New Edition of The Sacred Harp
We are excited to announce that The Sacred Harp: 2025 Edition will debut at the United Sacred Harp Musical Association in Atlanta at the Foundry at Puritan Mills on September 13–14, 2025. More information about the new revision of The Sacred Harp is below. Additional information about the debut singing and ordering the new book is coming soon.
Also available from the Sacred Harp Publishing Company
Like Cords Around My Heart Audiobook
By Buell Cobb. Cobb’s acclaimed Sacred Harp memoir brings to life singers and singings of decades past with poignancy and wit. Audiobook features 6 CDs with a digital download and a booklet with preface, author notes, and photos. More info »
Original Sacred Harp: Centennial Edition
Edited by Joseph Stephen James. Centennial Edition edited by Jesse P. Karlsberg. Commemorative reprint of a much-loved 1911 historical edition of The Sacred Harp, with a new introduction on the book’s legacy and context. More info »
The Makers of the Sacred Harp
By Warren Steel with Richard Hulan. The long-awaited companion to The Sacred Harp, tracing the sources of every tune and text in our songbook, from the work of B. F. White and E. J. King to the contributions by various composers to the 1991 edition. More info »
The Legacy of the
Sacred Harp
By Chloe Webb. Curiosity about Webb’s grandmother’s tattered 1869 edition of The Sacred Harp songbook, sparked a quest to reconnect with Dumas family ancestors who composed, sang, and lived by the words of The Sacred Harp. More info »
Release of the new revision of
The Sacred Harp: September 2025
Read an October 2024 status report on the revision of The Sacred Harp.
The release of the revised Sacred Harp songbook will take place at the 2025 session of the United Sacred Harp Musical Association. The convention will be held at the Foundry at Puritan Mill, 916 Joseph E. Lowry Blvd. NW, Atlanta, Georgia, on September 13–14.
The Saturday session will be dedicated to the introduction of the new book and its new songs, recognition of composers, and recognition of the committee and adjunct committees and working groups. The Sunday session will be a regular singing day from the new songbook. A one-day symposium at nearby Emory University on the Friday before the convention will center on the new revision of the songbook.
The revised songbook will be introduced in the United Kingdom the following weekend, September 20–21, at the United Kingdom Sacred Harp Convention.
The revision process began in October 2018 when the Board of Directors of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company approved the revision of The Sacred Harp, 1991 Edition. David Ivey is the chair of the Revision-Music Committee, which also includes Lauren Bock, Helen Brown, Richard Ivey, Jesse P. Karlsberg, Nathan Rees, Karen Rollins, Terry Wootten, and David Wright.
Previous status reports on the revision:
- May 2024 status report
- October 2023 status report
- January 2023 status report
- July 2020 status report
Online Exhibition: The United Sacred Harp Musical Association
Since its first session in Atlanta in 1905, the United Sacred Harp Musical Association, commonly known as the United Convention, has affected the form of The Sacred Harp and public consciousness of our traditions. The story of the United Convention—told here through recordings, photos, and more—offers a fascinating perspective on the history of Sacred Harp singing in the twentieth century and beyond.