Unchained melody
When President Obama sang ‘Amazing Grace’ at the funeral service for the victims of the racist Charleston church shooting in 2015, it was, writes James Walvin, “one of the most electrifying moments in modern presidential history: a moment of brilliant and calculated audacity”. It was also a remarkable episode in the history of a “simple Christian hymn” that travelled from a peaceful corner of rural 'ngland in the 18th century to became a global anthem for humankind, healing and hope. It’s been recorded thousands of times, with versions by Judy Collins and Aretha Franklin selling in their millions, while the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards’ release became one of the bestselling instrumental singles of all time in Britain.
In this fascinating, concise and at times moving cultural history, Walvin deftly traces the evolution of ‘Amazing Grace’ against an ever-changing backdrop of technological and social change across the past 250 years. It’s a sweeping tale, with each twist and turn underpinned by historical context.
Walvin begins with the troubling paradox at the heart of ‘Amazing Grace’. This hymn, later taken to the hearts of enslaved black people in North America for its words that powerfully expressed their fears and hopes, was penned by a British preacher, John Newton, who had himself been the captain of a slave ship, with all the shame and brutality that entailed.
Newton’s words were first sung on New Year’s Day in 1773 in Olney, Buckinghamshire, but not to the tune we know today. It then jumped across the Atlantic, where ‘Amazing Grace’ began appearing in newly popular hymn books, and the music evolved into its current form. Although the melody’s exact authorship remains unclear, in 1835 it was published as the tune ‘New Britain’ by one William Walker (also known as ‘Singing Billy’), accompanying Newton’s words. The modern hymn was born, its popularity exploded, and it became beloved of Americans from all corners of society.
Today, thanks to 20th-century inventions including radio, recording and streaming, it’s sung and played around the world.
Rebecca Franks, music writer and section editor on BBC History Magazine