Editor's introduction
The tunebook you now hold is a testament to the durability of the Sacred
Harp tradition, and to the efforts of singers in the Sacred Harp heartland
- the deep South - who have encouraged, influenced, and gently tutored generations
of singers on their native soil and from parts afar. They have kept The Sacred Harp alive, and have helped
the music take root in the hearts of singers all over the country and abroad.
As has happened ever since the first edition was published in 1844, singers who have embraced the living tradition of The Sacred Harp, whether by birthright or adoption, have composed new tunes in the form and spirit of the original book. These new compositions have been handed out at singings and conventions, passed along to friends, and sung at kitchen tables.
The idea of publishing a collection of new tunes came from the unlikely metaphorical mess of detritus and necessity that is the trunk of my car. On the way to Thanksgiving dinner in November 2000, among the spilled dog food, mismatched gloves and parking tickets was a spare copy of The Sacred Harp with folded papers spilling from its worn binding. As the wind blew dry leaves into the open trunk, I opened a few of the loose pages, and was delighted to rediscover some recent compositions handed out at singings.
At dinner with Sacred Harp friends that night, I suggested that something should be done by an unspecified someone to collect, preserve, and disseminate all the new music being passed around. Judy Hauff, who has received dozens of compositions for comment and recording, told me of the wonderful tunes she had been sent over the years. Others reminded me of talented composers around the country. Whoever attempted to gather shape-note tunes, I thought, faced a daunting project indeed. The next morning, however, I realized all I had to do was ask for music and see what came. So I hastily posted a call for music on the fasola e-mail lists, and sent letters to people who had published tunes in The Sacred Harp or in recent tunebooks such as An Eclectic Harmony and The Sacred Harper's Companion.
I was astonished, gratified, and delighted by the deluge of compositions that soon flooded my mailbox. Soon, however, I was faced with the difficult task of editing the collection.
As I confessed in my initial call for music, I am an amateur, and my selection of tunes was subjective and perhaps idiosyncratic. Tunes that were clearly not in the spirit of The Sacred Harp (including instrumental pieces), were too similar to others, were not musically sound or just weren't that interesting to me were not chosen. Some submissions that may have been worthy compositions in their own right were therefore excluded. I am to blame for any omissions or inclusions that meet with your disapproval; realize, however, that this book does not pretend to be an all-inclusive gathering of new compositions in the Sacred Harp style. It is a desultory collection of relatively recent pieces composed by members of the thriving Sacred Harp band.
Special thanks must go to Judy Hauff and Dean Slaton, who were kind enough to share their extensive collections of recent shape-note compositions. Most of all, however, I thank the composers who sent their tunes. Every song I received was a happy reminder that the Sacred Harp tradition is kept alive not only through voice and spirit but by thoughtful creation.
- Lisa Grayson, April 2001, Chicago