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Shaker
and
Non-Shaker Tunes
- "How Can I Keep From Singing" - Is It A Shaker Hymn?
- "HAPPINESS" and "How Happy Are They"
- "Lord of the Dance" and "Simple Gifts"
- "Run, Shaker Life" and "Come Life, Shaker Life"
- "The Spiritual Sailor" and "Voyage to Canaan"
- "Welcome, welcome every guest" and "Ode to Contentment"
The non-Shaker tunes sung by the early Shakers include:
"The Black Joke"
"Nancy Dawson"
"Bobbing Joe (or Bobbin Joan)"
"Hie thee Jenny home again"
"The Rose Tree"
For more information, see this source book:
A GUIDE TO SHAKER MUSIC - With Music Supplement
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"How Can I Keep From Singing" -
Is It A Shaker Hymn?
The three verses of the hymn:
My life flows on in endless song;
Above Earth's lamentation,
I catch the sweet, tho' far off hymn
That hails a new creation;
Through all the tumult and strife,
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul -
How can I keep from singing?
What tho' my joys and comfort die?
The Lord my Saviour liveth;
What tho' the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night He giveth;
No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that refuge clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth;
How can I keep from singing?
I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;
I see the blue above it;
And day by day this pathway smooths,
Since first I learned to love it;
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing;
All things are mine since I am His -
How can I keep from singing?There has been a lot of confusion about this hymn.
In 1956, an additional verse was written by Doris Plenn and it was published by Pete Seeger in Sing Out! magazine (Vol. 7 No. 1, 1957). Because she had learned it from her grandmother, who said it came from the Quaker tradition, Pete Seeger identified it that way. But it is not a Quaker hymn.
Then nearly 40 years later, on the Platinum selling CD, Shepherd Moons, this hymn was sensitively sung by Enya in an ethereal arrangement by her and Nicky Ryan.
But unfortunately "How Can I Keep From Singing" was incorrectly identified as being a "Traditional Shaker Hymn." That's incorrect.
If you wish to hear Enya's performance of "How Can I Keep From Singing,"
order her CD at this link:Then who did write this inspiring hymn?
It was written by Rev. Robert Lowry (1826-1899).
He also wrote the popular Gospel hymn, "Shall We Gather At The River?"
"How Can I Keep From Singing?" was first published in a book titled: Bright Jewels for the Sunday School (New York: Bigelow & Main, 1869). Rev. Lowry is identified as the editor of this book. On page 16, in the upper right hand corner of "How Can I Keep From Singing" are the initials: "R.L." (for Robert Lowry). So he was the composer of this Sunday School hymn. The author of the text is credited to both Robert Lowry and also to a Pauline T.
Pass the word along..."How Can I Keep From Singing" is neither a Quaker hymn nor a Shaker hymn.
Instead, it should be credited to Rev. Robert Lowry, who wrote this inspirational hymn tune.
"HAPPINESS"
and
"How Happy Are They"
The Shaker hymn by Richard McNemar (1770-1839) titled, "How Happy Are They," is a variant of the non-Shaker hymn, titled "HAPPINESS" found in John Wyeth's Repository of Music, Part Second (1820). The first stanza of text, attributed to Charles Wesley, is almost identical in both the McNemar and Wyeth versions.
Here is the first verse of the Wyeth version:
O how happy are they,
Who the gospel obey,
And have laid up their treasures above,
Tongues can never express,
The sweet comfort and peace,
Of a soul in its earliest love.This is McNemar's version:
How happy are they who the gospel obey,
And have laid up their treasures above;
Tongue cannot express the sweet comforts and peace,
Of a soul in its earliest love.The major difference between the two versions are the additional verses (12 in all) written by McNemar. Did he compose the tune that was used in both versions? Since they are similar it is possible, but no proof has been found in any Shaker manuscripts that an outside compiler like John Wyeth was aware of McNemar's tune.
