Singing Convention

Singing Convention is a term used primarily in the United States to refer to a periodic, quasi-religious gathering at which participants, Protestants mostly, either sing Christian part-songs of American or British origin or listen to talented amateur and professional performers sing them. The term is most closely associated with certain European American communities, but is also used in some African American and Native American communities (see Shape-note hymnody*). Traditionally the term refers to participatory events at which most attendees sing from print notation, socialize, and often dine, sometimes for several days. The song texts are typically in English; the compositions consist of...