gentle words - The Gothic Catalog

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gentleShaker Songs

arranged byKevin Siegfried

words

The Tudor ChoirDoug Fullington

what the dew is to the flowergentle words are to the souland a blessing to the giverand so dear to the receiverwe should never withhold

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LRCD–1041

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gentlewordsShaker Songs

arranged by Kevin Siegfried

The Tudor ChoirDoug Fullington, director

Loft�Recordings�CDs�

are�available�from�

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Visit�the�Gothic�Catalog�

Web�site�to�see�our�full�range�

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1| I will bow and be simple 1.41

2| In yonder valley 1.53

3| All is summer 1.31

5| Love is little (e) 2.38

6| The burning day 2.40

7| Circular march 0.41

4| O Lord make me pure 1.53

8| Help me, O Lord 1.06

9| Heavenly display (e,a) 1.17

10| Followers of the Lamb (e,a) 2.00

11| Come to Zion 2.46

12| We must be meek (b) 1.25

13| Lay me low 4.01

14| Solemn song (c) 1.53

15| Beautiful treasure (c) 2.36

16| Peace 2.49

17| Angels of heaven 2.24

18| Hunger and thirst (d) 2.11

19| Dismission of Great I 1.21

total 67.33

20| Revelation (c) 2.14

21| Prayer for the captive (e) 3.45

22| Gentle words (d) 4.00

23| Beautiful valley 3.08

24| Jubilee 2.26

25| Ezekiel’s vision 2.40

26| Almighty Savior 4.45

27| Cords of love 2.34

28| I will go on my way 3.03

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 26, and 27 arranged by Kevin Siegfried.Italicized letters following song titles refer to soloists listed on page 19.

C R E D I T S

Catalog number | LRCD–1041

RecordedSeptember 2000, Kirkland, WA

ProducerBrian Fairbanks

Recording EngineerBill Levey

Editing and MasteringBill Levey

Executive ProducerRoger Sherman

PhotographsKathleen Mahoney

m 1993 Penguin Group

Graphic DesignAbbey Hallberg Siegfried

This recording and the booklet are m and r by Loft Recordings, LLC, 2001.Manufactured in the United States.

All rights of the producer and the owner of the work reproduced are reserved. Unauthorized

copying, hiring, lending, rental, public performance, or broadcasting of this record is prohibited.


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ABOUT THE MUSIC

The Shakers, or United Society of Believers,originated in England around 1747. In 1770, thecharismatic Ann Lee became the acknowledgedleader of this small, spirited band. Their animatedand ecstatic worship practices incorporatingdancing and singing gave rise to their commonname. Directed by a revelation, nine Shakers,including Mother Ann Lee, departed forAmerica in 1774, to escape persecution andspread their unique message. Stanzas from theearly hymn Mother tell the story:

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 powerBrought on a mighty shake.

The rulers cried, “Delusion!Who can these Shakers be?Are these the wild fanatics,Bewitched by Ann Lee?We’ll stop this noise and shaking,It never shall prevail;We’ll seize the grand deceiver;And thrust her into jail.”

Before the learned councils,Though oft she was arraign’d,Her life was uncondemned,Her character unstain’d:And by her painful travel,Her suff’rings and her toil,A little Church was formedOn the European soil.

This little band of union,In apostolic life,Remain’d awhile in England,Among the sons of strife;Till the Columbian Eagle,Borne by an eastern breeze,Convey’d this little KingdomAcross the rolling Seas.

To mark their shining passage,Good angels flew before,Towards the land of promise,Columbia’s happy shore.Hail, thou victorious gospel!And that auspicious day,When Mother safely landedIn Hudson’s lovely bay!

