Music of the Shakers

The largest online source
for music of the American Shakers

The Spirit is calling, tenderly calling,
O Zion unfold in deep prayer;
O pray for the fathers, the sisters and brothers,
O pray for the whole household,
O pray for the mothers, remember all others,
O pray for the whole, whole world.

-- Hymn: "Prayer Universal"

composed by Eldress Dorothy A. Durgin,
Canterbury, New Hampshire,
available on the 2 CD set,
Let Zion Move: Music of the Shakers

also on the Sampler CD,
Love is Little: A Sampling of Shaker Spirituals

Contents

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A Few Notes of Introduction

This is the largest and most accurate online site about music of the United Society of Believers (better known as The Shakers), America's oldest religious communal society.

Musicians, researchers, teachers and students beware!

You should be careful when collecting research about Shaker music due to the amount of errors on some websites and in some books and articles focusing on Shaker history by some scholars. Oftentimes their mention of Shaker music is misleading or incorrect. For example, classifying all Shaker music as "songs." There are actually three types of Shaker music which are discussed at this link: The Simple Gifts of Shaker Music.

The lack of accurate information is especially true with two of the best known Shaker dance songs: "Simple Gifts" (aka: 'Tis the gift to be simple) and "Come Life, Shaker Life."

It is common for some people, even Shaker scholars, to list "Simple Gifts" with the wrong title, such as:

"The Gift to be Simple" or "Tis a Gift to be Simple," or classify it as "an anonymous Shaker hymn."

All of those identifications are incorrect. Read about this best known Shaker song -- click here.

Giving Credit Where It Is Due

Many researchers and arrangers have failed to give proper credit to the editors of Shaker music. Also, they have not looked much beyond the best known Shaker song, "Simple Gifts." The Shakers produced thousands of tunes and many of them would be suitable for performance, providing they have been edited properly.

Without such editors as Joel Cohen, Mitzie Collins, Harold Cook, Mary Ann Haagen, Roger Lee Hall, Daniel W. Patterson and others, these Shaker spirituals would remain buried in manuscript music books in a box or storage chest somewhere. Without these editors, the music would likely stay lost.

Often it is just the arranger who gets the credit, not the editor who first discovered it and made it available in a performing edition.

Note to scholars and musicians:

Please give proper credit to the editors of Shaker music!

Latest News

Most of the information on these pages was written by ethnomusicologist Roger Hall, who has researched and performed Shaker music for forty years. He should be credited for any information used on these music pages.

American Music Preservation.com is an informational site which receives no funding from outside foundations or organizations.

Please help keep this site online by making a donation with a credit card, payable to PineTree Productions, through safe and secure PayPal.

For a donation of $25 or more, you will receive a complimentary non-commercial CD, "Simple Gifts of Shaker Music, compiled by Shaker music scholar, Roger Hall, with over one hour of music, including 6 different versions of the best known Shaker song, "Simple Gifts," and Free Shipping is included.

Click on this button to

After you have made your donation,
to receive your complimentary CD,
send your mailing address to:

Simple Gifts of Shaker Music CD

"May We Ever Be United" -
Music of the North Union, Ohio Shakers

This music collection is now available here.

Celebrating 40 years of music research...

Deluxe DVD:
A Shaker Music Miscellany
Compiled by Roger Lee Hall

"Simple Gifts"
(first line: 'Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free)

Find out more about the best known Shaker song,
click on this link to read about

Joseph Brackett's "Simple Gifts"

Now available with music and video bonus features!
The multimedia DVD,
THE STORY OF SIMPLE GIFTS

Read more at

Shaker Books

Read the interview by David Crumm speaking
with author Roger Hall about his book THE STORY OF SIMPLE GIFTS at

Read the Spirit.com

An Introduction To Shaker Music

A Sampling of Shaker Music

Blended Together:
Discoveries Along The Shaker Music Trail

To order, click on this link to the

AMP Store

A GUIDE TO SHAKER MUSIC - With Music Supplement
(6th edition)

The Shakers used their own type of music notation
which they called - "the Letteral System."
This letteral notation was discussed in detail
in the first Master's Thesis on Shaker music,
researched and written by Roger L. Hall.

He has provided examples of this notation
in his book, A GUIDE TO SHAKER MUSIC,
with a Music Supplement containing15 Shaker spirituals)
available at this link:

Shaker music collections

Music Broadsides

A series of attractive 8 1/2 X 11 broadsides in full color.

