The Sacred Harp was first published in 1844 and compiled by Benjamin Franklin White and Elisha J. King. It is a songbook that utilizes shape notes, a colloquial tradition that developed in rural areas of the American South. This method was created so church congregations, made up of many who could not read traditional music, could sing together in harmony. So-called “shape note singings” were popular throughout the American South and helped perpetuate the spread of “Amazing Grace” as a traditional favorite. Even today, gatherings for shape note singing remain a cultural and religious component of life in many Southern communities.