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19h ago

Shape-Note Hymnal 'The Sacred Harp' Set for First Update in 34 Years

This revision integrates feedback from hundreds of singers to evaluate more than 1,100 new tunes ahead of the September release.

Bridge Hill Kennedy, poses for a portrait with his copy of "The Sacred Harp" songbook opened to the favorite song of his late nephew, at Holly Springs Primitive Baptist Church in Bremen, Ga., on Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Isaac Green, 34, poses for a portrait with his copy of "The Sacred Harp" near a natural spring at Holly Springs Primitive Baptist Church in Bremen, Ga., on Sunday, March 32, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Trees encircle Holly Springs Primitive Baptist Church, which has been a historical meeting site for Sacred Harp singers for generations, in Bremen, Ga., on Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
Oscar McGuire poses for a portrait with his copy of "The Sacred Harp" songbook at Holly Springs Primitive Baptist Church in Bremen, Ga., on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

Overview

  • The new edition of The Sacred Harp, a pre-Civil War shape-note hymnal first published in 1844, is slated for release at the United Sacred Harp Musical Association’s annual convention in Atlanta in September 2025.
  • The revision committee, authorized in October 2018, paused work during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since held community meetings to review submissions.
  • More than 1,100 new song proposals are under consideration, with select older hymns set to be removed and new compositions by living authors added.
  • Sacred Harp singing events use a hollow-square formation and four-part harmony to foster fellowship, spiritual experience and inclusivity among diverse participants.
  • Many singers treat their hymnals as personal heirlooms, annotating and passing them down through generations as cherished keepsakes.