Joseph Funk

Full biography Joseph Funk

Joseph Funk was an early American music teacher, publisher, and composer who lived from 1778 to 1862. He was a pioneer of shape note music, a style of singing that uses a system of shapes to represent notes. In 1851, he invented his own shape note system, which became very popular and was used in many later hymnals.

Funk also compiled and published several collections of church music in the early to mid-1800s, including A Compilation of Genuine Church Music in 1832 and Harmonia Sacra in 1832. These collections featured hymns and psalm tunes, many of which Funk himself composed.

In addition to his work as a music publisher, Funk was also a talented composer who wrote many pieces for choirs and congregations. Some of his best-known compositions include "How Sweet to Reflect," "Foundation," and "How Firm a Foundation." He was one of the first American composers to achieve widespread popularity, and his music remains influential to this day.

Funk spent most of his life in rural Virginia, where he worked as a teacher and operated a music store. He also founded a publishing company called "Joseph Funk & Sons," which remained in operation for several generations after his death. Funk is remembered as one of America's earliest musical pioneers, and his contributions to the world of choral music continue to be appreciated by musicians and music lovers around the world.