Since my first Shaker book, The Outsider, is still on e-book sale for the special low price of $1.99 for a few more days, I’m re-posting a piece I shared about the Shakers’ most famous Shaker song ten or so years ago here. I’m guessing some of you may not have been reading my posts that long or if you have, you might not remember every word. I certainly don’t. Well, not every word even though I do remember sharing about this Shaker song.
“Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free” has to be the best known line of any Shaker song. Many people change the wording a bit when they sing the song and say “Tis a gift to be simple,” but that little change of the to a does make a difference in the meaning of the song. To me, it seems to change the gift from one that is given to one we can choose.
The lyrics and music were written in 1848 by Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett of the Sabbathday Lake Village during what the Shakers called the “Era of Manifestations” or “Mother’s Work.” During this time many Shakers received what they considered “gift” songs from the spiritual realm. I set my Shaker book, The Blessed, during that odd period of Shaker history. But although The Outsider is set at an earlier time, my character, Gabrielle, was a gifted singer who often had the “gift” of an original song to share with her Shaker sisters and brothers. That was part of the conflict because of how the Shakers didn’t want to lose her talents in singing when the world began pulling her away from the Shakers.
A Shaker Song that Went into the World
While I’m not sure if Elder Brackett felt that kind of divine inspiration, but whatever his inspiration, his song has come to represent Shaker music. As the years passed, the song went beyond the Shaker villages and headed out into the “world.” In 1944 after almost all the Shaker villages had closed down due to lack of converts, the song began its rise to popularity when Aaron Copland used the song in the ballet Appalachian Spring. Many listen to the tune and think it has a Celtic background. With its lyrical sound, it’s easy to imagine someone playing the song on a flute as they dance across green fields.
Of course, the Shakers didn’t have musical instruments in their worship until very late in their history. Their voices were their musical instruments. In fact, at the very beginning of the Shakers’ worship, their songs had no actual words, but were merely chanted sounds like “la, tru, ke ka, haw, coo” or whatever sound they might decide to make. Eventually, though words became part of the songs although they did sometimes add nonsense words.
“Simple Gifts” has been adapted and arranged many times over the years. You sometimes see the song with two additional verses that were not part of the Shaker song. Perhaps the best known adaptation of the tune is Sydney Carter’s “Lord of the Dance” in 1966. But it’s been on TV (Little House on the Prairie) and in the political realm too. John Williams incorporated the tune into “Air and Simple Gifts” that was performed at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009.
The song has gone off to school and been a popular piece for various drum corps and marching bands. The Shakers might have liked people marching to their song since many of their dances were marches. While singing this particular song about the gift to be simple, they bowed and turned as they danced and sang. The song is one the historical interpreters use when they demonstrate the Shaker worship at the Pleasant Hill Shaker Village here in Kentucky.
Songs were shared between Shaker villages and this is one that was popular with all the Shakers. If you would like to actually hear the song sung as the Shakers might have sung it, you can click on this link, Simple Gifts, to take you to a beautiful rendition of the original song by gospel singer, Jeannie Mummert. It’s not quite two minutes long and is without musical accompaniment just as the Shakers would have sung it. They would be bowing and bending while they sang.
Here’s a link to my book page for The Outsider. If you click on the buy now, you can go to several bookselling sites that have the sale price. Amazon. Barnes & Noble. Kobo. Check to be sure the sale price is still available to be sure you are getting the price you wanted. This sale ends very soon and can end without notice.
What would you name as a simple gift that any of us could claim?
Comments 1
I had no idea that song originated with the Shakers. I of course have heard it many times with Appalachian Spring which is such a beautiful piece. Thank you for that bit of information! I don’t think the Shakers would have done well with the 21st century although the others who have chosen to live simple are still managing it but they choose marriage and family which is what keeps their ideas going. Depending on converts to keep your ideas alive doesn’t seem to work when you take out the natural world of marriage and family. They did leave us some lovely gifts in song and furniture.