Song History: "Lord of the Dance" and "Simple Gifts"
"Lord of the Dance" Began With a Simple Dance Tune
A simple dance tune composed in Alfred, Maine, in 1848 has circled the globe, touching the hearts and minds of people—Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Buddhists, and people of no religion at all. It's a song of about 16 bars of music and eight lines of words, both music and words of a gentle simplicity.
The song has, despite its simplicity, found its way into ballet music, a religious song or two, and a dance spectacular that is very far removed from where it started.
'Tis the Gift to Be Simple ...
The song is called “Simple Gifts” and was written by Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett, who would, I'm sure, be amazed—even perhaps a little scandalized—by the uses his little tune has been put to.
Elder Joseph Brackett. Image Wikipedia
A manuscrpt of Mary Hazzard of the New Lebanon, NY Shaker community shows this original version of the melody. Image Wikipedia
The Song "Simple Gifts"
“Simple Gifts” is often described as a Shaker hymn, even sometimes misattributed as being a traditional song, but it was written as a dance song by Elder Brackett. It describes a dance routine used in Shaker worship. The full words of the song as written by Brackett are:
"'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."
Is It "'Tis a Gift" or "'Tis the Gift"?
The first words are often incorrectly written as, “'Tis a gift ...” but it should have the definite article “the” because the writer was very sure of which gift he was writing about, the gift of faith, so it's “the gift.”
A Shaker dance. Image Wikipedia
Who Were the Shakers?
The Shakers came into being in England in the mid-18th century when there was almost constant fighting between Catholics and Protestants. Like the Quakers, the Shakers believed that every person is able to find God within themselves rather than through the mediation of clergy. The worship of the Shakers was rather more demonstrative than the quieter Quaker meetings, with a lot of singing and dancing.
The church was founded by Mother Ann Lee, the daughter of a blacksmith. She was born in Manchester on 29 February 1736 and was forced by her father to marry a man called Abraham Standley. She fell pregnant eight times and eight times her children died, four of them were stillborn and the other four died before they turned six. Mother Ann apparently had a physical repulsion towards sex and developed some radical religious ideas as well as a commitment to gender equality.
The name “Shaker” came about because of the trembling that she and her followers experienced during times of prayer and worship. She taught her followers that these manifestations were the result of the Holy Spirit cleansing them. She also taught that refraining from sexual relations could lead them to complete holiness.
In 1774 Mother Ann and a group of her followers landed in New York. They had fled England in the face of increasing persecution as a result of her radical teachings. She was in fact herself imprisoned several times. In one period of imprisonment she had a revelation that "a complete cross against the lusts of generation, added to a full and explicit confession, before witnesses, of all the sins committed under its influence, was the only possible remedy and means of salvation." After this she was chosen as the leader of the Church and began to call herself “Ann, the Word” or “Mother Ann.”
In the United States she and her followers undertook some missionary journeys and, in spite of sometimes violent opposition, won many converts, though the Church was never at any time very large, reaching something in the order of 20000 members at its height. Because of the total celibacy of its members the Church could only grow by means of attracting converts and by adopting orphans. By 2008 the Church had only a handful of members left.
Central beliefs in the Church, apart from celibacy, were the sanctity of work and the necessity of simplicity. The Church became known for the quality of the workmanship and simplicity of design that went into anything they produced, in particular, buildings and furniture.
The Church calls itself the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing.
How the Tune Appears in "Appalachian Spring"
In 1944 choreographer Martha Graham commissioned a ballet score from renowned composer Aaron Copland. The storyline of the ballet was a celebration of Pennsylvania pioneers in the 1800s after they had built a new farmhouse. The characters in the ballet included a newlywed couple and a revivalist preacher. At first, the ballet was unnamed. Shortly before the première on 30 October 1944, Martha Graham suggested the title “Appalachian Spring” which she took from a stanza of Hart Crane's poem, “The Bridge”:
"O Appalachian Spring! I gained the ledge;
Steep, inaccessible smile that eastward bends
And northward reaches in that violet wedge
Of Adirondacks!"
