Amazing Grace

“Amazing Grace” is a song that has inspired millions. From its inception, the words of this beloved hymn have struck a chord across cultures and generations. The author, John Newton, could not have known the impact his words would have. When written, his intent was to combine a new song with his New Year’s Day sermon, “Faith’s Review and Expectation.” 1773 was a new year, a perfect opportunity to review the past and anticipate the future. Newton’s own past had shaped him greatly, and his reflections on those earlier times had a profound effect on his writing. Subsequently, “Amazing Grace” was refined and adjusted to fit the more nuanced contexts of the individual communities who adopted it as their own. It was reprinted in many early hymnbooks—without music, which was the standard at the time. The tunes for these hymns were known separately, so a hymn could be sung to a variety of different tunes. “Amazing Grace” did not originally sound like it does today. Refining the tune into today’s most recognized cadence was a process that took over one hundred years. But musical styles began to change rapidly, along with everything else in the 1920s, and “Amazing Grace” began to be infused with individuality. Blues, gospel, jazz, folk, and eventually rock and pop music all adopted the song into their respective genres. It also reached beyond church walls and religious gatherings, and moved to streets filled with marchers for civil rights, onto stages of concerts pleading for peace, and into recording studios looking for something new to make a buck. Perhaps it is the message in the words, an outpouring of humility and redemption, that people respond to. Perhaps it is the theme of deliverance from bondage, be it internal or external, that comforts those in times of trial. Perhaps it is simply the familiarity of the tune and the words that connects people as they sing. Regardless, “Amazing Grace” has become one of the most recognized songs in the world. This exhibition and catalog highlights the journey “Amazing Grace” has taken from being penned by an eighteenth-century English minister to becoming a modern-day pop-culture phenomenon.