An American Christmas: Shapenote Carols from New England & Appalachia

The Tudor Choir (Composer), William Billings (Composer), Edward French (Composer), R. Herron (Composer), Jeremiah Ingalls (Composer), John Massengale (Composer), John G. McCurry (Composer), Daniel Read (Composer), Joseph Stephenson (Composer), Timothy Swan (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: The Tudor Choir, William Billings, Edward French, R. Herron, Jeremiah Ingalls, et al.
• Audio CD (August 5, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Loft Recordings
• ASIN: B00009W0WZ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,292 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #79 in Music > World Music > North America > Appalachian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shape Note Christmas Songs Beautifully Rendered, August 5, 2009

By 

Byron G. Burchett (Wilson Co., Tenn) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An American Christmas: Shapenote Carols from New England & Appalachia (Audio CD)

This CD will bring great joy to you at Christmas. I love variety in my Christmas music; I don't want to hear the same things over and over. These shape note selections are not as well-known today as the more commercial stuff, but they were once some of the best-known Christmas and Advent songs, part of our nation's musical heritage. The songs have an edginess many find thrilling. Shape note/Sacred Harp arrangements are different from what is commonly used today: melody is sung by men and women(tenor line), with high and low harmony (treble & bass), and freqently a counter-melody (alto).The selections are lusciously arranged and performed a cappella by the Tudor Choir [...]. They were drawn from Karen Willard's compilation music/song book [...] entitled "An American Christmas Harp." Karen is a well-known SH singer in Seattle, which is also the home base of the Tudor Choir. The liner notes and accompanying booklet are first-rate, again thanks to Karen. I came to know of Karen, her book, and this CD because I also am a SH/shape note singer. Perhaps, after listening to these performances, you will be inspired to seek out a singing yourself.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid!, December 14, 2010

By 

Zebra (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An American Christmas: Shapenote Carols from New England & Appalachia (Audio CD)

This is one of my favorite Christmas CDs. It's hard to keep from tapping your foot as this choral group sings a selection of traditional carols from New England & Appalachia that most of us have probably not heard. This is pure vocal music....no musical instruments accompany the shapenote choir.

Shape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools.

It is absolutely splendid and I highly recommend purchasing this CD.