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Seated in a hollow square formation at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lawrence, the singers sided off.  Men and women from all walks of life mixed to form four facing sections, treble, alto, tenors and bass depending on the number present and the need for the voice part. A singer chose a number and all turned to that song in their Sacred Harp hymnal which are spread wide on laps or held close to faces.  The pitches were randomly chosen but named by the “starter” and with his arm like a hatchet, he sliced the beat in two, the singers read through the four shapes, fa, sol, la and mi.  A raucous sound exploded through the space.  The “sing,” as it is called, had begun.

From the moment the pilgrims stepped off of the Mayflower, a capella congregational singing became an important symbol of religious freedom in America.  It was clear that sacred music was no longer going to be the domain of the professional Kapellmeister, but a function of the people.  There would be no Johann Sebastian Bach in America and ordinary Christians would be required to uphold the musical traditions of those churches establishing themselves in the new world. 

In Lawrence, Kansas, the tradition known as Shape Note singing is alive and well.   The Kaw Valley Shape Note Singers are a diverse group of voices from Kansas City to Topeka who gather on the first Sunday of each month to honor the historic American hymn outside of a formal church service.   They are but one of nearly a hundred such groups around the country who meet to sing the music of our past.   Some are religious, some are free thinkers but all love the feel of the power of the primitive harmonies they create.

Rhonda Machlan is a librarian from Topeka who regularly joins the group.  She grew up singing in a church that used a seven shape note hymnal instead of the four notes of the Sacred Harp hymnal.  “I became attracted to the sound after hearing the ensemble Anonymous Four perform on National Public Radio one morning.  It was such a different and unusual sound. We aren’t used to hearing all of the open fourths and fifths. “

Jordan Taylor is a graduate student in Geology at KU and although she grew up in Alabama, “where a hundred people would show up to a sing,” she herself has only been active for about four years.  Ernest Jenkins is from South Carolina originally and teaches medieval history at KU. “The sonorities are so different.  It gives us all great access to the past.” 

The Kaw Valley Shape Note Singers meet monthly, but many join with other singers regionally once a year for the annual Missouri State Sacred Harp Singing Convention.  Rhonda recalls her experience at the conference a few years ago, “about 250 people in a modest-sized church with wood floors and high ceilings singing their hearts out. You could feel the music through your feet and seat.”

Brad Levy and Laura West are co-facilitators for the Kaw Valley group.  The next sing takes place on Sunday July 4^th and all interested singers are welcome, and loaner hymnals are available.  This group - although dedicated to primitive early American choral music -  is technologically savvy and communicates via email and on their Facebook group site called Kaw Valley Shape Note Singing.

Brad records the Minutes of each “sing” as they are called.  All Sacred Harp Singing groups try to keep minutes which are then compiled annually and made available online.  These Minutes contain the day and time of each sing and which hymns were “called”.  This historic record is then used for a variety of purposes such as reissuing new hymnals and determining the popularity of certain songs.

Shape notes were developed as a way to simplify music reading for ordinary church goers.  They were popularized by William Little and William Smith in 1801 to facilitate musical participation.  The New England composer William Billings began the American Singing Schools movement utilizing their system and wrote a variety of hymns in this fashion.  His music is still popular with the singers today. 

Singing the primitive harmonies of our American heritage takes an open mind. Formally trained musicians sometimes struggle with the four note or fasola system if they were raised singing the Curwen seven note solfege approach.  People with perfect pitch are often challenged by the random pitching based on where the singer starting the song is most comfortable vocally. The lack of subtle dynamic variation can throw refined singers a little, and the stiff up and down conducting pattern gives the hymns a definite march like rhythm.  Flexibility and willingness to work as an organic whole is key to enjoying this amazing experience.

Witnessing this group in action it was clear that this was a collection of warm souls.  Giggling through the mishaps they adjusted to each other and the sound they were creating.  It was easy to feel their good fellowship and understand why cranking out these powerful tunes had become an integral and soul satisfying part of their lives.

FEATURE:
The Kaw Valley Shape Note Singers
Brad Levy and Laura West co-facilitators
The Next Sing takes place
Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 1:30 p.m.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Lawrence, Kansas
for more information contact info@kawshapenote.org or online at www.kawshapenote.org

By Megan Browne Helm

Classical, Vocal and Theatre Contributor

Megan Browne Helm grew up singing, dancing and acting.  Inspired by Emma Kirkby as a high school student in St. Louis she went on to study voice and sing with the Collegium Musicum at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where she also had a radio show of contemporary classical music on WOBC.  At the University of Kansas she had the pleasure of working with former Kings’ Singer, Simon Carrington in his Collegium Musicum and Oread consort. Years later, she was a choral fellow at the Yale School of Music’s  Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.  She is currently singing with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus under the direction of Charles Bruffy. 

 As a freelance music and culture writer her work can be found on KCMetropolis.org, presentmagazine.com, the Lawrence Journal World, Shawnee Magazine, Leawood Lifestyle Magazine and KC Parent.  She was one of 26 journalists in the country chosen as a NEA Institute Fellow for Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. 

Her current interest is how classical music remains relevant through active collaborations with artists in different fields, including science.  She also sees a connection between classical music, travel and food as a way to engage all of the senses in a 360 degree cultural experience.  She blogs at raworganum.wordpress.com.

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