Many folks have never heard of shape-note (or "Sacred Harp") singing, but it's an original American form of singing that involves reading shapes and syllables for notes instead of learning the usual scales and music notation. It's found primarily in the Appalachian regions of the U.S., such as the first clip from Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains (not too far from where I grew up), which can serve an introduction, but I'll post a second clip by the LA Choral Lab singing the shape-note tune "Star in the East" from William Walker's Southern Harmony (still in use today):
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