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The music of the Shakers (officially known as The United Society of Believers) contains some of the most beautiful religious folk melodies from America's past.
Yet much of their music remains unknown today to the general public,
except for the Shaker dance song, "Tis the gift to be simple."
For over 150 years, from the 1780s to 1950s,
over 10,000 tunes were composed by the Shakers.
The last remaining Shaker communitiy is located at Sabbathday Lake, Maine.
One of the favorite Shaker songs has been...
"Come Life, Shaker Life"
Shaker music manuscript
(Courtesy: Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio)
The above illustration shows the Shaker dance song written in a music notation using letters of the alphabet, which the Shakers called "the letteral system."
This quick dance song was composed by Elder Issachar Bates (1758-1837),
and
he wrote the song in 1835,
the same year the well known hymn "Amazing Grace" (or NEW BRITAIN) was printed in
William Walker's The Southern Harmony.
A description of the Shaker dance song is included in this monograph:
"Come Life, Shaker Life" -- The Life and Music of Elder Issachar Bates by Roger L. Hall
Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of incorrect information spread around
about Shaker music by writers and musicians.
The most common error is classifying all Shaker music as
Traditional or Anonymous Hymns.
That is incorrect and misleading.
There are actually three broad categories of Shaker music:
Hymns, Anthems, and Songs
Because of these categories, they are more accurately classified in total as:
Shaker Spirituals
Contrary to what most writers have written,
many of these spirituals have been credited to
a Shaker sister or brother, such as Tis the gift to be simple (or SIMPLE GIFTS)
The most important CD releases are those on Rounder Records
with the Shakers from Sabbathday Lake , Maine, and Canterbury, New Hampshire
singing and speaking about their music, with notes by two authorities on the subject:
Let Zion Move: Music of the Shakers
2 CD set with illustrated booklet
and notes by RogerL. Hall
Many of the harmonized hymns performed on this CD set are from the
1908 Canterbury Shaker hymnal.
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Read 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 with the Sabbathday Lake Shakers at this link:
Spring Sale until 31 May 2008!
Order now at the
NEW! Blended Together: Shaker Hymns and Songs
NEW! For the Love of Zion -- Simplicity vocal quartet
NEW! The Humble Heart: Twenty-four Shaker Spirituals
NEW! The River of Love -- New England Voices
Click on this link for the list of
CD Releases -- Original and Arranged Shaker Tunes
Shaker Music Collections and Songbooks
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A Guide to Shaker Music - With Music Supplement
A few copies remain of the Rare First Edition of the songbook with 36 Shaker tunes titled:
Love is Little: A Sampling of Shaker Spirituals
"Simple Gifts" (first line: 'Tis the gift to be simple)
Elder Joseph Brackett's 'SIMPLE GIFTS'
NEW!
Read about the life of this important Shaker leader and
two of his Shaker songs in a new book titled,
Elder Joseph Brackett: Shaker Songwriter (PineTree Press, 2008)
Tune Talk - discussion of Joseph Brackett's "Simple Gifts" & Sydney Carter's "Lord of the Dance."
Wikipedia - article about "Simple Gifts."
YouTube - A selection of various arrangements can be found in the "Simple Gifts" group.
Aaron Copland Meets The Shakers
Celestial Praises - Music by the Shakers
NEW!
Read a review of the play by Arlene Hutton about nine Shaker sisters
at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky at this link:
Recommended Books and Articles
Rare copy of THE SHAKER MESSENGER magazine available at
Aaron Copland Meets The Shakers -- photo and description of their first meeting.
American Music Recordings Collection -- Interviews and Shaker music available on CD-R and DVD-R.
American Shaker Music Links -- for listing of museums and other organizations.
American Shaker Music (Home page) -- the oldest site on the Internet dealing with Shaker music
and containing useful information, including book and CD reviews.
Books and Articles -- relating to Shaker music. .
New England Song: From The Pilgrims To Patriotism -- includes Shaker music.
New England Songster -- music collection with Shaker songs.
PineTree Music -- arrangements of Shaker tunes by Roger Hall.
Shaker Music Lectures and Workshops -- programs about Shaker music and folk art.
Simple Gifts of Shaker Music -- List of recommended CDs at Amazon.com
Tune Talk -- Joseph Brackett's "Simple Gifts" and Sydney Carter's "Lord of the Dance."
Wikipedia -- article about "Simple Gifts."
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