WA 9 8 1 0 2 Te l e p h o n e 2 0 6 . 3 2 3 . 9 4 1 5 We b www. t u d o r c h o i r . o r g

A specialist in Tudor English and early American music,Doug Fullington is a conductor,singer, and dance historian. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in HistoricalMusicology and Law from the University of Washington. Doug founded The Tudor Choir in 1993and conducts the choir’s subscription series in Seattle, including popular performances of Handel’sMessiahwith the Seattle Baroque Orchestra. He also frequently conducts singers in studio sessionsfor film soundtracks and made-for-TV programs. Active as a freelance singer, Doug has performedwith The Tallis Scholars in the United States and in Europe. As a dance historian, he is a fluentreader of the Russian notation system developed by Vladimir Stepanov in the 1890s. His writingson the Stepanov notations have been published in Ballet Review, Dancing Times, Dance View, andBallet Alert! He is also currently a principal researcher for The George Balanchine Foundation’sPopular Balanchine project.

Kevin Siegfried is currently a doctoral student in composition at the New EnglandConservatory in Boston, where he studies with Lee Hyla, Michael Gandolfi, and Daniel Pinkham.He also holds an M.A. in Composition with a minor in Medieval Studies from The University ofIowa and a B.A. in Music from Antioch College, Ohio. In 1995, he was awarded a StanleyFellowship to study South Indian vocal music in Madras, India. Kevin has worked extensively inthe field of music as composer, singer, conductor, and teacher. His work in church music includesMusic Director positions at several churches and composing extensively for liturgical use. He hastaught at The University of Iowa, The Northwest School, and the New England Conservatory. Hismusic is performed widely throughout the U.S. and his choral music is published by earthsongs,Ionian Arts, and Trinitas.


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Near Albany they settled,And waited for a while,Until a mighty shakingMade all the desert smile.At length a gentle whisper,The tidings did convey,And many flock’d to Mother,To learn the living way.

Through storms of persecution,The truth she did maintain,And show’d how sin was conquer’d,And how we’re born again:The old corrupted nature,From place to place she trod,And show’d a new creation,The only way to God.

About four years she labour’dWith the attentive throng,Confirm’d the young believers,And help’d their souls along.At length she clos’d her labour,And vanish’d out of sight,And left the Church increasing,In the pure gospel light.

“Put your hands to work and your hearts toGod,” Mother Ann told her followers, and this

they did. Shaker communal societies spreadthroughout the eastern United States and westto Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, with a totalestimated population of 6,000 at its peak by the1840s. Guided by the principles of celibacy anddevotion to the gospel, these societies were characterized by pacifism, gender/racial equality, and an astounding industriousness andinvention. With one society still remaining todayin Maine, the Shakers have outlived all other“utopian” religious communities, leaving anindelible mark on American culture.

The visionary and original Shaker spirit perhapsfound its greatest expression in music and dance.As a result, Shaker music represents the largestbody of folksong in American history withapproximately 10,000 songs in existence.Seeking separation from the world, the earlyShakers avoided all harmony and instrumentalaccompaniment in their music, and created theirown musical notation to record their unique,unfettered songs. These melodies reveal aninspired imagination and strong sense of musicalline and proportion.

Because Shaker music is undeniably importantto American musical history and culture, mygoal in arranging these Shaker melodies for

4Th e Tu d o r C h o i r 2 3 6 6 E a s t l a k e Av e n u e E a s t S u i t e 4 0 6 S e a t t l e

The Tudor Choir is a professional mixed-voice choir which maintains a flexible membership ofbetween 10 and 30 singers. Founded by Artistic Director Doug Fullington in 1993, the choir specializes in Renaissance polyphony and also sings Baroque, early American, and 20th-centurymusic. The Tudor Choir has sung under guest conductors Stephen Cleobury, Martin Haselböck, PaulHillier, Andrew Parrott, and Peter Phillips. In addition to an annual subscription series presented inthe Seattle area, where they are Artists in Residence at St. Mark’s Cathedral, The Tudor Choir has performed with Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Mark Morris Dance Group. The choir has also performed in conjunction with Seattle Opera, recorded for Seattle Symphony Orchestra’s “MusicallySpeaking” series, and performed live on NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion” broadcast.

