An example of 2025 Sacred Harp committee revising

An example of SHPC Revision Committee editing – the song Linda Sides sent to them, followed by the song they sent back to her and expected her to sign off on. To be able to see and compare should be self-explanatory regarding the kind of editing done by the revision committee, and done without the permission of the composer. You should be able to select the pictures to enlarge them for easier viewing.

Intercession original by Linda Sides, page 1

Intercession original by Linda Sides, page 2

Intercession edited by committee

Click HERE to view and read Linda’s essay about her song, as well as discussion of another part of the revision process. Click here to view and read my essays: “Outside Looking In: an Initial Evaluation of the 2025 Revision of The Sacred Harp (Part 1)” and “Outside Looking In: an Initial Evaluation of the 2025 Revision of The Sacred Harp (Part 2).”

I have thought about this and tried to make some sense of how and why this strange case of editing might have happened.

• Linda submits her songs in 2019, including one titled Intercession.
• Intercession was selected for inclusion in the 2025 Sacred Harp. 

Now for that song to make it to the final cut, we must assume it was well liked. It was originally sung at a trial singing in the manner she wrote it (i.e., without editing), because Linda mentions hearing it. Somewhere along the way the song is edited from a hymn tune/part song to become a fuging tune instead. It seems to me then, that:

(1) Someone had to edit it fairly early in the process (but after she heard it sung) and then sent her song through in an edited fashion to make the final cut (without the composer’s permission);

Or,

(2) Someone edited it (again, without the composer’s permission) after she was informed in May 2024 that the song had made the final cut.

Neither of these scenarios makes any sense at all! If the song was not liked, why send it forward at all? Just set it aside and look at some of the other 1154 songs! If the editing was decided early, why would they not contact the composer with suggested changes?! If the editing was not decided early, why in the world would they edit a song that had already made the final cut in the manner it was written?! And to add insult to injury, they sent a song that was not hers to the composer with only a week to decide whether she was willing to sign off on it! Something seems rotten in Atlanta.