’s seven-shape system, most commonly found in The Christian Harmony (2010) and many gospel songbooks published in the early-to-mid 20th century.
120th Sacred Harp Convention
Sept. 13 and 14, 2025, MMF Assoc. Director, Kyle Johnston traveled to Atlanta, GA to the 120th Sacred Harp Musical Convention, joining almost 700 singers, representing most US States, and 5 countries, to celebrate and participate in the debut of The Sacred Harp, 2025 Revision (the first revision of this historic tunebook in 34 years.) While not Moravian in origin, The Sacred Harp plays a major role in the American Tunebook Tradition, represented at the Moravian Music Foundation through the Irving Lowens American Tunebook Collection, which contains over 2,000 tunebooks.
Saturday – living composer leading their new compositions included in the new revision. Most singers are sight reading these tunes, demonstrating the efficacy of the shape note method!
Morning: https://www.youtube.com/live/uP48TAd3L10?si=fIBVD_VKbxfP57P8
Afternoon: https://www.youtube.com/live/EU3HXLFa08g?si=dZOlfrcUc-rLNsbq
Sunday – delegations representing each state and country lead more familiar tunes (recommended)
Morning: https://www.youtube.com/live/9tjeJJVw2JA?si=h2c_HyMjhshAMM9c
Afternoon: https://www.youtube.com/live/2J1NuwlfPPc?si=LiJpb_dz1W3usRYc
2nd Winston-Salem Sing!
MMF Hosts Shape Note Sing!
In October, the 2nd Winston-Salem Shape Note Convention will take place:
* Saturday the 11th at Fries Moravian Church, 251 N. Hawthorne Rd NW,
* Sunday, the 12th at the Archie K. Davis Center (home of the Moravian Archives and Moravian Music Foundation, 457 S. Church St., behind Cedarhyrst [PEC office}) in old Salem.
Use the Elberson Salem Fine Arts Ctr parking lot, 430 Leaders Ave.
VIDEO Introduction to Shape Note Singing
This is the video I usually show people to introduce them to the tradition. It provides a good overview of the tradition, even though it doesn’t specifically talk about “All-Days”
This video was made by NC DNCR at the NC All-Day several years ago and features footage from that event.
This is a video of the first time I ever led a tune at the NC All-Day back in 2011
This is NOT from NC, but is an example of an All-Day in Cork, Ireland
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