Selection of Shape-Note Folk Hymns

This edition reproduces eighty American folk hymns that were printed most often in forty-two distinct editions of twenty-nine southern four-shape shape-note tune books issued before the Civil War. The collection includes not only the most frequently published melodies, but also the most common harmonizations found in the tune books. A historical commentary provides complete information on sources for texts and music and a bibliography. The tunes are given in their original shape-note notation. The edition features such familiar tunes as Holy Manna, New Britain, The Promised Land, and Star in the East.