Ottawa Sacred Harp - About

[David Baril]

The Ottawa Shape Note Chorus was founded in 1984 by folklorist, Shelley Posen, to introduce the Sacred Harp tradition to Ottawa.  The Sacred Harp tradition goes back to the late 18th and early 19th century New England when it was used to teach music reading. In Sacred Harp, the music is printed on the regular musical staff, and the bodies of the notes have different shapes corresponding to the different degrees of the scale and sung to a different syllable (see figure above). 

The music is beautifully arranged, harmonized in the old style with many open fifths and in some songs a kind of fuguing counterpoint. The singing is vigorous and full throated, and the songs are majestic, gloomy, exuberant, and melancholy by turns.

The Ottawa Shape Note Chorus meets, generally the third Tuesday evening of the month, from September to June. Singing is from 8:00 until about 9:30 PM, followed by tea, goodies and conversation. The group is mostly pretty small: the usual complement is about a dozen singers. We are a secular group: no prayers, no testimonies. We meet to sing Sacred Harp songs and enjoy each other's company. There's a lot of laughing and fooling around, but we sing the music pretty straight. We sit in the traditional hollow square so the sound we produce is enjoyed by all. One person is designated pitch- and tempo-setter, but the songs are chosen by each singer in turn.

To find out more about the group or to join, send an email to dpb...@gmail.com