The music of the seventh section of the ballet suite consists of five variations on the melody of “Simple Gifts”. This is a very grand use of a very simple tune.
Sydney Carter
The Use of "Simple Gifts" in "Lord of the Dance"
One of the ways in which many people have become familiar with “Simple Gifts” is through its use in the religious song “Lord of the Dance.” This song is, like “Simple Gifts,” often thought of as somehow “traditional” but it was in fact written by British poet, folk singer, and songwriter Sydney Carter.
Carter, was born in Camden Town, London, England on 6 May 1915 (coincidentally, he shares a birthday with Elder Joseph Brackett, who was born on 6 May 1797 in Cumberland, Maine, USA) and died in March 2004.
Carter described “The Lord of the Dance” like this: "I see Christ as the incarnation of the piper who is calling us. He dances that shape and pattern which is at the heart of our reality. By Christ I mean not only Jesus; in other times and places, other planets, there may be other Lords of the Dance. But Jesus is the one I know of first and best. I sing of the dancing pattern in the life and words of Jesus.” - Green Print for Song (1974).
This song has become popular with church congregations around the world. As is the case for many, I came to know “Simple Gifts” by getting to know “Lord of the Dance.” I was in the early to mid 1970s living in Durban, South Africa, and worshipping with the congregation of the parish of Our Lady of the Assumption in the suburb of Umbilo. I became involved in the music ministry in that parish and this song was one of those we played and sang in our weekly Mass.
The popularity of “Lord of the Dance” surprised Carter: "I did not think the churches would like it at all. I thought many people would find it pretty far flown, probably heretical and anyway dubiously Christian. But in fact people did sing it and, unknown to me, it touched a chord ... Anyway, it's the sort of Christianity I believe in."
Michael Flatley and “Lord of the Dance”
Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley (the fastest feet on earth!) devised a dance show that told a story about characters based on Irish folklore and Biblical stories. In a rather weird twist the leading character in the piece is called “The Lord of the Dance” and the music uses the melody of “Simple Gifts” to introduce this character.
The music of the show was written and arranged by Ronan Hardiman.
The “Simple Gifts” melody is used by the character “The Little Spirit” who plays it on a pipe at various stages in the show.
I have seen the show twice in South Africa and loved it each time, and each time I wondered about the way this simple melody has travelled. I wonder indeed what Elder Brackett would have to say about this show, with all its glitz and fancy lighting and very loud music – all the very antithesis of simplicity?
Great music should always lead one back into oneself, into a different perspective on one's life, as all art should. Clearly Elder Brackett's simple melody works like this for many, many people. It has stood the test of time, as they say, and opened people's minds to something beyond the ordinary, something simple yet deeply profound, and in so doing it has moved them.
Further Reading
- Soul Cakes and Souling: A Musical Tradition From the Past
Souling in order to receive a small cake is an old tradition that was a forerunner of trick-or-treating. The "Soul Cake" song has been recorded by multiple artists. - Four Traditional English Folk Songs: Music and Interesting Facts
England has a rich collection of traditional folk songs. This article includes performances of four songs and describes the interesting background of the music. - Welsh Folk and Traditional Songs: A Rich Musical Heritage
Wales has a wonderful musical heritage. It's known for its vocal music, singers, and choirs. Folk and and traditional songs are a major part of its culture.
Words & Music by Sydney Carter
We are always being asked about Sydney Carter’s Lord of the Dance, so here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions, as well as a few other facts you might not have known.
- Lord of the Dance was composed in 1963 – many people believe it’s old because it’s a hymn they sang at school.
- No, Mr Flatley it’s not Celtic!
- Sydney was born on 6th May 1915 and died on 13th March 2004.
