Fiery folk hymns in heartwarming harmony... just for the joy of it!

The music we sing is unaccompanied three- and four-part vocal harmony in a rustic style dating back to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century America, still a living tradition in the South and being taken up all over the English-speaking world and beyond. The songs are found in "tunebooks" such as the Sacred Harp (1844), the Southern Harmony (1835) and the Christian Harmony (1866/7), as well as the 2013 Shenandoah Harmony, and new tunes are constantly being composed. The words are usually (though not always) religious in nature, but people of all faiths and none sing this music, not as an act of worship but for sheer enjoyment. It's not a performance but a communal participative event, and a "good" voice is not necessary. While music-reading ability is an advantage, it's not essential.

There are two regular singings in Scotland (in normal times), one in Glasgow on the first Friday of every month and one in Edinburgh on the third Friday.

News

The Scottish All-day Sacred Harp Singing, the first since the pandemic, is in Paisley on Saturday 8 July 2023. More here.

The Roving All-day Shenandoah Harmony Singing was held in Edinburgh on 14 January 2023. Minutes here.

Scotland's first all-day Shenandoah Harmony singing was in Edinburgh on 19 October 2019 at Gorgie Dalry Stenhouse Church of Scotland. minutes here. https://www.facebook.com/events/1102124769982459/

In 2019, the Scottish All-day Sacred Harp Singing was in Edinburgh for the first time, on Saturday 13 July. 

Our email address is ShapenoteScotland@gmail.com
We have a group on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/270621299704712/ 

Website built and maintained by Harry Campbell ​2012–23