Research Catalog

Amazing grace : a cultural history of the beloved hymn

Title
Amazing grace : a cultural history of the beloved hymn / James Walvin.
Author
Walvin, James
Publication
Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2023]

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library JMD 23-208Performing Arts Research Collections - Music

Details

Description
xi, 197 pages : illustrations; 22 cm
Summary
"A fascinating journey through the history of "Amazing Grace," one of the transatlantic world's most popular hymns and a powerful anthem for humanity. Sung in moments of personal isolation or on state occasions watched by millions, "Amazing Grace" has become an unparalleled anthem for humankind. How did a simple Christian hymn, written in a remote English vicarage in 1772, come to hold such sway over millions in all corners of the modern world? With this short, engaging cultural history, James Walvin offers an explanation. The greatest paradox is that the author of "Amazing Grace," John Newton, was a former Liverpool slave captain. Walvin follows the song across the Atlantic to track how it became part of the cause for abolition and galvanized decades of movements, tragedies, and trends in American history and popular culture. By the end of the twentieth century, "Amazing Grace" was performed in Soweto and Vanuatu, by political dissidents in China, and by Kikuyu women in Kenya. No other song has acquired such global resonance as "Amazing Grace," and its fascinating history is well worth knowing"--
Subject
  • Newton, John, 1725-1807
  • Amazing grace (Hymn)
  • Hymns, English > History and criticism
  • Hymns, English
Genre/Form
  • Criticism, interpretation, etc.
  • Local histories.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-188) and index.
Contents
Introduction -- The young sinner -- Slave trader turned preacher -- Crossing the Atlantic -- Music, America, and amazing grace -- Music in slavery and freedom -- Singing and the world of print -- Musical entertainments -- "Amazing grace" in folk and gospel music -- Music for troubled times -- A Song for all seasons -- Pandemic : an anthem for humankind -- With amazing grace.
Call Number
JMD 23-208
ISBN
  • 9780520391826
  • 0520391829
LCCN
2023001560
OCLC
1368011683
Author
Walvin, James, author.
Title
Amazing grace : a cultural history of the beloved hymn / James Walvin.
Publisher
Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2023]
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-188) and index.
Other Form:
Online version: Walvin, James Amazing grace Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2023] 9780520391833 (DLC) 2023001561
Research Call Number
JMD 23-208
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