Event: Shape Note Sing at Blessings in Winston-Salem

 

Date: First Sunday of each month;

          7pm until about 9pm

 

Type: Participatory shape note sing led by the Winston-Salem Shape Note Singers

                                                                                                       

Opportunities for Participation: Attendees are encouraged to participate in the singing. 

 

Location: Blessings, 823 Reynolda Rd. Winston-Salem, NC      

 

Directions: From I-40 Business in Winston-Salem:

       -Take exit 5B—Broad St. exit

       -Turn right onto Broad St.

       -Drive on Broad St. through five traffic lights

                       -Continue down hill—at the bottom of the hill, bear left onto

                            Reynolda   Rd.

-Travel about ¼ mile on Reynolda Rd.—Blessings is on the right hand side, at the end  of a row of brick storefronts, across from Hanes Park.

Click here for a map

 

Cost: Free

 

Parking:  Free parking behind Blessings and on-street.  No bus parking.

 

Special Needs Access:  Handicap accessible

 

Signage:  Sign for Blessings is on the side of the building

 

Sponsor: Winston-Salem Shape Note Singers

 

Web Site: There is no event web site.  For information on shape note singing, go to ncshapenote.org and Christianharmony.org. 

 

Contact: Tom Dillon

E-mail: tdillon27127@earthlink.net

Phone: (336) 725-2760

                                               

Description of Event: The Winston-Salem Shape Note Singers lead a shape note sing on the first Sunday every month at Blessings in Winston-Salem. The group sings hymns and anthems in the Sacred Harp style, a four-note singing style dating back to the 18^th century. Songbooks are for sale, sometimes in limited supply, at the event. Tea and cookies are available at no charge.

 

Shape note songs are in three or four parts, and the music is not written on a staff, but by using shapes to indicate the notes to sing. The songs come from The Sacred Harp, a songbook originally published in 1844.  Prior to its publication, the songs were transmitted orally, dating back to the 1700s. 

 

History of Site/Event: The Winston-Salem Shape Note Singers began a monthly shape note sing in the early 1980s in homes in the area. After a number of years, the gatherings died out, but started up again several years later. The group began meeting at Blessings in 2006.

 

Description of Site/Facility:  Blessings is a brick building with an attractive, open indoor space for musical events and singings. Seating is provided.

 

Significance of Site/Event to the Community: This is the only regularly scheduled shape note sing in Forsyth County, and one of the only ones in the area.  

 

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PHOTOS by John Macmillan, 2007