shape note in the bluegrass Shape note gets some attention in Lexington. Update: comments about the singing The Lexington Herald-Leader has a
![](http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/living/people/8583153.htm">feature article</a> today about the resurgence of interest in shape note thanks to the move Cold Mountain. The article briefly describes shape note and it’s popularity in modern society. I used to sing regularly with both the <a href="http://cs.engr.uky.edu/~raphael/fasola.html">Appalachian Association of Sacred Harp Singers</a>, and a group that meets weekly in Berea. This year I’ve gotten very busy, and it’s been easy to choose not to make the drive to these locations on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I should try to get to the big singing this Saturday, though.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" src="http://cs.engr.uky.edu/~raphael/fasola.2001.12.jpeg" alt="picture taken December, 2001 at a joint singing with the Berea Shape Note group at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Mercer County, Kentucky." width="497" height="218"></p>
<p><i>I’m in the front row wearing a dark shirt with a white turtle neck.</i></p>
<p><b>update (5/10/04):</b> I went for the last two hours of the singing. I don’t have enough stamina for a whole day, and I figured they could use my voice more then, when everyone else is getting tired. We had plenty of singers to make it sound good, and quite a few visitors sitting on the edges of the square and listening. Most of the visitors came because of the newspaper article and the movie <i>Cold Mountain</i>, but surprisingly enough, there were a handfull of singers there because of the newspaper article, too. We sang both songs from the movie soundtrack (<a href="http://www.fasola.org/index/L/282.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">I’m Going Home</a> and <a href="http://www.fasola.org/index/L/047b.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Idumea</a>), as well as a number of favorites. There were quite a few songs that I wasn’t familiar with, but thankfully others in my section knew them. We sang my favorite page-turner, <a href="http://www.fasola.org/index/L/254.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rose of Sharon</a>, too. I even led two songs, <a href="http://www.fasola.org/index/L/497.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Natick</a> and <a href="http://www.fasola.org/index/L/334.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oh Come Away</a>.</p>
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