Who we are
Our group sings a cappella four part shape note music, and uses the "Sacred Harp," a collection of sacred songs, and anthems, published continuously since 1844. The music is written in standard musical notation, but is supplemented by shaped note heads, originally intended to accommodate those who could not read music.

About the music
Music from the "Sacred Harp" does not follow rules of conventional harmony, but uses a polyphony style in which no one part stands out . Often the chords in the harmony change with every note, making the harmony freely moving or dispersed. The music includes 18th century New England fuging tunes, anthems, folk and gospel hymns, camp-meeting songs from the 19th century, and some modern tunes in these traditions. Shape note singers gather for enjoyment, not in preparation for performance. There is no need to proficiently read music, and all are welcome.

Events and Activities
We are presently meeting one Sunday afternoon per month. We meet at St Stephen's Church in Wilkes-Barre (33 S Franklin St), and have loaner copies of the Sacred Harp available. Please call David Martin, 570-333-4007 for further information and the next singing date, or email at the address provided. Please see the links on the left margin for information on shape note singing elsewhere in Pennsylvania and throughout the USA. You may also wish to bookmark the mirror site to this page: http://www.folkloresociety.org/page2.html. This page up-dated March 2, 2008