![[photo of open Sacred Harp tunebook (1991
Edition) on grass with fallen cherry blossoms]](Tunebook.open.enl.jpg)
At the Potomac River Convention, we shall sing from The Sacred Harp, 1991 Edition.
Traditional a cappella singing of religious music, mostly of
early American origin, in four-part harmony, from any of several Sacred
Harp editions is called Sacred Harp singing.
There are at least four editions/revisions of the original 1844 tunebook in
use today. The two major ones are described below:
The 1991 Edition is the more widely used of two editions of in use today. It is used in the north and central regions of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, and among the many Sacred Harp singers outside the South. In the lineage of Sacred Harp editions, it is a descendent of the 1844 tunebook The Sacred Harp by B.F. White and E. J. King, and, more immediately, is a major revision of, and successor to, the Denson Revision of the Original Sacred Harp. To compile the 1991 Edition, a music committee of prominent Sacred Harp singers chaired by Hugh McGraw added 62 songs and deleted 46 rarely sung older songs and anthems. The added songs include late 18th- and early 19th-century classics of New England and Southern origin and new songs by living composers from the South, Northeast, and Midwest.
The nature of the revisions made in the 1991 Edition are dramatically different from those made to create the Denson Revision decades before, and the tunebook title and ownership structure of the publishing company are different as well, so the continued use of the term "Denson book" for this revision is, in a strict sense, incorrect.The scores of all 554 songs were entirely retypeset for easier legibility. Sources and dates of tunes and texts were revised to reflect modern scholarship by Professors Warren Steel and William J. Reynolds. There is a new Rudiments section relevant to modern singers by John Garst. This edition has been very enthusiastically received by the Sacred Harp community as well as by hymnologists. The current printing is the eighth or higher. Typographical errors in the initial printings were gradually corrected in subsequent printings. ISBN 0-9727398-0-7. Order from the Sacred Harp Publishing Co., c/o Richard DeLong, Executive Secretary, P.O. Box 385, Whitesburg, GA 30185. The basic price without shipping is $15.00 per copy; the price including shipping via USPS to the 48 states is $23.00 per copy for up to five copies. The price of a case of six books is $90 without shipping; the price including shipping is $110.00 via USPS or $125-150 via UPS (depending on shipping location). Larger orders must be in multiples of six books. Orders outside the continental U.S. are by special arrangement. One can make inquiries by contacting Mr. DeLong at the email address ordering@originalsacredharp.com. Make checks payable to Richard DeLong. Payment by credit card through PayPal is now available.
![[Cover of Cooper Edition, 1992]](Cooper.jpg)
The B.F. White Sacred Harp, Revised Cooper Edition, 2006. The "Cooper Book" is a revision descended from the original Sacred Harp tunebook and compiled, initially in 1902, by a different circle of singers from those who produced the Denson and 1991 Editions described above. It has been traditionally used in the Florida panhandle, the southern regions of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, and in Texas. It is also used by black Sacred Harp groups in Alabama. Nationwide interest in the Cooper Book has increased dramatically in recent years, and currently there are Cooper Book singings in all regions of the U.S. The 2006 Cooper revision has 598 songs, some in common with the Denson/1991 Sacred Harp (sometimes with different alto parts and titles) and many other mid- to late-nineteenth-century songs having a relatively sweet harmony, including "call-and-response" songs. It also has a number of beautiful "folk hymns" not in the 1991 Edition and contemporary songs. Compared to the 2000 Cooper Book revision, the 2006 edition features 14 newly added songs (five by contemporary Cooper Book singers/composers), a first-line index, and extensive retypesetting and corrections. Eleven rarely sung songs in the 2000 edition were deleted. Over 125 pages feature superior new typesetting by singer Karen Willard, with some songs having key changes, added verses, and corrected attributions. Including the retypesetting done for the 2000 edition, 41% of the song pages of the 2006 edition display modern typesetting. The base price of the 2006 edition is $15.00 per book. The shipping charges per book are $5.00 for one book, $3.50 for 2-5 books, $3.00 for 6-10 books, $2.50 for 11-15 books, and $25.00 for a whole case of 18. For shipping outside the U.S., call for a quote. Make checks payable to the Sacred Harp Book Co. Address orders to Mr. Bill Aplin, Secretary/Treasurer, The Sacred Harp Book Co., 200 S. Johnson St., Samson, AL 36477, e-mail ripcal@alaweb.com, phone 334-898-7253.