# James P. Carrell

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**James P. Carrell** (February 13, 1787 – October 28, 1854), of [Lebanon, Virginia](/source/Lebanon,_Virginia), was a minister, singing teacher, composer and songbook compiler. He compiled two songbooks in the four-shape [shape note](/source/Shape_note) tradition.

## Musical compilations

Carrell's *Songs of Zion* was a small book of 64 pages, printed by [Ananias Davisson](/source/Ananias_Davisson) in [Harrisonburg, Virginia](/source/Harrisonburg,_Virginia) in 1821 and containing mostly music by Carrell himself. In 1831, Carrell released *[Virginia Harmony](/source/Virginia_Harmony)* with David L. Clayton (1801-1854). This book was printed in [Winchester, Virginia](/source/Winchester,_Virginia) by Samuel H. Davis, containing 191 tunes on 167 pages. A second edition of *Virginia Harmony* was printed in 1836 with 33 additional pages of music. Seventeen songs in this edition are attributed to Carrell.

One of the songs in *Virginia Harmony* was the [Isaac Watts](/source/Isaac_Watts) hymn "There Is a Land of Pure Delight", set to the anonymous tune "Harmony Grove". "Harmony Grove" is now the tune most associated with the [John Newton](/source/John_Newton) hymn "[Amazing Grace](/source/Amazing_Grace)", and for many years Carrell and Clayton were credited as the composers.[1]

## Personal life

Carrell was born February 13, 1787, in [Washington County, Virginia](/source/Washington_County,_Virginia). He married Martha George Peery. They had two children, Charles and George. Carrell was a minister of the [Methodist](/source/Methodist) Church. In addition to his ministerial and musical activities, Carrell served as county court clerk of [Russell County, Virginia](/source/Russell_County,_Virginia). He died October 28, 1854, and is buried in the Old Lebanon Cemetery (*aka* North Church Street Cemetery).

## References

1. Turner, Steve & Judy Collins (2003). [*Amazing Grace: The Story of America's Most Beloved Song*](https://books.google.com/books?id=-jIZukn0BzYC&q=carrell+%22amazing+grace%22&pg=PA118). HarperCollins. p. 118. ISBN 0-06-000219-0. Retrieved 2009-01-12.

## Further reading

- Jackson, George Pullen (February 1966). *White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands*. Dover Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-486-21425-7.
- Stanislaw, Richard J. (1978). *A Checklist of Four-Shape Shape-Note Tunebooks*. Institute for Studies in American Music. ASIN B001JPS1CY.

## External links

- [Messiah](http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/ssb/display.cfm?TitleID=610&Format=jpg&PageNum=130) - Image of Carrell's song *Messiah*, as found in the 1860 [Sacred Harp](/source/Sacred_Harp)
- [Will of James P. Carrell](http://www.rootsweb.com/~varussel/probate/jamespcarrell.html)

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