Shaker Music: The Gift of Song

Curated and produced by Jeffrey Gaskill as: "While Mighty Thunders Roll: Popular Artists Sing the Shakers" a multi-media installation featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Allison Russell, Hiss Golden Messenger, Mountain Man, Rayna Gellert, Tim Eriksen, Katell Keineg, Little Nora Brown, Natalie Merchant, and Alice Gerrard. Hancock Shaker Village, Hancock, MA.

“All is Summer”

1875, Groveland, New York

Performed by Yo-Yo Ma

 Considered a late Shaker hymn, “All is Summer” was written during a time of waning membership among Shaker communities. Testifying gained increasing importance in worship services, and song lyrics moved away from the spiritual ecstasy of previous decades in favor of ethical resolves and declarations of faith.

 “The Shakers loved music and they loved to dance. So much of the music is a joyful celebration of community… the philosophy and the aesthetic of their being and their community is something that has been transferred down, I think, to mainstream America. We treasure their contributions to a possible way of life that’s desirable.” — Yo-Yo Ma

 “I Never Did Believe”

1829, Eldress Betsy Bates, New Lebanon, New York

Performed by Rayna Gellert

 Although Shaker worship was known for its group dancing or “laboring,” not all Shaker songs were accompanied by movement. Songs like “I Never Did Believe” were known as “extra songs” — short, lyrical songs used to provide a moment of respite between dances.

 “The melody of this song was compelling to me, and the sentiment is so simple and clear. Spiritual music is good — it’s just good music, and I feel that you can respond to it on a spiritual level no matter what your spirituality might be. I love old gospel songs. I love singing hymns. The music makes me feel something. I never get tired of that.” — Rayna Gellert

“Farewell Earthly Joys”

1855, Canterbury, New Hampshire

Performed by Tim Eriksen

 In the latter half of the nineteenth century, Shaker Believers created songs by “divine impression” rather than through spirit manifestation, as was the practice during the era of Mother’s Work (1830s-1840s). Songs became shorter and the practice of dancing waned, reflecting shifting practices in Shaker worship.

“‘Farewell Earthly Joys’ is one that I’ve listened to for a long time…. Everything about it makes it one of my favorites. None of the Christian churches have taken up old Shaker songs because some of them are theologically quite different, but ‘Farewell Earthly Joys’ seems like it could probably fit in a standard church service. That feeling of looking for something deeper, something more lasting, is certainly not out of step with contemporary thought.” — Tim Eriksen

“Willow Tree”

1840s, Sister Mary Hazard, New Lebanon, New York

Performed by Katell Keineg

“Willow Tree” is one of the many Shaker songs that speaks to the ideal of humility. Shaker life is rooted in a number of core spiritual beliefs and social values including unity, equality, celibacy, simplicity, passivism, productive work, and humble service to God. These ideals continue to be upheld by the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine.

“What I love most about Shaker songs is the simplicity and poignancy of some of the melodies and lyrics. ‘Willow Tree’ is a so-called ‘humility song.’ I have mixed feelings about some lines in it, singing ‘I will bow and be broken’ is in some ways uncomfortable as a woman, but I love the nature imagery and how it evokes the throwing off of worldly constraints.” — Katell Keineg

“Fall on the Rock”

1845, Watervliet, New York

Performed by Hiss Golden Messenger

 The second line of “Fall on the Rock” implies the song was a gift from a heavenly spirit during the era of Mother’s Work. “Instruments” began experiencing spontaneous manifestations in the late-1830s — occasionally receiving messages from the late Mother Ann herself. The phrase “we must fall on the rock and be broken” relates to Mother Ann’s belief in pain as a vehicle to achieve a broader knowledge of God’s presence.

 “There’s something elegant about that life for [the Shakers] who are drawn to it. It’s certainly a deep existential philosophy and the songs bear that out…. I think with ‘Fall on the Rock,’ like any song, the thing that gets my soul first is the melody.” — M.C. Taylor

“Little Children”

1857, Pleasant Hill, Kentucky

Performed by Nora Brown

 In the nineteenth century, a childlike state of being took on new meaning for the Shakers. Believers were encouraged to adopt the ideal of simplicity by cultivating communities in which everything was laid bare and nothing hidden in order to return to a pure state of openness and honesty.

 “There’s ballads and old-time music, and I do that a lot, but I think singing a cappella is more pure — just to hear the sound coming from the body. Singing a cappella can have more of a soul to it. You can see the soul a little more clearly.” — Nora Brown

“Watch Ye”

1841, Sister Nancy Wells, Watervliet, New York

Performed by Natalie Merchant

 In written documentation from the era of Mother’s Work, a little shepherdess was said to have visited several Shaker communities in the form of a spirit, and it was she who gifted this song to Sister Nancy Wells. Songs from this era often express a yearning for Godhead that was manifested in images of a tender and loving Mother, which reasserted the power of the Mother symbol within Shaker life.

