The choral singing today was beautiful. I know you've done a lot of shape-note singing yourself, Bill. I have not, but it seems to me that shape-note singing is well suited to Christmas songs. I also feel that the sound of it puts me in mind of madrigals and motets, though I realize there is not any direct match. "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night" has always been one of my favourite carols, by the way, though I associate it with a different melody than what I just heard today. Thanks for this posting.
Thanks, Greg. In the world of shape-note singing we use the tune names for WSWTFBN and it isn’t thought of as a Christmas song. The melody that you and most people probably associate with it is called Winchester Old It is indeed very old. It was collected into Thomas Este’s Whole Book of Psalmes which was compiled in 1592. It isn't included in the shape-note singing songbook The Sacred Harp and now that I've gotten so used to the variety of other tunes from my point of view that is probably the least interesting version.
The choral singing today was beautiful. I know you've done a lot of shape-note singing yourself, Bill. I have not, but it seems to me that shape-note singing is well suited to Christmas songs. I also feel that the sound of it puts me in mind of madrigals and motets, though I realize there is not any direct match. "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night" has always been one of my favourite carols, by the way, though I associate it with a different melody than what I just heard today. Thanks for this posting.
Thanks, Greg. In the world of shape-note singing we use the tune names for WSWTFBN and it isn’t thought of as a Christmas song. The melody that you and most people probably associate with it is called Winchester Old It is indeed very old. It was collected into Thomas Este’s Whole Book of Psalmes which was compiled in 1592. It isn't included in the shape-note singing songbook The Sacred Harp and now that I've gotten so used to the variety of other tunes from my point of view that is probably the least interesting version.