Gentle Words is The Tudor Choir’s third compact disc recording. Other recordings include TheShapenote Album, a collection of American shapenote tunes, and Fair with her firstborn, Englishchant, polyphony, and carols for Christmas. All are on the Loft Recordings label and are availablethrough Loft Recordings.

THE PERFORMERS

Soprano Alto Tenor BassJennifer Fanning Penni Ferraris (c) Jody Franich Mark Powell Ann Glusker (a) Gretchen Hubbert Richard Greene Cullen StephensonJennifer Hrachovec Linda Sabee (d) David Stutz (e) Manard StewartLisa Cardwell Pontén (b)

The Tudor Choir thanks Nicholas J. Bez for his generous support of this recording project. We alsothank Lola Wolf, Dent Davidson and James Paddleford, Lindsey and Bob Ein, Frank and SandraFullington, George and Lill Hallberg, Noël Pelly, John and Susan Siegfried, William and AnnStickney, Amelia Berg, Brett Burnside, Charles and Maria Coldwell, Shirley Fox, Mark andRosemary Freed, Dale and Jeannie Hutchinson, and Dennis and Margaret Purvine for their support.


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choirs is to make them accessible and useful inmodern worship and concert settings. Central toall Shaker art and music is the theme of functionality, defined by use. It is my hope thatthese arrangements will move the Shaker songsfrom historical text into living musical settings.They seek to combine the Shaker themes ofbeauty, simplicity, and utility.

As a composer and arranger, my approach tothese songs grew out of an intense involvementwith the material, rather than a preconceivedidea rooted in my particular musical style. I haveattempted to maintain the simplicity and directness of the original, unison melodies, withan emphasis on unison singing and antiphonalperformance which were at the very heart ofShaker musical practice. The majority of Shakersongs still remain hidden from public view,requiring a massive effort of compilation andtranscription. I am most grateful to the scholarsand performers whose passion and activity inthe realm of Shaker song study and transcriptionhave brought so much to light: E.D. Andrews,Mitzie Collins, Harold Cook, Randy Folger,Roger Hall, and Daniel Patterson.

My first introduction to Shaker music camethrough reading E.D. Andrews’ famous bookThe Gift to be Simple. The man who brought

Shaker music alive to my ears and imaginationwas Randy Folger, who performed daily in themeeting house at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hillin Kentucky. Randy’s position as Music andSpecial Programs Manager at Shaker Villagegave him the opportunity to establish a deep,intimate relationship with Shaker music. Asanyone who heard him knows, he gave himselfwholly to the songs, resurrecting the power andspirit of an inspired Shaker singer. It wasRandy who first encouraged me in this projectof arranging Shaker songs. Sadly, his life wastaken in an auto accident in 1999. This recording is dedicated to him, in gratitude forhis friendship, encouragement, and inspiration.

To Randy –your voice breathed life and goes on singing.

Kevin Siegfried

28| I will go on my wayEnfield, New Hampshire

I will go on my wayand I will not look back,my march is for Heaven, that beautiful land,where roses and lilies eternally bloom,and sorrow and sighingshall nevermore come.

My faith is established, the road it is sure,my calling is sacred, and I will endureall crosses and trials that come in my way;I will conquer and reign in this beautiful day.

Notes © Kevin Siegfried, 2001

Peace, Love is Little, Heavenly Display, and Lay Me Loware published and distributed solely by earthsongs © 1997 (collection entitled Shaker Songs). For furtherinformation on Shaker Songs contact: earthsongs, 220 NW 29th St., Corvallis, OR 97330 / (541) 758-5760www.earthsongsmus.com All other arrangements © Kevin Siegfried, 2001. Information about these arrangements can be obtained through The Tudor Choirwww.tudorchoir.org.

Bibliography

Andrews, Edward D. The Gift to be Simple:Songs Dances and Rituals of the American Shakers. New York: J.J. Augustin, 1940; reprint, New York: Dover Publications, 1962.

