Visitor Center/Conservatory, State Botanical Garden of Georgia

The harmonic style of Old Harp singing dates back at least a thousand years. It is also called "Fasola" singing because the major scale is sung "Fa-Sol-La-Fa-Sol-La-Mi-Fa," as the English did in colonial times. Further, it is called "shaped-note" singing because the music is printed with note-heads that have shapes: triangles, ovals, squares, and diamonds. These correspond to the syllables that are associated with the degrees of the scale.

Both The Social Harp and The Sacred Harp were compiled and published by Georgians. The Social Harp was first published in 1855 and The Sacred Harp in 1844. The Sacred Harp has never been out of print. The latest edition is that of 1991.