"How Happy Are They" is one of many impressive hymns written by Elder Richard McNmar, the most prominent early Shaer hymnodist. This hymn is included in the collection: How Happy Are They - Twelves Shaker Spirituals from Kentucky and Ohio.
The first few verses are sung by Jeff Harp on the Sampler CD, Love is Little: A Sampling of Shaker Spirituals.
"Lord of the Dance"
and
"Simple Gifts"
"Lord of the Dance"
Chorus to the hymn:
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, whereever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.This is a very popular religious folk song and deservedly so. Unfortunately, it has been sometimes incorrectly identified.
This is mostly because of the overblown show, Lord of the Dance, starring Michael Flatley - the dancer one newspaper reporter called: "Lord of the Pants." Now there is even a 3-D movie about this cheesy music and dance spectacle.
In interviews, Flatley first claimed that "Lord of the Dance" was a Celtic folk song and then said it was a Shaker song. Neither claim is correct.
"Lord of the Dance" is a song written by English songwriter and poet, Sydney Carter. He was born on May 6, 1915 - the same day as Elder Joseph Brackett, who wrote the Shaker song, "Simple Gifts." What a coincidence! When I wrote to Sydney Carter, he was very surprised to learn that fact, but also was very pleased.
Carter wrote "Lord of the Dance" in 1963, with 5 verses of original words, and based his tune on "Simple Gifts."
Sydney Carter wrote it and he should be credited for that.
To hear a lively arrangement of both "Simple Gifts" and "Lord of the Dance," order the OMEGA CD:
Simple Gifts - Benjamin Luxon and Bill Crofut Sing Folk Songs at Tanglewood
It is with great sadness to report that Sydney Carter died on March 13, 2004.
For information about him and the authentic words to "Lord of the Dance," go to his music publisher's site at:
"Simple Gifts"
Words to this song:
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be out delight
'Till by turning, turning we come round right.
There is so much confusion about this popular Shaker song, that it's time - as the song says - "we come round right."
Notice that the opening lines are not - "Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free."
Somehow these lines have been changed by folk singers over the years.
It should be: "Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free." To the Shakers, that's a big difference! They are talking about the gift from God, not just any gift.
"Simple Gifts" is usually identified either as a "Traditional Shaker Hymn" or as a "Work Song."
Actually, it's neither a hymn nor a work song.
Shaker hymns have two or more stanzas of text.
This song has only one stanza. If you look closely at the words, you'll notice such lines as: "To turn, turn will be our delight" and "'Till by turning, turning we come round right."
These are dance instructions. Several Shaker manuscripts identify this tune as a "Dancing Song."
The classification of "Simple Gifts" as a work song might be because Shaker dances were also called laboring songs. But that doesn't mean that they sang this song while working in the fields or ironing clothes. To the Shakers, "laboring" was a religious exercise to cleanse them of worldly thoughts and desires.
Many authors have failed to identify Elder Joseph Brackett as the composer of "Simple Gifts" and give the wrong date.
But the Shakers have long believed that Elder Joseph wrote the song.
Some non-Shaker authors have written he wrote it in 1875. That is incorrect. Elder Joseph's dance song was written in 1848 at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine.
In an article by Sister Mildred Barker in 1967, she mentions Elder Joseph as the composer of this dance song. She had lived her youth at the Shaker community in Alfred, and learned that Elder Joseph's song was written there.
There is also evidence in Shaker manuscripts that he wrote "Simple Gifts"
Elder Joseph Brackett Jr. was born on May 6, 1797 in Cumberland, Maine. He died on July 4, 1882 at New Gloucester, Maine. His portrait still hangs today along with other Shaker leaders at the last remaining Shaker community in Sabbathday Lake, Maine.
-- Roger Hall
Read more about Elder Joseph Brackett and his Shaker dance song in these two books:
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A GUIDE TO SHAKER MUSIC (6th edition, PineTree Press 2006)
This guide includes a chronology of Shaker music, where to find manuscripts and arrangements, and other reference information. The music supplement has fifteen Shaker tunes and texts arranged for solo voice and chorus, including an arrangement of "Simple Gifts" for voice and piano.