Cook, Harold E. Shaker Music: AManifestation of American Folk Culture.Lewisburg, Pennsylvania: BucknellUniversity Press, 1973.

Hall, Roger, ed. Love is Little: A Sampling ofShaker Spirtuals. Rochester, New York:Sampler Records, 1996.

Millennial Praises, Containing a Collection ofGospel Hymns in Four Parts: Adapted to theDay of Christ’s Second Appearing. Hancock,Massachusetts: Josiah Tallcott, Junior,1813; reprint, West Newbury, Vermont:Ark of Safety, 2000.

Morse, Flo. The Shakers and the World’s People. Hanover, New Hampshire: UniversityPress of New England, 1980.

Patterson, Daniel W. The Shaker Spiritual.Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1979.

A Summary View of the Millennial Church, or United Society of Believers, Commonly Called Shakers. Albany, New York: C. Van Benthuysen, 1848; reprint, West Newbury, Vermont: Ark of Safety, 1998.

A Shaker Hymnal: A Facsimile of the 1908 Hymnal of the Canterbury Shakers. Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press, 1996.


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TEXTS AND NOTES

1| I will bow and be simpleText and tunes: adapted from the Shaker songs I willbow and be simple, New Lebanon, New York 1840s; andWho will bow and bend like a willow, Canterbury, NewHampshire, ca. 1843.

Who will bow and bend like a willow,who will turn and twist and reel,in the gale of simple freedom,from the bower of union flowing?

I will bow and be simple,I will bow and be free,I will bow and be humble,yea, bow like the willow tree.

Who will bow, this is the token,who will wear the easy yoke,who will bow and be broken,who will fall upon the rock?

Who will drink the wine of power,dropping down like a shower, pride and bondage all forgetting?The Lord’s wine is freely working.

Oh, ho! Who will have it,who will bow and bend to get it?

We’ll be reeling, turning, twisting,shake out all the starch and stiff’ning!

A recurring image in Shaker texts, the willowtree provided the Shakers with a poetic exampleof the supple attributes of humility. Indeed thewillow draws its strength and power from itstree’s ability to yield to the forces of nature. Inaddition to the widely known “Simple gifts,” composed by Elder Joseph Brackett in1848 (“. . . to bow and to bend we shan’t beashamed . . .”), these two other songs from the1840s also make effective use of this willowimagery. As if derived from one another, bothsongs begin with a major triad, the Canterburysong imploring, “Who will bow and bend like awillow?” and the New Lebanon song, as if inresponse, asserting, “I will bow and be simple . . .”In this arrangement, both are adapted to createan antiphonal performance emphasizing thequestion and answer relationship.

2| In yonder valleyText and tune: Father James WhittakerEnfield, Connecticut, 1787

In yonder valley there grows sweet union, let us arise and take our fill.

Almighty Savior, hear my prayer,and heal my soul with sorrow torn;A wounded spirit who can bear,yet by Thy help it can be born.

Give me, O Lord, repenting powerto crush my haughty nature low;To make me watchful ev’ry hour,and guard my steps where e’er I go.

Thy mercy, Lord, from time to timehas reached my soul when sore oppressed.Thou didst pass by my ev’ry crime,I with forgiving love was blest.

Thou hast declared all souls were thine,and I’ll confirm thy righteous claim;And for a proof I’ll give up minein honor to Thy sacred name.

Once more kind Savior condescendto satiate this soul of mine.And from henceforth till time shall endthis soul forever shall be thine.

So I’ll relinquish all demands,for any good I’ve ever done.I’ll throw my soul into Thy handsand trust Thy mercy, that alone.

Elder Issachar Bates spent thirty years on thefrontier helping to build and establish theWestern Shaker societies in Ohio and elsewhere.His experience was varied and he had even beena fifer at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Many of hissongs display knowledge of music outside theShaker tradition. His final years were weigheddown with a melancholy spirit, as exemplifiedby this hymn, written a year before his death.

