The Sacred Harp (Various)

		First Publication 1844 Genre Categories Psalms; Religious works; Sacred hymns; Hymns; Anthems; Odes; For 3 voices; For unaccompanied voices; Scores featuring the voice; For 4 voices; For mixed chorus; Scores featuring mixed chorus; For unaccompanied chorus; English language

Sheet Music

• Scores (2)

Scores

1860 Edition

 Complete Score
*#104884 - 19.65MB, 431 pp. -  10.0/10 2 4 6 8 10 (1) - V/V/V - 1159x⇩

PDF scanned by MSU Libraries
Fynnjamin (2011/6/9)

Editor:

Improved and Enlarged edition
Benjamin Franklin White, and others.

Publisher Info.:

Philadelphia: S. C. Collins, 1860.

Copyright:

Public Domain [tag/del]

Misc. Notes:

Low-quality colour scan.
4-shape notation.

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1911 James Edition "Original Sacred Harp"

 Complete Book
*#167291 - 25.85MB, 576 pp. -  10.0/10 2 4 6 8 10 (1) - V/V/V - 852x⇩

PDF scanned by Emory University
Fynnjamin (2011/12/29)

Editor:

Joseph Stephen James (1849-1931) (and others in the editing committee)

Publisher Info.:

Atlanta: n.p., 1911.

Copyright:

Public Domain [tag/del]

Misc. Notes:

The largest edition of the Sacred Harp, fore-runner of the 1936 Denson edition (the direct ancestor of the current 1991 edition). This is famous for its "cheese notes" (see notes to song No.82, top, for explanation), some of which contain errors (for example attributions to Chopin rather than Chapin, and Sir John Stevenson rather than Joseph Stephenson of Poole)

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General Information

Work Title	The Sacred Harp
Alternative Title	The Sacred Harp; A Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes, Ode and Anthems

Composer	Various
First Publication	1844
Language	English
Piece Style	Classical
Instrumentation	3 voices; 4 voices
External Links	Wikipedia article Sacred Harp and Shapenote Singing (fasola.org) List of singings (mainly USA) Statistics of song usage 1995-2011 (1991 Denson edition) Sacred Harp singing (Warren Steel) Recordings of (almost) all songs in the Sacred Harp The Makers of The Sacred Harp (paperback), (hardcover)

Misc. Comments

Publication History

The Sacred Harp has a complicated history, meaning that there are now 3 books in use that are descended from the original 1844 publication (the White book being the least used today). These 3 books share a great deal of the same material, but differ in their added alto parts, texts set, new songs that have been added and others that have been removed.

1844 - The Sacred Harp, edited by Benjamin Franklin White and Elisha J. King.

1850 - Revision, adding an Appendix of new songs

1859/60 - Revision, adding to the Appendix

1869 - Revision, adding new music and removing the least-used songs

1897 - reprinted by James Landrum White and Charles P. Byrd

1884 - The New Sacred Harp - edited by James Landrum White and Benjamin Franklin White, Jr. - A 7-shape tunebook, sharing only 20% of its music with the older editions. Unsuccessful.

1902 - The Sacred Harp - Cooper Revision, edited by Wilson M. Cooper - songs removed, new songs and Rudiments, alto parts added. "Cooper Book" or "Blue Book" after the later colour of the cover.

1907 - revised

1909 - revised

1927 - revised

1949/50 - revised - The B.F. White Sacred Harp

1960 - revised

1988 - reprinted

1992 - revised, some new typesetting

2000 - revised, some new typesetting

2006 - revised, some new typesetting

2012 - entirely re-typeset and heavily revised (many parts re-written and songs transposed) - The Sacred Harp - Revised Cooper edition - The Sacred Harp Book Company

1909 - The Sacred Harp - Fifth edition, edited by James Landrum White. An unsuccessful publication, not used today. White attempted to modernise and correct the harmonies.

1911 - The Sacred Harp - Fourth Edition with Supplement, edited by James Landrum White. Contains 597 songs. Very few alto parts. "White Book".

1946 - reprinted

2007 - entirely re-typeset and revised (all alto parts put into treble clef at the sung octave), no songs added or removed.

1911 - Original Sacred Harp, edited by Joseph (Joe) Stephen James. Rudiments re-written, many alto parts added. Very few songs removed.

1936 - Original Sacred Harp - Denson Revision, edited by Seaborn McDaniel Denson and Thomas Denson. "Denson Book" or "Red Book" after the colour of the 1991 cover (actually burgundy).

1960 - revised

1967 - revised

1971 - revised

1991 - entirely re-typeset and revised (J.S. James' historical comments on tunes removed) - The Sacred Harp - 1991 edition - The Sacred Harp Publishing Company

Companion Book

1934 - The Colored Sacred Harp, compiled by Judge Jackson. Contains 77 songs by black composers. Usually used in addition to the Cooper book or other books at singings.

1973 - reprinted

1982 - revised

1992 - revised