The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (Hardcover)

~ William Walker (Author) "Young people all, at - ten - tion give,..." (more)
Key Phrases: sweet affliction, interval composed, holy manna, Baptist Harmony, Dover Selection, Mercer's Cluster (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A facsimile edition of the 1854 printing of this American gem, 'perhaps the most popular tunebook ever printed.' Today Southern Harmony songs are in many of the hymnals of mainstream churches. They belong there. This attractive edition can help choirs get back to the source.-- The Christian Century" -- The Christian Century

Product Description

" William Walker's Southern Harmony, first published in 1835, was the most popular tune book of the nineteenth century, containing 335 sacred songs, dominated by the folk hymns of oral tradition and written in the old four-shape notation that was for generations the foundation of musical teaching in rural America. Born in 1809 in South Carolina, William Walker grew up near Spartanburg and early became devoted to the Welsh Baptist Church of his ancestors and to the musical heritage that church had brought to early America. Walker became a singing master, and Southern Harmony was compiled for his students in hundreds of singing schools all over North and South Carolina and Georgia and in eastern Tennessee. Southern Harmony reached Kentucky in the company of music-loving pioneers, and today an annual singing in Benton, Kentucky, remains the only such occasion on which Southern Harmony is consistently the source of the music. The CD included with the book contains 29 tunes, hymns, psalms, odes, and anthems, including ""New Britain"" (Amazing Grace), ""Happy Land,"" ""O Come, Come Away,"" ""Wondrous Love,"" and many, many more.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (September 29, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081311859X
• ISBN-13: 978-0813118598
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96,660 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant piece of American musical history, April 14, 2002

By	Daniel Bonevac (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Southern Harmony is probably the most popular hymnbook in history, having gone through editions in 1835, 1847, and 1854 as well as reprints in 1939, 1966, 1987, and 1993. After 1835, William Walker, its compiler, signed his name "William Walker, ASH"-- that is, Author of Southern Harmony. He was rightly proud of his achievement. The book includes the best of early-nineteenth-century American hymns, including many written by Walker himself. It was an influential source for many subsequent hymnals.

Southern Harmony is a shape-note hymnal, in which different notes have different shapes, enabling easy transposition between keys. The sopranos sing descants; the melodies are in the tenor voice.

And what melodies! The tunes (and lyrics) of this book will stun you with their plain-spoken power and beauty. Some (Amazing Grace, Rock of Ages) are familiar; some (Resignation --"My Shepherd Will Supply My Need"-- and Wondrous Love) are becoming better known; others have been arranged by contemporary musicians such as Alice Parker and Mack Wilberg. Many dozens of others are gems waiting to be mined.

The melodies in this book tend to display their Gaelic origins. Most are based on a pentatonic scale. Many are in minor keys, and many more are modal (especially Dorian, Phrygian, and Mixolydian). Harmonies are primitive but forceful.

This is an important part of our musical heritage. Anyone interested in church music will find Southern Harmony an inspiring collection that amply rewards hours of study.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor reproduction, November 22, 2007

By	C. Roberts "biblioholic" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sadly the print is dim and hard to read. If you are poring over a rare first edition it is easy to forgive, but in a reproduction you would expect better. An ink shortage at the University of Kentucky?

3.0 out of 5 stars Southern Harmony, October 5, 2009

By	Joseph G. Imhoff (Pgh., Pa.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Having become interested in the shape note singing music several years ago, I found several sources online where i could listen to examples. The main sources are 'Sacred Harp' and 'Southern Harmony'. I felt the need to have both of these resources available to better understand the concept. I already had a 'Sacred Harp' but found it not inclusive of material from other sources, especially 'Southern Harmony', which is why I purchased it. What surprised me was the printed scores appear to be a facsimile of the original, some pages seem to be a bit fzzy or out of focus. All in all, i am sill pleased with my purchase.