- The tune is an adaptation of the Shaker tune Simple Gifts, but is accepted and acknowledged as a separate copyright in its own right
- It’s not ‘Traditional’ – it is fully copyright throughout the world, and as such, permission should be requested for reproduction on websites and in order of services etc. Stainer & Bell Ltd (the host of this page) are the copyright owners and to whom requests should be sent. For the USA, and Canada however, Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188 (e-mail hope@hopepublishing.com) administer the copyright on our behalf
- The so called ‘Pagan version’ is simply a rip-off and parody of the song and has obviously never been authorised
- In recent statistics from CCLI, Lord of the Dance was found to be the fifth most sung copyright song in school assemblies in the UK. (Sydney’s One More Step came first and When I needed a Neighbour was the seventh most performed)
- Sydney described it as a carol – ‘a dancing kind of song, the life of which is in the dance as much as in the verbal statement’
Here is the definitive authorised version of the words:
I danced in the morning
When the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon
And the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven
And I danced on the earth,
At Bethlehem
I had my birth.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
I danced for the scribe
And the pharisee,
But they would not dance
And they wouldn’t follow me.
I danced for the fishermen,
For James and John –
They came with me
And the Dance went on.
Chorus
I danced on the Sabbath
And I cured the lame;
The holy people
Said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped
And they hung me on high,
And they left me there
On a Cross to die.
Chorus
I danced on a Friday
When the sky turned black –
It’s hard to dance
With the devil on your back.
They buried my body
And they thought I’d gone,
But I am the Dance,
And I still go on.
Chorus
They cut me down
And I leapt up high;
I am the life
That’ll never, never die;
I’ll live in you
If you’ll live in me –
I am the Lord
Of the Dance, said he.
Chorus
Copyright 1963 Stainer & Bell Ltd. London, England
I danced for the fishermen,
For James and John –
They came with me
And the Dance went on.
Chorus
I danced on the Sabbath
And I cured the lame;
The holy people
Said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped
And they hung me on high,
And they left me there
On a Cross to die.
Chorus
I danced on a Friday
When the sky turned black –
It’s hard to dance
With the devil on your back.
They buried my body
And they thought I’d gone,
But I am the Dance,
And I still go on.
Chorus
They cut me down
And I leapt up high;
I am the life
That’ll never, never die;
I’ll live in you
If you’ll live in me –
I am the Lord
Of the Dance, said he.
Chorus
Copyright 1963 Stainer & Bell Ltd. London, England
“Great Moral Curiosity! Shaker Concert!, Ca. 1848. Poughkeepsie, NY: “The American” Power Press. (detail) Retrieved on January 21, 2021, from Ohio Memory.
Feb 10, 2021
‘Tis a gift to be simple, but things aren’t as simple as they seem
The Shaker song, “Simple Gifts,” was not widely known before American composer Aaron Copeland used the tune to score choreographer Martha Graham’s 1944 ballet Appalachian Spring. The song, however, was certainly popular among the Shakers – having been recorded in at least 15 surviving manuscript hymnals according to Daniel Patterson’s book, The Shaker Spiritual. The song, […]
The Shaker song, “Simple Gifts,” was not widely known before American composer Aaron Copeland used the tune to score choreographer Martha Graham’s 1944 ballet Appalachian Spring. The song, however, was certainly popular among the Shakers – having been recorded in at least 15 surviving manuscript hymnals according to Daniel Patterson’s book, The Shaker Spiritual. The song, described by Patterson as a quick dance with a tempo of 106 beats per minute, appears to have been written by Elder Joseph Brackett while he lived at the community at Alfred as a member of the Maine Shaker Ministry.
