Simple Gifts

Description

Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto, Piano — Simple Gifts was composed by Joseph Brackett in 1848. He was a member of a Shaker community in Gorham, Maine. The Shakers were Christians who valued simplicity in their way of life, their music, and the finely crafted furniture they made. The song was not widely known outside Shaker communities until Aaron Copland used it in his ballet Appalachian Spring, which was first performed in 1944. Since then it has become a standard for both vocal and instrumental ensembles.This arrangement is appropriately simple, with limited ranges for developing voices. The xa0unison notes at the beginning of phrases should help all the parts sing in tune and blend. The choir may sing a cappella or with piano xa0in mm. 5 – 8, and again in mm. 47 – 50. The Shakers sometimes danced to the music, “turning” so that each dancer would return to his or her starting position, or, “come ‘round right.”S.K. Simple Gifts is appropriately simplistic, paying tribute to the Quakers who sang and danced to it in the mid-19th century. Kupferschmid's arrangement for emerging treble voices offers opportunities for musical growth through unison passages and optional a cappella sections. Also available for Three-Part Mixed Voices (BL1029).

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