25 LC 129 0126
House Resolution 221
By: Representative Huddleston of the 72
nd
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing and commending the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, The Sacred Harp
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tunebook, and Sacred Harp singers; and for other purposes.2
WHEREAS, Sacred Harp singing, a moving tradition of capella shape-note harmony singing,3
has been practiced in Georgia for more than 175 years; and4
WHEREAS, the first edition of The Sacred Harp, the tunebook at the tradition's core, was5
edited by B. F. White, of Hamilton, Georgia, and E. J. King, of Talbotton, Georgia, before6
its publication in 1844 and has been in continuous use in the state ever since; and7
WHEREAS, annual Sacred Harp singing conventions, many dating to the nineteenth century,8
are still held each year in many corners of the state, forming the wellspring of a tradition that9
has since spread across the country and abroad; and10
WHEREAS, composers, songbook editors, and singing school teachers from Georgia such11
as J. P. and H. S. Rees, Sarah Lancaster, A. M. Cagle, Hugh W. McGraw, and Raymond C.12
Hamrick have composed beloved sacred songs over generations, perpetuating an13
uninterrupted tradition of music composition in the tunebook's distinctive "dispersed14
harmony" style; and15
H. R. 221
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WHEREAS, the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, a non-profit organization established in
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1933 and headquartered in Carrollton, Georgia, has supported this tradition through keeping17
the songbook in print and collecting and preserving the tradition's cultural heritage; and18
WHEREAS, The Sacred Harp: 2025 Edition, the first new revision of the tunebook since19
1991, will be published in September 2025, sustaining and strengthening the Sacred Harp20
singing tradition by introducing new songs by living composers alongside much-loved21
classics; and22
WHEREAS, the new edition of this venerable songbook will be introduced to the singing23
public at the 120th annual session of the United Sacred Harp Musical Association, an annual24
Sacred Harp singing convention founded in Atlanta in 1905 at the Historic DeKalb25
Courthouse in Decatur, the same site of the Sacred Harp performances more than a century26
ago.27
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that28
the members of this body commend the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, the committee29
tasked with revising The Sacred Harp, and the global community of Sacred Harp singers for30
their participation in and furtherance of this extraordinary tradition representing Georgia's31
and America's cultural heritage and for ushering it into its next storied chapter. 32
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized33
and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the34
public and the press.35
H. R. 221
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