27| Cords of loveCanterbury, New Hamphshire, 1847

How blest are the souls,who walk in pure Wisdom,whose feet are well planted,in Virtue’s fair soil,who cheerfully work,in Mother’s pure garden,and for her Rich Blessings do willingly toil.

Such shall dwellin glorious Mansions,yea, soar in bright glory above,there, sing foreveryea, ever, and ever,encircled with cordsof the purest love.


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The winter’s past and the spring appears.The turtledove is in our land.

In yonder valley there flows sweet union, let us arise and drink our fill.

Also known as Father James’s song. FatherJames Whittaker was one of the originalShakers who traveled to America with MotherAnn Lee, and had a powerful impact on thedevelopment of the early Shakers. Written justthirteen years after the Shakers’ arrival inAmerica, this texted song is unique in relationto the early textless songs of the 1780s. Theeuphoric text reflects the idealism of theShakers’ first years in America. The second couplet echoes the Song of Solomon 2:11–12.

3| All is summerGroveland, New York, ca. 1875

High o’er the billows we are wafted along.Angel wing carry us.Not one ripple to break on our song.All is peace before us.

All is concert, all is summerwhile to heaven we are going.But in the desert we are leaving behind, wint’ry winds are blowing.

4| O Lord make me pureNew Lebanon, New York, 1839

O Lord make me pure and holy.O Lord do now set me free.Then I will be meek and lowly.Fit me for eternity.

E O R A Lar EVe Vo Vi Va Vi Ve

This prayer song is an excellent example of thevisionary repertoire from the period of Mother’swork, when the Shakers were receiving songs as “gifts” at an overwhelmingly prolific rate.The text to this simple pentatonic tune movessmoothly from English into an “unknowntongue,” or “spirit language,” so common to this repertoire. Here the spirit language seems to transcend the prayer text preceding it, thesinger involved being “set free” on the vocablesE O R A Lar E. . . .

5| Love is littleSouth Union, Kentucky, 1834

Love is little, love is low,love will make my spirit grow.

Grow in peace, grow in light,love will do the thing that’s right.

kept the Shaker oral tradition alive into the present generation, and without her enthusiasmand passion, many songs and performance practices might have been lost entirely. Duringthe Civil War years, songs of jubilee filled thehearts of Shaker and non-Shaker alike. The fieryenthusiasm of this tune, with its rapid move-ment up and down the dorian mode, is given ashapenote-like setting in this arrangement.

25| Ezekiel’s visionText: Elder Richard McNemar ?

The wheels of redemption are turning,come see what Ezekiel foretold.The flame of the whirlwind is burning,O see the bright fire unfold.See, out of the midst of the burning,how the living creatures can play,whilst by them the wheels are a-turning!Who ever beheld such a day?

Two wings of sweet union are joinedas round in their circles they move,while the other two wings are confined which covers their bodies in love.As lamps with their mouths full of blazingas lightning they dart up and down,

while wonder struck worldlings are gazingcry, “What has befell Shakertown?”

What wonder the prophets discoveredwhile viewing the height of their wings,but God hath the substance uncoveredand opened more excellent things.Proud nature in pain is dissolvingwhile souls in the whirlwind can play,a wheel in a wheel is revolvingwhich rolls the old heavens away.

The voice of great waters a-pouringis heard through the trembling coast,it’s like the Almighty a-roaringit sounds like the voice of an host.The world all amazed with wonderat such unaccountable thingsare glad when the children of thunderare ready to let down their wings.

In this hymn, visions of Ezekiel 1:4–24 areentwined with references to the round dance(“two wings of sweet union are joined . . .” and“a wheel in a wheel is revolving . . .”).

26| Almighty SaviorText and tune: Elder Issachar BatesNew Lebanon, New York, 1836


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The words “little” and “low” appear frequentlyin Shaker texts to signal or invoke humility. Thesimplicity and brevity of the original tune isexpressive of the song’s first phrase. A stanzafrom the hymn My Feelings, found in MillennialPraises, the first published book of Shaker hymntexts, can illumine the paradoxical statement“love is little.” “I want to feel little, more simple,more mild, More like our blest parents, and more like a child, More thankful,more humble, more lowly in mind, More watchful, more pray’rful, more loving and kind.”

