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Shaker Music in Our Time
The music of the Shakers is among the oldest religious music composed in America.
Their first tunes were composed in the 1780s. The last known Shaker song was composed in 1959. Over those centuries thousands of songs, hymns and anthems were composed by Shaker women and men at their communities.
The most popular and best known Shaker song today was written by Elder Joseph Brackett Jr. in 1848 and titled: "Simple Gifts." There have been many arrangements of this well known Shaker dance song, especially those by composer, Aaron Copland.Also there have been different editions of"Simple Gifts" which have been published, including those by Edward Deming Andrews, Roger L. Hall, and Daniel W. Patterson.
With all the versions of "Tis the gift to be simple" being written today, there exists some confusion between what is an arrangement and what is an edition.
Arrangements
An arrangement is a piece of music that has been significantly altered, such as adding new voice parts and keyboard or with other instrumental accompaniment.
For example,"Love is Little," a Shaker song that was originally just melody only. It was arranged into a four part chorus (soprano-Alto-Tenor-Bass) by Roger Hall. Examples of Shaker arrangements are found in the Music Supplement of
"Invitation to Zion" - A Shaker Music Guide.
See also:
Shaker music arrangements
Editions
An edition is basically the original music itself with only minor changes or corrections. No significant alterations are made to the original music. Examples of this are found in Daniel Patterson's The Shaker Spiritual and Roger Hall's Love is Little: A Sampling of Shaker Spirituals [shown at left].
See the music editions listed at
There are also recordings with
edited Shaker music at
Whichever type is used for performance,
the arranger or editor should always be credited in concerts or recordings.Remember that original Shaker music may be in public domain, but much of it would not be available for performance if it were not for the work of the arrangers and editors. They deserve to be recognized for their work.
One example of a Shaker song with both an edition and arrangement is by the last Shaker male from a Massachusetts Shaker community, Brother Ricardo Belden. He was interviewed in the mid-1950s by Jerome Count from the Shaker Village Work Camp in New Lebanon, NY. Brother Ricardo sang one Shaker song during the recorded interview,
"Living Souls, Let's Be Marching" which is included on the CD: Gentle Words - A Shaker Music SamplerThere is a fascinating article titled, "Brother Ricardo Belden Revisited" by Magda Gabor-Hotchkiss in American Communal Societies Quarterly, Vol. 6/ No. 1 (January 2012). She maintains that Brother Ricardo Belden was born in 1868 not 1870, as previously thought. Also included are several pictures of Brother Ricardo demonstrating Shaker dances.
Are you looking for Shaker music to perform or research
for an article or book?
See the 56 Shaker songs and hymns listed in the Shaker Music Series
Music Publications
To read about this multi-media collection -- click here
To read about this book -- click here
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Four multimedia music collections
with historical information, sheet music,
music albums and video clips...
Read about this disc -- click here
Read about this multimedia collection -- click here
"Give Good Gifts": Shaker Music in the 20th Century
Shaker music recordings
Shaker communities have existed previously in Connecticut. Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York State, and also in Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky .
There are two historic Rounder CD releases available with singing and speaking about their music by the Shakers from New Hampshire and Maine:
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 R. Mildred Barker. Notes by Daniel W. Patterson.
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 Randle, and in 1972 and 1980 by Roger Hall, who has compiled and written the notes for this unique historical collection. The set also has an illustrated 72 page booklet written by Roger Hall with examples of Shaker music and the words to all 40 Shaker spirituals plus a bibliography and discography.
There are also two CDs featuring the Boston Camerata and other musicians, joined by the Shakers from Sabbathday Lake:
Simple Gifts: Shaker Chants and Sprirituals
The Golden Harvest: More Chants and Spirituals
Three CDs with arrangements of Shaker tunes
Both original Shaker tunes and arrangements
of Shaker songs and hymns are included on this CD:Celestial Praises: A Celebration of Shaker Spirituals (AMRC CD 0017)
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Gentle Words: A Shaker Music Sampler (AMRC CD 0016)
Some of the earliest religious vocal music
composed by women in America -- click here
John Adams and his Shaker Loops
One of the most popular classical compositions of the past few decades is an instrumental piece titled, Shaker Loops, composed by composer, John Adams. He composed this piece in remembrance of where he grew up in New England. As he tells it:
From the front window of our home in New Hampshire I could see Shaker Road, which led several miles up through the woods to a defunct Shaker colony in the nearby tiny village of Canterbury. As a child I'd heard stories, probably exaggerated, of the 'shaking' ceremonies. 'Shaker' had originally been a term of mockery. In fact, these church members called themselves the United Society of Believers. But the image of their shaking dance caught my attention. The idea of reaching a similar state of ecstatic revelation through music was certainly in my mind as I composed Shaker Loops.
--from Hallelujah Junction: Composing an American Life
by John Adams, pages 91-92.
Ken Burns and Shaker Music
Ken Burns is known for his well received series on PBS television,
such as"The Civil War"; "Baseball"; and "Jazz."One of his first documentary films he made was premiered on PBS in 1985:
Ken Burns' America: The Shakers
Film Project
A story treatment is available for consideration by filmmakers or film producers interested in a making a dramatic film about the early Shakers, including their most prominent early church leaders who were also singers and songwriters.
The story of their early years and voyage from England to America, their triumph over persecution and prejudice, and their early missionary travels would make a highly compelling dramatic film or a documentary.
The hauntingly beautiful Shaker music would be ideal for the film's soundtrack.
Inquiries about this story treatment and music should be directed to:
Music Program
Would you like to schedule a program about Shaker music for your group?
Are you interested in scheduling an entertaining music program
with Roger Lee Hall for your college, church, museum or other organization?To inquire about a Shaker music program either in person or as a webinar -- click here
Would you like to perform Shaker music with a choir in church or other location?
Roger Lee Hall has arranged many Shaker tunes over the years and some of them have been recorded.
See his list of Shaker music arrangements -- click here
If you have any questions, write to:
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