Southern Harmony

The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion is a shape note hymn and tune book compiled by William Walker, first published in 1835.

The book is notable for having originated or popularized several hymn tunes found in modern hymnals and shape note collections like The Sacred Harp.

The Southern Harmony has remained unchanged since 1854, unlike its counterpart the Sacred Harp, which went through several revisions in the 20th century.

Besides Walker, notable contributors to Southern Harmony included Matilda T. Durham and John Gill Landrum.

[1] The American composer William Duckworth used some of the songs in the Southern Harmony as a starting point for his own minimalist choral arrangements of the same name.