The 12 Jo Puma songs in this book are note-for-note the same music as 12 famous Sacred Harp songs, but with rich secular lyrics and improvements in legibility. These changes allow our public schools and colleges to teach this important 4-part choral music. The songs are short and not difficult to sing, although they may sound difficult and mechanical to a listener. But the songs aren't written for listeners - they're written for the singers. This is participatory music. Centuries ago church members would gather together, divide into 4 groups facing each other, and sing these songs just for the fun of it. With their rule-violating harmonies these songs may sound a bit raw and unpolished to us today. But that makes them all the more fun to sing So if you want a very different experience, learn this music and teach it to your family and friends. It may seem strange at first, but it's doable. People have been doing it for centuries