6| The burning dayText and tune: Elder John LockwoodSodus, New York, 1835

Redeemed souls your voices raise, and sing His wonders o’er.In songs of everlasting praise the great I AM adore.

To time and sense we’ll bid adieu, Earth’s glories we’ll despise.Eternal treasure we’ll pursue that everlasting prize.How fading are all earthly things, like shadows flee away!The cross substantial treasure brings, that never will decay.

Ye joyful mountains skip like ramswhile Edom melts away.And all the little hills like lambs shall clap their hands and play!Join in their song, ye joyful souls, for this great burning day!By love we’re known in heav’n above, love bears our song away.

Redeemed souls your voices raise, and sing His wonders o’er.In songs of everlasting praise the great I AM adore.On cherub’s wings your flight begins to leave this dark abode.The cross will save us all from sin and bring us home to God.

Shaker hymn texts like this one often revealstrict adherence to meter and rhythm. TheShakers reserved the word “hymn” for strophicsongs, having more than one stanza sung to arepeated melody.

7| Circular marchEnfield, New Hampshire, 1844

I love to see the wheels in motion,love to see them moving round,

where faith binds all people together,in firm love to the sov’reign I Am.O there, there surrounded with glory,O Lord, we will tell the glad story,and shouting thy praise and bowing before thee,we’ll sing Hallelujah to God and the Lamb!

Since its composition, this song has been popular with non-Shakers and Shakers alike. It survives in both written and oral traditionsamongst the Shakers and in the southernUnited States.

24| JubileeText: Elder Joshua BussellAlfred, Maine

The gospel is advancing and freedom is commencing,with leaping and with dancingwe’ll hail the Jubilee.The fire is increasing,the flame is never ceasing,I feel I am releasing and now I will be free.

Now in the strength of unionsubdue the great Apollyon,

believers in communionproclaim the Jubilee.And while the trump is sounding,and Antichrist confounding,our love and zeal abounding,determined to be free.

With freedom I’m delighted,I will not feel affrighted,come let us be unitedand sound the Jubilee.The bands of sin are breaking,the devil’s kingdom shaking,and his foundation quakingbecause we will be free.

The gospel fire is blazing,the world with wonder gazing,they say it is amazing-Is this your Jubilee?But we will shout like thunderand fill the world with wonder,we’ll break our bands asunderand then we will be free.

Daniel Patterson transcribed this song from thesinging of Sister Mildred Barker (1898–1990),the beloved Shaker singer residing at the Mainecommunity of Sabbathday Lake. Sister Mildred


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love to hear the drums a-beating,love to hear the trumpets sound.

In the circular march, worshippers marched ina circle around a group of singers in the middle.A variation added an inner file of marchers circling in the opposite direction from the outerfile.

8| Help me, O LordNew Lebanon, New York, 1830s

Help me, O Lord, thy way to keepin truth and in sincerity.For what I sow, that must I reapthrough time and in eternity.

In the early 19th century, Shaker scribes hadno familiarity with what we would call today5/4 meter. When notating this little prayersong, which is, in fact, in 5/4 meter, the scribesbarred the tune correctly but indicated no timesignature.

9| Heavenly displayNew Lebanon, New York, 1838

The waves of the ocean imitate the rollsof the heavenly music that rolls in heaven.

O le ul lum ul la, O le ul lum ul la,O glory to God for this heavenly display.

The wheels of a timepiece imitate the flows of the heavenly love, love that flows in heaven.O le ul lum ul la, O le ul lum ul la, O glory to God for this heavenly display.

The wings of an eagle imitate the seraphimthat soar in the heavens of heavenly love.O le ul lum ul la, O le ul lum ul la, O glory to God for this heavenly display.

