Shaker Music History: A Brief Introduction
Today the Shakers are known especially for their simple and beautiful furniture and artifacts.
Yet their music played a longer and more important role in Shaker history.
They composed more music than any other religious communal society in the USA --
well over 10,000 songs, hymns and anthems.
Contrary to popular belief, all Shaker folk tunes are not "Traditional" or "Anonymous."
It is also incorrect to classify all Shaker music as "songs."
There were three main categories of Shaker music (each with one example listed):
- one verse songs: "Gentle Words" (Polly M. Rupe, ca. 1867)
- multi-verse hymns: "The Humble Heart" (Words: Eunice Wyeth/ tune: Thomas Hammonmd, ca. 1820)
- through-composed anthems: "Mount Zion" (Issachar Bates, ca. 1815)
Because they were often inspirationally received and revivalistic,
like Afro-American spirituals, they are best classified together as -- Shaker spirituals.
The Shakers Arrival in America
From Shakerism: Its Meaning and Message, by Anna White and Leila S. Taylor, 1904
On the 19th of May 19, 1774, a band of nine set sail from Liverpool in the ship Mariah for New York. Besides Ann Lee there was her husband, Abraham Stanley, her brother, William Lee, James Whittaker, John Hochnell and his son Richard, James Shepherd, Mary Partington,and Nancy Lee, a niece of Ann Lee...The ship was an old, leaky vessel which had been condemned as unseaworthy. They were two and a half months on the voyage and narrowly escaped foundering in a storm...Mother Ann went to the captain saying:
"Captain, be of good cheer; there shall a hair of our heads perish; we shall all arrive safe in America. I just saw two bright angels of God standing by the mast, through whom I received this promise."
Soon after, a great wave struck the ship, and, it is thoiught, pressed into place a loose plank. The leak was stopped and after this the captain gave his strange passengers full liberty to worship as they felt right, and upon his arrival in New York he decalred that but these people he would never have reached America."
They arrived in New York City on August 6, 1774. This important date was celebrated in later Shaker hymns and songs.
One of the earliest and most important accounts was told in Elder Richard McNemar's powerful ballad hymn
titled
simply, "Mother." It was published in 1813 in the first Shaker hymnal, Millennial Praises,
which contained only texts and no music.
The tune was included in the Shaker Song Series in the The Shaker Messenger Magazine in 1983, edited by Roger Hall.
There were sixteen verses to this hymn beginning with this one:
Let names and sects and parties
Accost my ears no more,
My ever blessed Mother,
Forever I'll adore:
Appointed by kind heaven,
My Savior to reveal,
Her doctrine is confirmed
With an eternal seal.
Sister Mildred Barker introduced this ballad hymn in 1974 at a Sabbathday Lake conference
celebrating the bicentennial of the Shakers arrival in America.
She began at the sixth verse:
At Manchester, in England,
This blessed fire began,
And like a flame in stubble,
From house to house it ran:
A few at first receiv'd it,
And did their lusts forsake;
And soon their inward power
Brought on a mighty shake.
This ballad hymn was edited by Roger Hall and published in The Shaker Messenger magazine in 1983.
It was later included on the CD and accompanying songbook titled,
Love is Little: A Sampling of Shaker Spirituals
The first Shaker settlement was located at Niskayuna (later Watervliet), New York in 1776.
However, their first organized community was at New Lebanon (later called Mount Lebanon), New York in 1787.
Besides New York, the Shakers had communities or land in other states as well:
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana,
Georgia and Florida.
Early Shaker Songs
The first Shaker tunes in America were written during the 1780s mostly by their church leaders (or "Gospel Parents")
who had emigrated from England: Mother Ann Lee; her brother, Father William Lee; and Father James Whittaker.
All three wrote songs.
The earliest known Shaker songs were composed without any text and sung with just syllables,
which is similar to a song tradition from England and Scotland known as "mouth music."
"Mother Ann's Song" from 1783,
has been recorded on the "My Shaker Home" CD. To listen to this song -- click here.
Here is that song along with several others credited to early Shaker leaders.
All the tunes
written in Shaker alphabet music notation...
Page from a Shaker manuscript volume
(Courtesy: American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts)
Many of the wordless were used for dancing and sung to syllables similar to the "mouth music" in England.
