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

25 LC 129 0126 House Resolution 221 By: Representative Huddleston of the 72nd A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, The Sacred Harp1 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, pe rpetuating an13 uninterrupted tradition of music composition in the tunebook's distinctive "dispersed14 harmony" style; and15 H. R. 221 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0126 WHEREAS, the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, a non-profit organization established in16 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 stren gthening 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 int roduced 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 th e 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 Com pany, 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 tr adition 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 avai lable for distribution to the34 public and the press.35 H. R. 221 - 2 -