Recently it has been discovered that the song had, nearly a century earlier, enjoyed some popularity outside the Shaker community. In a November 5, 1851 article published in The New York Daily Times, a person in attendance at a rehearsal of a company of Shakers preparing for a performance in Boston recorded the words to a song beginning, “Tis a gift to be simple; ‘Tis a gift to be free, …” The entire article appeared as follows:
“AGUE POETRY!—A party of nine Shakers, of both sexes, is preparing to “come out” at Boston in a series of public entertainments, for the avowed purpose of drawing attention to the peculiarities of their sect, and thus making proselytes. They purpose giving representations of Shaker ceremonies and to sing the songs and hymns of their order. A friend who attended one of their rehearsals not long since speaks of their music as entirely original. The Company desire securing the services of a small orchestra, and additional attractions in the shape of vocal performers, selected from the world outside “the Church.” The Shaker songs and hymns generally refer to their form of worship, and their ceremonies are intended to be types of the tenets of their faith. Anyone who has witnessed the turning and shaking process, as carried on by this singular sect, will appreciate the following, which is one of the songs about to be sung by the Boston Company, in a sort of light, tripping, jig metre:
‘Tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free;
‘Tis a gift to come down where we all 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 gained,
To bow and to bend we shall not be ashamed;
To turn and to turn shall be our delight,
Till we turn and in turning we come around right.”
Considering the observer of the rehearsal likely wrote down the words after hearing the song only once, the variation in the exact wording of how the song has come down to the present day can be politely ignored.
The “friend” who attended the rehearsal and/or the author of the article did not understand that there was little chance that these performers were, in fact, at that time, members of the Shaker Church. Rather, it is more likely that the “company” was one of several troupes of Shaker apostates who, after leaving the sect, chose to monetize their experience as Shakers by lecturing about Shaker life and belief and performing their songs and dances.
There were at least four groups of seceders who departed Shaker communities during the 1840s and are known to have taken to the stage. Leaving Canterbury, New Hampshire, in 1844, William Tripture eventually gathered a group of nine ex-Shakers to perform around New England, New York, and beyond. While Tripture and company were performing in the Midwest, another group of Canterbury apostates had taken to the stage in New England and New York. Lydia A. Chase, once a member of Tripture’s company, was featured as “the miraculous Shaker Tetotum,” able to spin around 1,500 to 2,000 times. From the Maine communities, members of the Hammons family, once Shakers at Alfred, and members of the Palmer family, Shakers at New Gloucester, had also forsaken their Shaker homes for the limelight.
There is no neat explanation as to why any of these companies would have known the words and tune to “Simple Gifts.” They had all left their Shaker homes prior to the generally accepted date of 1848 for Elder Joseph Brackett’s creation of the song. One possible hypothesis is that by the time William and Love Ann Palmer left the New Gloucester Shakers in 1847, Elder Joseph had already sung his song to members of the community. Although “Simple Gifts” is attributed to the Alfred community, Elder Joseph spent most of his Shaker life as a member of either the Gorham Shakers (his youth) or at New Gloucester. He was the Elder at New Gloucester when, in 1848, he was needed to serve in the Ministry. For nearly the next decade he resided primarily at Alfred. He returned to New Gloucester where he died in 1882. Perhaps it was only in 1848 that the song was actually written down.
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There is an extant poster for a performance given by the Palmer troupe in E. Meyers Hall in Fairfield County, south-central Ohio, on Friday October 20, 1848. The program promises a lecture by onetime Shaker, Mr. William Palmer, on the history of the Shakers and Mother Ann Lee, an illustrated presentation about the Shaker Bible, and, of course, a selection of Shaker songs and dances – culminating in Miss. L. A. Palmer’s amazing whirling. Most interesting for the subject at hand is the presentation of songs that appears to come from the 1840s during the Shakers’ Era of Manifestations. Such songs reflect the Shakers’ interactions with angels and other visitors from the spirit world. Titles include, “The Song Which Was Learned of a Band of Angels,” “Sowing the Spiritual Seed and Blowing the Spiritual Trumpet,” and “Indian Song, Believed By the Shakers to Have Been Given By Inspiration.” An entry only described as “A Song Given By Inspiration,” gives one pause to wonder if this may have been the yet untitled “Simple Gifts” that the Palmers may have heard at their onetime Shaker home at New Gloucester.
Whatever the process by which “Simple Gifts” became part of public performances outside the Shaker community, the fact that it did bears testimony to both the pleasantly memorable tune and the resonance of the message – keep your life focused, by not allowing extraneous and unnecessary forces distract you.