Mother Ann and a small group of her followers including her brother, Father William Lee,
landed in New York City
on August 6, 1774.
Their first settlement in New York State was in a place first called Niskayuna (later changed to Watervliet).
Here is a quote about her singing from the well-researched book by Richard Francis,
Ann The Word: The Story of Ann Lee, Female Messiah, Mother of the Shakers,
The Woman Clothed With the Sun
(Arcade Publishing, New York, 2001)
Also Richard Francis wrote that while she was on a missionary trip at Enfield, Connecticut in 1782:
Mother Ann appeared in front of the crowd, and sounded the gospel trumpet with singing.
Her voice very powerful and singing truly melodious.
"On the Landing of Mother Ann in America"
The most important anniversary celebrated each year by the Shakers
is the arrival of their spiritual leader, Mother Ann Lee,
and a
small number of Believers in America. They left Liverpool, England in May
and arrived in New York City on
August 6, 1774.
This is a very important date because it signifies the beginning of the Shaker Church in America.
The event was
often celebrated in later years with new songs and hymns.
One of these is a Shaker hymn titled, "On the Landing of Mother Ann in
America," and it has four verses.
This is the first verse:
O hail this happy welcome day,
When blessed Mother Ann
First landed in America
With her devoted band.
How did the wilderness resound
With Angel's songs of praise
When they on fair Columbia's ground
The gospel standard raised.
Chorus:
Again let the forest loudly resound,
Dear Children of Mother;
Her beautiful way our Spirits have found,
Surpassing all others.
The hymn was written at North Union (today Shaker Heights, Ohio) just before the outbreak of the Civil War.
The Shaker composer of this hymn is unknown.
Listen to the first verse of "On the Landing of Mother Ann in America"
sung by Chorus
on Sampler Records, 1996 -- click here
This Shaker hymn was included in a music collection compiled by Roger Hall:
Around 1830, three-part tunes began to be composed,
and by the 1870s, four part hymns and anthems (S-A-T-B)
were printed in their hymnals.
Many of the spirituals are attributed to individual Shaker brethren or sisters.
The Shakers also composed many songs for dancing during their worship ritual.
Two Popular Dance Songs
Probably the best known of their dancing songs is --
"Simple Gifts" (aka by its first line: 'Tis the gift to be simple)
by Elder Joseph Brackett written in 1848.
Another popular title is the quick dance song, "Come Life, Shaker Life"
composed by Issachar Bates about 1835
and shown here in Shaker alphabet music notation:
From a Shaker music manuscript
(Courtesy: Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio)
Shaker Hymn: "On the Birthday of Mother Ann"
Shaker hymn with words and tune by Elder James Prescott, North Union, Ohio.
This hymn was first published in The Shaker Messenger in 1982,
edited by Roger Hall.
Here is the first of the six stanzas:
We praise the name of Mother,
We hail the day she's born,
We
all unite together
To celebrate this morn.
We hail the name of Mother
And that eventful day
When she did cross the ocean
To North America (sung as "Amerikay").
This hymn about Mother Ann was edited
from his extensive research on music of the North Union Shakers
which he researched for his Ph.D dissertation.
His research was later published in a book titled,
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"May We Ever Be United":
Music of the North Union, Ohio Shakers (PineTree Music)
The 50th anniversary of the Shakers meeting Aaron Copland
© Photopgrah by Gail M. Hall, 1974
Read about when several Shakers from Sabbathday Lake, Maine
were introduced
to distinguished American composer, Aaron Copland by Shaker music scholar, Roger Lee Hall.
It was the only time they met.
Read about this meeting in 1974 in this multimedia collection with over 500 files and 100 audio examples:
An interview with Aaron Copland is included in this PDF book about the best-known Shaker song:
A False Identification
This picture circulating on the Web claims to be Mother Ann Lee...
That is FALSE.
The picture is NOT Mother Ann Lee (1736-1784) since there are no pictures or portaits from her lifetime.
The above picture is of Eldress Anna White (1831-1910) at Mount Lebanon, New York.
Please help correct this
error if you notice it on the web or in print.
If you are interested in sponsoring a webinar
about the popular Shaker song "Simple Gifts" (aka: Tis the gift to be simple)
or some other Shaker music topic
write to Mr. Hall
by clicking here
To read about Roger Hall's extensive work in Shaker music
including research and recordings - click here
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