This series includes
the words and/or music to selected Shaker songs,
edited by Roger Hall,
with colorful art design by Gail Hall.

They make ideal gifts and are suitable for framing.

There are currently six Shaker song titles in this series:

No. 1: "Simple Gifts" (Joseph Brackett Jr., Alfred, Maine, 1848)
[First line: 'Tis the gift to be simple 'tis the gift to be free]

No. 2: "Blended Together" (Joseph Holden, New Lebanon, NY, ca. 1870)
[First line: Blended together as one we stand]

No. 3: "Gentle Words" (Polly M. Rupe, Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, ca. 1867)
[First line: What the dew is to the flower, gentle words are to the soul]

No. 4:"Love is Little" (South Union, Kentucky, ca. 1834) - NEW!
[First line: Love is little, love is low ]

No. 5: "Welcome, Welcome" (Enfield, New Hampshire, 1869)
[First line: Welcome, welcome precious gospel kindred]

No. 6: "We Will All Go Home With You" (Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1862)
[First line: We will all go home with you, home to worlds of glory]

To order any of these colorful broadsides,
go to the

Store

All six broadsides are also available together on a CD-ROM.
To inquire about this disc for your computer, write to:

Shaker broadsides

Original Shaker Music on CDs

Contrary to what many writers have written, Shaker music is not all anonymous or "traditional."

In fact, a large number of their songs, hymns and anthems are credited to Shaker poets and composers.

Many Shaker spirituals were written by a Shaker sister or brother, who wrote the words and/or the music.

For example these Shaker spirituals...

"Let Zion Move" by Eldress Mary Ann Gillespie
CD: Let Zion Move

"Blended Together" by Elder Joseph Holden
CD: Blended Together

Two of the most important CD releases are on Rounder Records with 40 spirituals each, sung by the Shakers from Sabbathday Lake , Maine and Canterbury, New Hampshire , with background notes by two authorities on the subject:

Early Shaker Spirituals: The United Society of Shakers,Sabbathday Lake Maine,
with CD notes by Daniel W. Patterson

Let Zion Move: Music of the Shakers
2 CD set and illustrated booklet,
with CD notes by Roger L. Hall

Many of the harmonized hymns performed on this CD set are from the 1908 Canterbury Shaker hymnal.

A Composer Meets The Shakers

In 1974, Shaker music scholar, Roger Hall, introduced
a distinguished American composer to three Shakers
from Sabbathday Lake, Maine.
Read more at

Aaron Copland Meets The Shakers

There is an exclusive interview with Aaron Copland in the book,
THE STORY OF 'SIMPLE GIFTS,'
available on a multimedia DVD-R
readable on your computer.

To order, go to

Shaker Books

Non-Shaker and Shaker Tunes

Read about the anniversaries of
"The Earthquake" (1811),
"Come Life, Shaker Life" (1835),
"On the Landing of Mother Ann in America" (1860),
"A Prayer for the Captive" (1862)
at

Shaker music news

Shaker Music History

Read Roger Lee Hall's article about the evolution of Shaker music
from the time of the early leaders: Mother Ann Lee, Father William Lee, and Father James Whittaker, to the present day at this link:

Shaker Music History

Lecture: "Celestial Praises" -
Music of the New Hampshire Shakers
presented by Roger Lee Hall

Concert: "Sweet Communion" -
A Celebration of Shaker Life and Music
with The Canterbury Shaker Village Singers,
conducted by Kathy Southworth

For more information click here

A Selection of Shaker Music on CDs

Back by popular demand!

including popular Shaker songs like
"Come Life, Shaker Life" and "Simple Gifts"
plus an exclusive interview with composer, Aaron Copland,
and singing by Shaker sisters on this CD,

Gentle Words: A Shaker Music Sampler

The Humble Heart:
Twenty-four Shaker Spirituals

I Am Filled With Heavenly Treasures
(The Enfield Shaker Singers)

The River of Love:
Music of the Shakers and
Music Based on Shaker Themes
(New England Voices)

Shaker Music For Concerts or Recordings

If you are looking for one or more Shaker spirituals to perform in a concert
or to include on a recording, see these links:

Shaker music arrangements

Shaker music collections and songbooks

Shaker music series