Simple Gifts
"Simple Gifts" is an
1848 traditional
Shaker song.
It has endured many inaccurate descriptions. Though often classified as an anonymous Shaker
hymn or as a work song, it is better classified as a dance song.
The song was composed by
Joseph Brackett, who was born in
Cumberland, Maine, on
May 6,
1797. He first joined the
Shakers at Gorham, Maine when his father's farm helped to form the nucleus of a new Shaker settlement. In 1819, Joseph moved with the other Shakers to Poland Hill, Maine.
He later served as first minister of Maine Shaker societies, as well as Church Elder at New Gloucester, now known as Sabbathday Lake, the last remaining Shaker community.
Elder Joseph Brackett died on
July 4,
1882.
"Simple Gifts" was written by Elder Joseph while he was at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine in
1848. These are the lyrics to his one verse 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 our delight,:::Till by turning, turning we come round right.
Several Shaker manuscripts indicate that this is a "Dancing Song" or a "Quick Dance." That is apparent with such lines of the song as "turn, turn will be our delight" and "turning, turning we come round right". These are dance instructions. (It should also be noted that the tune traditionally paired with these lyrics (see below) is also used in many hymnals for the song
"Lord of the Dance".)
A manuscript of Mary Hazzard of the New Lebanon Shaker community records this original version of the melody:
This Shaker dance song has become world famous thanks to its use in
Aaron Copland's ballet score,
Appalachian Spring, first performed in
1944. Copland used "Simple Gifts" a second time in
1950 in his first set of
Old American Songs for voice and piano, which was later orchestrated.
Elder Joseph's song has been adapted or arranged many times by folksingers and composers. Probably the best known example is by English songwriter
Sydney Carter, who adapted the Shaker tune for his song "
Lord of the Dance", first published in
1963.
Composer Roger Hall, an authority on Shaker music, arranged the song for voice and piano in 1998.
In
2004,
Robert Steadman arranged the tune for
orchestra featuring an off-stage
trumpet and a thumping, dance-music influenced finale.
Two additional, later verses exist for the song, as follows:::'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,::'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,::And when we expect of o-thers what we try to live each day,::Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,::(refrain)::'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,::'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",::And when we hear what others really think and really feel,::Then we'll all live together with a love that is real.
It has been noted that these later verses are of a more facile sentiment and do not fit the rhythm of the tune so well.
The Copland version of the melody was used as the theme music for the
CBS News series of
documentary specials,
CBS Reports, the earliest of which (1959) were hosted by
Edward R. Murrow (who was born to a
Quaker family).
The song was also used in a film about a mentally disturbed child. The movie concerns Tarra, a troubled child, who develops a friendship with a grown man no more than a child himself. The film was made when the actual girl, on whose story the movie is based, turned seven. "Simple Gifts" went to Cannes Film Festival the spring of 1998.
The melody of the song was also heard from the background in the Election night of
1996 when
President William Jefferson Clinton and his family exited the
Arkansas Governor's mansion and were greeted by crowd when it was announced that he has won re-election.
An ABC western from the early 1970's, "Alias Smith and Jones" featured the song in several episodes. It was sung in the last episode
Only Three to a Bed, by guest star Jo Ann Pflug.
*Edward Deming Andrews (1940),
The Gift to be Simple - Songs, Dances and Rituals of the American Shakers, J.J. Augustin. Republished by Dover Publications in 1962.
*Roger L. Hall (2006),
The Story of 'Simple Gifts' - Joseph Brackett's Shaker Dance Song, PineTree Press.
*Roger L. Hall (2002),
A Guide to Shaker Music - With Music Supplement, 5th edition, PineTree Press.
*Daniel W. Patterson (1979),
The Shaker Spiritual, Princeton University Press. Republished by Dover Publications in 2000. ISBN 0486413756
*
American Shaker Music*
Joseph Brackett's 'Simple Gifts'*
Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village*
Easybyte - free easy piano arrangement of Simple Gifts
