Shape Note recording Event May 17th – BIN Cultural Center

Date of Recording: May 17th
Time: 11 am practice, 1 pm recording
Place: BIN Cultural Center N1866 US-151, Chilton, WI 53401

Calling all Brothertown descendants—we need YOU!  Please join us on Sunday, May 17th, on our original Wisconsin Brothertown Reservation land for a unique Brothertown cultural event: shape-note singing!  The plan is to record 2 songs from the Indian Melodies tune book (Algonquin and Brothertown), written by Brothertown’s own Thomas Commuck (1804-1855), to accompany the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Indigenous display at its new Madison museum. 

You do NOT need to know how to read sheet music, nor do you need a good singing voice.  Brief instructions and practice will precede the actual recording.  Please see the details in the attached.

Additional information is coming shortly, which will include both downloadable music sheets (as well as downloadable MP3 piano recordings for all parts to practice from). Including for each piece: soprano line alone, alto line alone, tenor line alone (this is the melody in shape note), and bass line alone.  The final recording will be a reduction of all parts, like a Church Hymn, for each piece.