A melody reportedly “given by inspiration” isadapted here to create an exchange betweensoloist and choir. In the text sung by thesoloists, the inner workings of a timepiece areconsidered beside ocean waves and eagle’swings as examples of divine revelation.

10| Followers of the LambText and tune: Sister Clarissa JacobsNew Lebanon, New York, ca. 1847

O Brethren ain’t you happy,O Brethren ain’t you happy,O Brethren ain’t you happy,Ye followers of the Lamb.

Also known as Supplication in a nation’scalamity. This prayer hymn was reportedlyreceived and sung in a dream three times overby the sleeping Cecelia Devyr. A sister inCecelia’s company overheard the song andlearned it.

22| Gentle wordsText and tune: Sister Polly M. RupePleasant Hill, Kentucky, ca. 1867

What the dew is to the flower,gentle words are to the soul,and a blessing to the giver,and so dear to the receiver,we should never withhold.

Gentle words kindly spokenoften soothe the troubled mind,while links of love are brokenby words that are unkind.

Then O, thou gentle spirit,my constant guardian be,“Do to others,” be my motto,“as I’d have them do to me.”

The equality of brethren and sisters in Shakercommunities lead to the substantial role ofwomen in daily life and worship. Half the songs

on this recording, in which the Shaker composeris known, are credited to women. Both text andtune of this reflective song by Sister Polly M.Rupe are wrought with memorable inspiration.The last two lines paraphrase the golden rulefound in Matthew 7:12.

23| Beautiful valleyText and tune: Brother John WhitbeyPleasant Hill, Kentucky, 1825

Low down the beautiful valley,where love crowns the meek and the lowly,the loud storms of envy and follymay roll on like billows in vain.The low soul in humble subjection,shall there find unshaken protection,while soft gales of cheering reflectiontheir minds soothe from sorrow and pain.

This lone vale is afar from contention,where no soul may dream of dissension,no dark wiles of evil intention,can find out this valley of peace.Lo there, there the Lord will deliver,and souls drink of that beautiful river,which flows peace for ever and ever,and love and joy shall ever increase.

Ye lone sons of misfortune, come hither,where joys bloom and never shall wither,


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Sing on, dance on,followers of Emanuel.Sing on, dance on,ye followers of the Lamb.

O Sisters ain’t you happy,O Sisters ain’t you happy,O Sisters ain’t you happy,Ye followers of the Lamb.

I’ll cross my ugly nature,I’ll cross my ugly nature,I’ll cross my ugly nature,Ye followers of the Lamb.

I’m glad I am a Shaker,I’m glad I am a Shaker,I’m glad I am a Shaker,Ye followers of the Lamb.

With its threefold repetition in the verses androusing chorus, the form of this song resemblesan early American revival hymn. The percussivepulse of the chorus is associated with the song’sperformance and contributes to its jubilant, eveninebriant, character.

11| Come to ZionText and tune: Sister Paulina BatesNew Lebanon, New York, 1864

Come to Zion, come to Zionsinsick souls in sorrow bound.Lay your cares upon the Altar,where true healing may be found.

Shout Alleluia, alleluia,praise resounds o’er land and sea.All who will may come and share the glories of this Jubilee.

12| We must be meekEnfield, Connecticut, 1880s

We must be meek,we must be pure,or God will never own us.

Low low low low,for Jesus saith we must be low.

13| Lay me lowText and tune: Sister Addah Z. PotterNew Lebanon, New York, 1838

Lay me low,lay me low,lay me low.

Where the Lord can find me,where the Lord can own me,where the Lord can bless me.

the capital I. The second line of another song,Great I little i, reads “little i is pretty i so littlei will be.”

20| RevelationCanterbury, New Hampshire, 1869

I looked and lo a lamb stood on Mt. Zion,and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand,having his Father’s name written on their foreheads.And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters,as the voice of a great thunder,and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps.And they sang a new song before the throne of God,they sang a new song which no man could learn,but the hundred and forty and four thousandwho were redeemed from the earth.These are the virgins, these are they who follow the Lamb,these are redeemed from among men,the first fruits unto God and the Lamb,they follow Him whithersoever he goeth.

