Wondrous Love

The American shape note tradition has produced an incomparable treasury of music -- strong, haunting harmonies deeply rooted in the folk tradition, imbued with the fervent sprit of faith and fellowship. Barry and Shelley Phillips have created instrumental arrangements of 21 tunes from The Sacred Harp, one of the most beloved of the "songsters," as the shape note collections were called. The exquisite combinations of cello, harp, flute, oboe, fiddle, guitar, dulcimers, banjo and more feature guest players including William Coulter, Martin Simpson, and Robin Petrie, on sings from the eternally inspiring Amazing Grace (called "New Britain" in The Sacred Harp) to lesser known treasures.