An attractive broadside with words and music of the Shaker dance song
Any of these items can be ordered at the
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"Run,Shaker Life"
and
"Come Life, Shaker Life
To read about these two tunes
"The Spiritual Sailor"
and
"Voyage to Canaan"
"The Spiritual Sailor"
On the Boston Camerata CD, Simple Gifts - Shaker Chants and Spirituals,
Joel Cohen wrote this about Track 31:"One of the few Shaker songs to have 'crossed over' into the larger American folk-hymn tradition, "The Spiritual Sailor" was included in reprints of The Sacred Harp until the most recent 1991 edition of that songbook."
That is only partly correct.
While it's true that "The Spiritual Sailor" was found in The Sacred Harp (and also an earlier tunebook, The Southern Harmony ), the hymn is credited there to "I. Neighbours" (who was not a Shaker) and the source indicated as the " Dover Selection."
There was a Shaker hymn with a similar text and tune to "The Spiritual Sailor."
It was titled...
"Voyage to Canaan"
This Shaker hymn was written about 1810 by Elder Richard McNemar (1770-1839). The text was included in the first Shaker hymnal, Millennial Praises (1812-1813).
Here is the first verse of this hymn:
A people called christians,
How many things they tell,
About a land of Canaan,
Where saints and angels dwell;
But sin, that dreadful Ocean
Encloses them around,
With its tides, still divides
Them from Canaan's happy ground.This is the Shaker hymn that Joel Cohen refers to and he received his information from Daniel Patterson's book, The Shaker Spiritual.
It is true the text and the tune are very similar to the Sacred Harp version. But the Shaker hymn tune was never harmonized into three or four voice parts. Only the melody was sung by the Shakers.
So did the Shaker hymn really "cross over" into another religious singing tradition?
Probably not, though there are a few examples of other Shaker hymn texts or tunes making their way into other collections, such as in The American Vocalist and The Christian Songster. But they are credited to Shaker tunes.
What is more likely is the tune and the text came from an earlier hymn, possibly written by I. Neighbours. Elder Richard McNemar came out of that Great Revival as a New Light preacher in Ohio, so he may have based his text and tune on an earlier hymn. That's why both the Sacred Harp and Shakers versions are similar. They may have originated from the same hymn source. For example, a Shaker manuscript states that McNemar based his hymn, "The Seasons," on a British folk tune, "The Black Joke," which is an unlikely choice with its bawdy original text. McNemar's hymn was reconstructed in the Shaker music series (No. 51) published in the Shaker Messenger magazine.
In any case, there is no evidence to prove that "The Spiritual Sailor" is a Shaker hymn.
The Shaker hymn text and melody is titled "Voyage to Canaan" and was written by Elder Richard McNemar.
-- Roger Hall
An arrangement of this marvelous Shaker hymn is found in the Music Supplement of
"Welcome, welcome every guest"
and
"Ode to Contentment"
"Ode to Contentment"
I was alerted to this this possible connection by Carol Medlicott, who claims the connection to a canon titled, "Welcome, welcome every guest" is very strong. Let's look at both of them.
"Ode to Contentment" is one of the earliest Shaker hymns in three part harmony (Soprano-Tenor-Bass). I first came across it in the early 1970s and have written several scholarly papers on Issachar Bates.
Yet, after all these years, there still remains uncertainty about the author of this Shaker hymn.
In one manuscript,"Ode to Contentment" is credited to Issachar Bates for the tune and Richard W. Pelham for the words at North Union, Ohio. The date is given as 1835. Yet, there is also a three part setting (Soprano-Tenor-Bass) of the hymn in a Kentukcy Shaker manuscript which reads: "Received June 20, 1833...Copied Oct. 1833." Another manuscript has this hymn credited to "E.W." So there is much confusion over who wrote what part of this Shaker hymn.
What is the reason for the difference in attribution?
There are several possibilities.
