The 17 mixed voices of Seattle's Tudor Choir, founded by Doug Fullington in 1993, have a focused repertoire dedicated to historically informed concerts and recordings with an emphasis on Renaissance, early American and English choral music. While putting together 1996's 'The Shapenote Album,' the Choir came across 'An American Christmas Harp,' a shapenote collection, and were inspired to record 'An American Christmas. We won't go into defining shapenote, referring you to the 28-page liner notes, but we will say that it's intensely harmonic and spirited, and often includes fugues. 23 songs, some of which we know by other names, 'Antioch,' for instance, we know as 'Joy to the World.' Some favorites: 'Shiloh,' 'Sherburne,' 'Emanuel, For Christmas,' 'Redemption, S.M.,' 'Anthem from Luke,' 'Joys Seven,' 'Boston, For Christmas,' 'Bonnie Doon,' 'Judea,' 'London,' 'Raymond' and 'Milford.' These now obscure songs were once as familiar to rural Americans as 'White Christmas.' Shapenote is joyous, celebratory music, fun to sing and fun to hear.