An example of the anthem form in Shaker musicthat shows some similarity to the anthemsfound in the New England singing schools. Thetext is a paraphrase of Revelation 14:1–4, animportant text to the Shakers’ understanding oftheir role as virgin followers of the Lamb.

21| Prayer for the captiveText and tune: Sister Cecelia DevyrNew Lebanon, New York, 1862

Dark is the cloud that rests over the nation,wild is the war cry that pierces the air.God’s heavy judgments spread wide desolation,strong hearts are bowed in the depths of despair.

Lord, may the bonds of the captive be broken,O may this struggle bring sweet liberty.Teach us that love is a heavenborn token,and that the truth can alone make us free.

Guide Zion’s children in this trying hour,keep us dependent on thy love and care.Down in the valley we find thy true power,Lord, in thy mercy, O still guide us there.


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This haunting gift song is arranged here foreight-part chorus. Upon each repetition of thefirst section, a voice within the choral textureis “laid low” and is reduced to singing a droneon a single note. The resulting chords create atension between moving and unmoving voices.

14| Solemn song

An example of the textless songs sung by theearly Shakers, beginning in the 1780s. Suchsongs, sung to vocables such as lo-dle-lo-lum,served to free the minds of early Shakers fromthe ideas and doctrines expressed in non-Shakersong repertoires. Solemn songs are characterizedby their rhythmic freedom and irregular melodicphrasing that often contained modal inflectionsof English folk song. In musical notation, these rhythmic irregularities could only be represented by frequent meter changes, the onlyway to capture the rubato singing style thatappears to have given them life.

15| Beautiful treasureCanterbury, New Hampshire, 1849

O the beautiful treasure laid up for the wise,how precious the value,how glorious the prize.

Far brighter than diamonds on princes brow,and richer than royalty can bestow.

In contrast, this simple two-part song has regular proportions balanced by eight-barphrases.

16| PeaceEnfield, New Hampshire, ca. 1851

Peace unto Zion.Peace, peace to the faithful,and a crown of rejoicing from your Heavenly Father.

When Zion shall be cleansed she shall flourish as a rose.I will walk in her midst and will bless all those with a tenfold blessing.And their sorrows shall cease, for I’ll cry upon her walls.

Peace, peace, sweet peace.

17| Angels of heavenText and tune: Brother Ephraim FrostWhitewater, Ohio, 1872

The angels of heaven are marching aroundthe borders of Zion’s holy ground.

Their music harmonious how it doth ring,and this is the heavenly song they sing.

Holy, holy, holiness unto the Lord.Love ye, love ye, love ye one another.

18| Hunger and thirstAlfred, Maine, 1837

I hunger and thirst after true righteousness.In what I’ve obtained my soul can not rest.

An ocean I see without bottom or shore.O feed me I’m hungry, enrich me I’m poor.

I will cry unto God, I never will cease,‘til my soul’s filled with love,perfect love and sweet peace.

A slow march song depicting the restless andinsatiable spirit on its journey toward love andpeaceful union.

19| Dismission of Great IText: excerpted from an early Shaker anthemTune: My carnal life I will lay down,South Union, Kentucky, 1838

Go off Great I and come not nigh,but quit my habitation.And come no more within my doorcorrupting my sensation.

Depart I say flee far away,your ways no more I’ll practice.For all who try to be Great Iare vicious, proud, and fractious.

Go off Great I and come not nigh,but quit my habitation.And come no more within my doorcorrupting my sensation.

We now disclaim that great big nameand all our title to it.That great big I we’ll mortify,no pity will we show it.

This striking text, listed in E.D. Andrews’ bookThe Gift to be Simple, though accompanied withno melody, seemed to find perfect expression in the vigorous tune My carnal life Iwill lay down. Many song texts from the periodaround 1830 similarly represent egoism with

gentle words - The Gothic Catalog

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Transcript of gentle words - The Gothic Catalog