The Valley Pocket Harmonist | Four Shape Note Tunebook
6.75 × 9.5 inches | 407 pages | ISBN: 979-8-218-39203-1
The Valley Pocket Harmonist boldly declares: out with the new, in with the old. This hardback tunebook revives the unapologetic spirit of shape-note singing, blending the raw, full-voice harmonies of tradition with a refreshingly eclectic selection of texts. Here, the sacred meets the secular, as poetry by Emily Brontë and William Blake finds its place alongside non-denominational Christian hymnody.
More than a collection of tunes, The Valley Pocket Harmonist is a call to reclaim the communal and the timeless in a world obsessed with the fleeting. Portable, practical, and profoundly resonant, this book invites singers to rediscover the joy of unvarnished, full-throated music that transcends boundaries of belief and tradition. Whether in a crowded singing hall or a quiet corner of the woods, these songs invite you to raise your voice and reconnect with something eternal.
The exploration of shape-note singing in Strong Songs of the Dead by Th. Metzger provides a fascinating lens through which to understand the deep cultural and historical roots that anchor the tunebooks The Shenandoah Harmony and The Valley Pocket Harmonist. Metzger’s chapter on the Shenandoah book illuminates the continuation and evolution of early American tunebooks, while his work is cited in the bibliography of The Valley Pocket Harmonist as an essential resource for understanding the modern revival of this unique musical tradition.
Available now—because some things are too good to be forgotten.
This is a large, heavy book. It is brand new, unused.
