The Library of Congress has created a Web site showing the history of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” with more than 3,000 different recordings.
Since its composition in 1779 in England, “Amazing Grace” has become one of the best-known musical works around the world.
The Web site includes the very first printing of “Amazing Grace,” in “Olney Hymns in Three Books,” by Englishman John Newton, published in 1779.
The hymn describes the joy and peace of a soul uplifted from despair to salvation through the gift of grace. Newton worked as a slave trader early in his life, yet he later became rector of a parish in Olney, England, and fought for the abolition of slavery.
The audio collection and database is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest collection of recordings of a single musical work.
The Web site includes recordings by artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash to the Lemonheads, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Might Clouds of Joy.
