HR221: HR221 The Sacred Harp Publishing Company, The Sacred Harp tunebook, and Sacred Harp singers; commend

This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honors Sacred Harp singing, a style of unaccompanied shape-note harmony singing practiced in Georgia for more than 175 years. It traces the tradition to the 1844 publication of The Sacred Harp tunebook, edited by two Georgians, and notes the ongoing singing conventions held across the state each year. The resolution commends the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, a nonprofit based in Carrollton, Georgia, for keeping the songbook in print and preserving the tradition's history. It also recognizes the upcoming publication of a new 2025 edition of the tunebook, the first revision since 1991, and the group's work introducing it at an annual singing convention. The resolution directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and press.

• Formally commends the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, the committee revising the tunebook, and Sacred Harp singers worldwide for continuing the tradition.
• Recognizes the historical origins of The Sacred Harp tunebook, first published in 1844 by two Georgia editors.
• Notes the planned September 2025 publication of a revised edition of the tunebook, the first since 1991.
• Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare copies of the resolution for distribution to the public and press.

The resolution directly names the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, a nonprofit in Carrollton, Georgia, the committee revising the tunebook, and the broader community of Sacred Harp singers and singing conventions across Georgia and beyond.

The resolution carries no legal or funding effect, but it is an official state recognition of a Georgia-rooted musical tradition and the nonprofit that sustains it, which can raise public awareness of the tradition and its upcoming 2025 tunebook edition.

• The whereas clauses recount the history of Sacred Harp singing in Georgia, dating its tunebook to an 1844 publication edited by B. F. White and E. J. King.
• The resolution credits Georgia composers and songbook editors, including Hugh W. McGraw and Raymond C. Hamrick, with sustaining the tradition over generations.
• The resolved clause commends the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, the tunebook revision committee, and Sacred Harp singers for preserving this cultural heritage.
• A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to make copies of the resolution available for public and press distribution.

1. 2025-02-10House Read and Adopted (House)
2. 2025-02-10House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-10House Hopper (House)

• David Huddleston (R, HD-072)Primary sponsor

• Sacred Harp singing
• Georgia cultural heritage
• music tradition
• legislative commendation