One is that both the words and music were written in 1833 by Issachar Bates, who was the most important early Shaker tunesmith. He could have written the entire hymn himself.
Another is an error in the date.Though it is difficult to prove the exact year when the words and music of this hymn were composed, what is certain is the Shakers believed the words originated at North Union, Ohio and not in Kentucky and identified it that way in their 1847 printed hymnal, A Collection of Millennial Hymns. Also, "Ode to Contentment" is included in Richard Pelham's own manuscript music book.
Naturally, like anyone else, the Shakers could have made mistakes in their attributions.
I'll go along with the Shakers who attributed this Shaker hymn to Issachar Bates for the music and Richard Pelham for the words.
"Ode to Contentment" is a lovely early hymn and is included on these CDs:
Gentle Words - A Shaker Music Sampler
Love is Little - A Sampling of Shaker Spirituals
"Welcome, welcome every guest"
Comparing "Ode to Contentment" to the canon, "Welcome, welcome every guest" is more problematic.
It is true that Issachar Bates (1758-1837) was aware of the New England singing tradition. As I wrote in my monograph, "Come Life, Shaker Life" - The Life and Music of Elder Issachar Bates, he was born in Hingham, Massachusetts and was a Baptist song leader for a few years.
He claimed to "sing nearly every song that was going, whether civil, military, sacred or profane."
One of the anthems he remembered was Jacob French's "Farewell Anthem," which Bates quoted in a letter to Shakers at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky before he returned to New Lebanon, New York in 1835. That is documented in his writings. So, it is also possible he knew the canon and used it as a basis for his own hymn tune. But I tend to doubt it since no mention is made of that connection in his writings.
Though there are some similarities in both tune structures, they are not exactly the same. There are similar melodic structures in many folk melodies (both sacred and secular).
So unless some evidence turns up in Shaker documents that Bates based his tune on that canon, I don't go along with that assumption.
-- Roger Hall
For more information see this book with highlights from the autobiography of the Shaker religious leader:
"Come Life, Shaker Life" - The Life and Music of Elder Issachar Bates
Original Shaker Music on CDs
These four CD releases are the most extensive ones featuring the Shakers singing and speaking about their own music...
Blended Together
This CD contains in-person interviews by Roger Lee Hall with several Shaker sisters about their music and also some of their singing. To order, click on this link:
Blended Together: Interviews with The Shakers
Early Shaker Spirituals
A CD collection of 40 Shaker spirituals sung by The United Society of Shakers, Sabbathday Lake, Maine. Many of the spirituals are sung by Sister R. Mildred Barker, the foremost Shaker singer of her time. The spirituals include laboring songs, gift songs, prayer songs, a hymn and anthem and several interviews with Sister Mildred Barker. Extensive notes and texts for all the music are provided by Daniel W. Patterson.
You can order from Amazon.com here:
Gentle Words - Shaker Music Sampler
Includes singing from these Shakers: Eldress Bertha Lindsay,
Sister R. Mildred Barker,
Brother Ricardo Belden,
Read more at
Shaker CD and DVD Releases
Note: This CD is also available
with the accompanying lyrics book,
Gentle Words: Shaker Music in the 20th Century on
a multimedia CD-ROM, readable on any computer.
Read more at this link:
Let Zion Move: Music of the Shakers
This 2 CD set includes 40 Shaker spirituals sung by the Shakers from Canterbury, New Hampshire and Sabbathday Lake, Maine. It includes a history of Shaker music narrated by Sister R. Mildred Barker and Sister Lillian Phelps. There are also interviews with Sister R. Mildred Barker, Eldress Bertha Lindsay, and Sister Lillian Phelps.
The interviews were done in 1960 by William (Bill) Randle, and in 1972 and 1980 by Roger Hall, who has compiled and written the otes for this unique historical collection.
The set also has an attractive 72 page illustrated booklet with examples of Shaker music and the words to all 40 Shaker spirituals plus a bibliography and discography.
You can order from Amazon.com at this link:
Let Zion Move: Music of the Shakers
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