Amish Music: Audio Recordings and History
The Amish hold worship services every two weeks in their homes or barns. Sunday morning singing is limited to hymns from the Ausbund, a collection of hymns written by early Anabaptists, some published as early as 1564.
The hymns are sung to melodies sung unison. It is hard to determine the origin of the tunes because they are sung slowly, with many passing notes from one syllable to the next. It can take five minutes to sing a single verse. At funerals no hymns are sung, but a preacher usually reads a hymn. Written music is not used during worship. All is learned as oral tradition, and there are slight variations from one part of the country to another region. Besides their Ausbund hymns, many Amish also sing popular hymns in English at informal occasions, such as singings for the youth and family gatherings and visiting with neighbors. Simple instruments, while not used in worship nor formally approved, are found in social settings. The harmonica, especially, is enjoyed. Sometimes small groups of young people sing in trios, quartets or other groupings. |
Amish Music ProductsAmish Harmonica| Amazon
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Amish School Christmas
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