Prospect - Hymn Setting "The Southern Harmony 1835" Pierre LaPlante

The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion, published in Philadelphia, was one of the more popular "shaped-note" tunebooks in 19th century America. Shaped notes were devised to make music-reading easier for the novice. Each of the four notes used had its own particular notehead shape. Tunebooks were, as a result often used to teach music (Harmony explains the Rudiments of Music in it introduction) by the traveling music teacher.

The Southern Harmony is also a wealth of folk tunes, popular airs, and ballads, as well as the expected hymn tunes. It is not only the source of Prospect, but of other well-known tunes such as Amazing Graces and Rock of Ages.

Pierre La Plante has cast Prospect in a reverential but thoroughly modern idiom. It is simple, yet expressive; it builds slowly and steadily to a broad, quasi-fanfare finish. Except for a brief cornet solo at No. 34, most sections have a chance to play the melody.

Prospect is also known among folksings and chanteymen as "The Seaman's Hymn.".