Joseph Funk (1778–1862) was a pioneer American music teacher, publisher, and an early American composer. He invented a

shape note Shape notes are a musical notation designed to facilitate congregational and social singing. The notation, introduced in late 18th century England, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools. Shapes were added to the noteh ...

system in 1851 for the

Harmonia Sacra ''Harmonia Sacra'' is a Mennonite shape note hymn and tune book, originally published as ''A Compilation of Genuine Church Music'' in 1832 ( Winchester, Virginia) by Joseph Funk (1778–1862). The original publication was a "four-shape" shape no ...

. Funk was born April 6, 1778 (though his gravestone states March 9, 1777), in

Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the Englis ...

, the son of Henry and Barbara (Showalter) Funk, and a grandson of Bishop Heinrich Funck, a

German Palatine Palatines (german: Pfälzer), also known as the Palatine Dutch, are the people and princes of Palatinates ( Holy Roman principalities) of the Holy Roman Empire. The Palatine diaspora includes the Pennsylvania Dutch and New York Dutch. In 1 ...

settler of Bernese Swiss descent. Bishop Funck came to America in 1719, and was the first Mennonite bishop in America. As a boy, Joseph moved with his parents to

Rockingham County, Virginia Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,757. Its county seat is the independent city of Harrisonburg. Along with Harrisonburg, Rockingham County forms the Harrisonbur ...

, and spent the rest of his life there. In 1804, Funk married Elizabeth Rhodes, and they had five children. After her death, he married Rachel Britton, and they raised nine children. He was a member of the Mennonite Church. In 1847, he established the first Mennonite printing house in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, at Mountain Valley, Virginia (renamed Singers Glen in 1860). Funk and his sons were active in organizing and teaching many

singing school A singing school is a school in which students are taught to sightread vocal music. Singing schools are a long-standing cultural institution in the Southern United States. While some singing schools are offered for credit, most are informal program ...

s in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Funk died December 24, 1862, and is buried in the cemetery at Singers Glen. Funk compiled and published seven books and periodicals: :*''Ein allgemein nützliche Choral-Music'' (1816) :*''A Compilation of Genuine Church Music'' (1832) :*''The Confession of Faith'' (1837) :*''A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs'' (1847) :*''The Reviewer Reviewed'' (1857) :*''The Southern Musical Advocate and Singer's Friend'' :*''J. and D. Brenneman, Hymns'' The 1847 fourth edition of Funk's ''A Compilation of Genuine Church Music'' was the first publication by Joseph Funk and Sons at Singers Glen. The name was changed to ''

'' in 1851. The book is still is in use by Mennonites today. ''The Southern Musical Advocate and Singer's Friend'' was a 16-page monthly periodical published by Funk from 1859 to 1861. It was a forerunner of ''The Musical Million and Fireside Friend'', a periodical published by Funk's grandson, Aldine S. Kieffer. Joseph Funk's sons continued the printing business after his death. The Ruebush-Kieffer Company purchased the press in 1878. The

Joseph Funk House Joseph Funk House is a historic home located at Singers Glen, Rockingham County, Virginia. It was built about 1810, and is a -story, log dwelling with a gable roof and an undercut front gallery. The house is sheathed with weatherboarding. Its b ...

was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1975.

References

1778 births 1862 deaths American male composers American composers American Mennonites American music publishers (people) American people of Pennsylvania Dutch descent American people of Swiss-German descent Mennonite writers Mennonitism in Virginia Musicians from Pennsylvania Musicians from Virginia Hymnal editors People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania People from Rockingham County, Virginia Shape note Mennonite musicians {{US-composer-stub