Outside Looking In: an Initial Evaluation of the 2025 Revision of The Sacred Harp[i]
Foreground. A committee of nine people authorized by the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, helped by others they drafted to assist them, has completed a new edition of The Sacred Harp. This new edition will be unveiled to the public the weekend of September 12-14, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Background. Six editions of The Sacred Harp have been produced by the Sacred Harp Publishing Company – 1936, 1960, 1966, 1971, 1991, 2025. What will now be called the 2025 Edition of The Sacred Harp is the latest revision of a songbook first published in 1936 by the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, formed in 1933.[ii] That book itself was a revision of the 1911 Sacred Harp completed under the hand of a committee guided by Joseph S. James.[iii]
Disclaimer. There is a disadvantage trying to evaluate and review a thing that was born and bred in concealment from the singing community as a whole. However, in the past month the Sacred Harp Publishing Company has trickled out information about the new edition of the book – eventually revealing what songs are being added to the book (as well as their composers) and what songs have been removed from the book.[iv] All the information provides us a basis for evaluation, coupled with previous updates about the revision, as well as some information they did not expect to spill out.
Conclusion. I will state my conclusion up front. From evaluating what I have read about the new book (without the privilege of seeing it), plus some “insider” information and general deductions, the scales for me are tipped to a negative impression of the book. I cannot imagine anything I will see when I see the new book that can tip those scales back. To be thorough, I will look at both pros and cons, presenting the pros first.
Pros.
Concerning the pros of the new 2025 edition of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company song book, there are some things I like in theory and some things I like in fact.[v] This will become clearer as we proceed.
New songs. Adding new songs to The Sacred Harp is part of both its tradition and its lifeblood. Revising the book and adding new songs has been done occasionally since the first revision of The Sacred Harp of B. F. White in 1850.[vi] This has kept the old book renewed. The most recent revision committee chose to use 113 songs out of 1155 songs that were submitted for consideration. (They apparently shot to use about 10%). In order to make room for these 113 songs, the committee removed 77 songs, and redesigned/rearranged the pages, typesetting, etc.
A listing of the new songs, titles, and composers.
If I counted correctly there are 81 different new compositions written by 49 living composers. (At least two of the tunes are collaborations by two authors.) To listen to one of the new songs, click HERE.[vii] In addition to the 81 new compositions, there are 32 compositions by deceased composers, making the total of 113 songs.
Printing. The new book features a brand-new music font (called “Collins”) created by designer Jeff Kellem for The Sacred Harp Publishing Company, especially for the 2025 Edition of The Sacred Harp. I think the new font will look nicer than the old one.
Efficiency. For example, the new 2025 book has 36 more songs than the previous edition, but without adding any more pages to the book. (I think they mean without increasing the amount of pages that have songs on them.) The new arrangement and typesetting reduces the number of “page-turners” (1-1/2 or two-page songs for which you have to turn to the next page, rather than it just being across the page).
Price. Amazingly, the Sacred Harp Publishing Company is able to initially sell this new 2025 edition for $20. This is cheaper than the price for which they were selling the 1991 revision. They are even offering to make loaner books available for $10. Considering rising costs in general, it is surprising that they will be able to do this, and certainly fortuitous for those buying the books.
Representation. The opportunity to submit songs for consideration was opened up to Sacred Harp singers worldwide, resulting for the first time ever having living composers living outside the United States submitting songs for possible inclusion. (There are some old songs written by composers outside North America, but they did not directly submit their songs to The Sacred Harp.)
Alto credits. For quite a few years it has been known that a number of the alto parts were copies or slight revisions of the original alto parts printed in the 1902 W. M. Cooper revision of The Sacred Harp, The Christian Harmony, etc. These will be credited to the proper composers of the alto in the 2025 revision.
Scripture citations. A subcommittee of named and unnamed individuals worked to update and correct the Scripture references that are printed under the song titles. Scripture is quoted from the King James Bible.
[ii] The Sacred Harp Publishing Company was formed in 1933 under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson “Uncle Tom” Denson. Their first book – The Original Sacred Harp, Denson Revision – was published in 1936.
[iii] History of Revision. The “James-Denson-McGraw” stream of Sacred Harp books began as a revision in 1911 led by J. S. James. A committee revised the 1870 Sacred Harp – by adding back most songs that had been removed in 1870, as well as adding new songs. T. J. Denson purchased the rights to the James Book, and the Sacred Harp Publishing Company was formed in 1933. The company produced a new revision in 1936, which depression-era production greatly decreased the size of the book. Revisions in 1960, 1966, and 1971 increased the size of the book, while both adding new songs and removing some little-used songs. A major revision was produced in 1991, including a thorough reprinting. In 2018, the publishing company voted to produce a new revision, elected a chairman, and the chairman selected a revision committee. The process was interrupted by the COVID scare, with the new book now scheduled to debut September 12, 2025. It is this book that is under consideration.
[iv] https://sacredharp.com/2025/08/06/page-use-removed-song-stats/ | https://sacredharp.com/2025/07/30/newly-added-song-stats/ | https://sacredharp.com/2025/08/13/verse-key-and-part-changes-in-the-sacred-harp-2025-edition/
[vi] The Sacred Harp song book exists in three lineal descendants – The Sacred Harp revisions of W. M. Cooper (1902), The Sacred Harp revisions of J. L. White (1909/1911), and The Sacred Harp revisions of J. S. James & the Denson brothers (1911/1936). The 2025 Edition of The Sacred Harp is in the James-Denson stream.
[vii] This is also an example of a submitted tune being a known entity. It was sung at a new-compositions singing, and at an all-day Singing (2009). It was also printed in The New Millennium Harp (2001) and appears on a committee member’s website.
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