 “I’ve had the opportunity to sit with people who are in the death process, and of all the songs that I could find to sing to them, this one seemed the most comforting…. I think when people are passing they need to be comforted and assured that they’re passing into a better realm. It’s a powerful song, and I don’t feel as modern Americans we have that vocabulary in contemporary music. Nobody seems to be writing songs that comfort the dying. So, I think it’s really powerful to reach back into this tradition.” — Natalie Merchant

 “Lay Me Low”

1838, Sister Addah Z. Potter, New Lebanon, New York

Performed by Alice Gerrard

 One of the most prolific periods in Shaker music was the Era of Manifestations or Mother’s Work, spanning the late 1830s through 1840s. Songs like “Lay Me Low” were communicated through spontaneous manifestations imparted to “instruments,” in this case, Sister Addah Z. Potter, who received “gifts” of song from numerous spirits.

 “I became obsessed with this song. I kept looking for and finding different versions, but [choral groups] would change the words to ‘the Lord,’ where I realized [the Shakers] were singing about Mother Ann Lee. That was kind of cool that they were referring to Mother, and that led me to other versions done in beautiful harmony with the words ‘lay me low, where no one can hurt me, and no one can find me’ — it was more political…. There is so much to be said about [Shaker] beliefs and way of life.” — Alice Gerrard

“Pretty Home”

1849, Sister Patsy Williamson, Pleasant Hill, Kentucky

Performed by Allison Russell

 Fundamentally devoted to the ideal of equality, the Shakers welcomed numerous African Americans into their communities. Sister Patsy Williamson was born a slave in North Carolina, and she became a Believer alongside her owners in 1809 during the first wave of Kentucky conversions. 

 “The Shakers were so radical. I’m reading about Mother Ann Lee and her belief in gender equality and racial equality 100 years before the emancipation of the slaves in America — pretty incredible. And this particular story: the story of Sister Patsy Roberts Williamson…. She was welcomed into this community where I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to be treated as an equal and of being of worth for the first time in her life. I get emotional just thinking about it.” — Allison Russell

 “Simple Gifts”

1848, Elder Joseph Brackett, Alfred, Maine

Performed by Mountain Man

 One of the best-known Shaker spirituals, “Simple Gifts” was composed towards the end of the era of Mother’s Work. As manifestations of a spiritual gift, songs could be imparted in a dream or a trance from a singing spirit, visualized as words and music written on a spiritual object, or sung through the voice of a Shaker Sister in a state of possession. 

“ ‘Simple Gifts’ is a very beautiful song that’s such a part of the popular music culture, I feel like I’ve heard it everywhere my whole life, and I really love the sentiment of the song.” — Alexandra Sauser-Monnig

 “I love talking about turning. Because the idea is about changing your own perspective instead of looking out into the world.” — Amelia Randall Meath

 “And it’s always nice to think about being in the right place. Eventually.” — Molly Erin Sarle

Nora Brown (Brooklyn, New York) plays banjo, accordion, and ukulele, which she started learning at age six from the late Shlomo Pestcoe, a fixture of New York’s music scene since the 1980s. Now thirteen, she has a heavy focus and interest in eastern Kentucky overhand picking and unaccompanied ballads. 

Tim Eriksen (Amherst, Massachusetts) is a Grammy-nominated musician, sacred harp singer, and ethnomusicologist. A performer and consultant for the award-winning film Cold Mountain, his other media appearances have included Prairie Home Companion and the Academy Awards.

Rayna Gellert (Nashville, Tennessee) has spent most of her life immersed in the sounds of rural string band music, heartfelt gospel songs, and old ballads. After honing her fiddle skills at jam sessions and square dances, Gellert has become widely celebrated in the old-time music community.

Alice Gerrard (Durham, North Carolina) is a Grammy-nominated, Bluegrass Hall of Fame musician known for her groundbreaking collaboration with Appalachian singer Hazel Dickens that influenced scores of young women singers, including Rosanne Cash and Wynonna and Ashley Judd.

Hiss Golden Messenger (Durham, North Carolina), a vehicle for singer-songwriter M.C. Taylor, calls up a wide spectrum of American vernacular music. Though his initial recordings featured only his voice and guitar recorded to a cheap cassette recorder, recent Hiss albums have incorporated horns, strings and choirs.

Katell Keineg (Cardiff, Wales) is an alt-pop singer/songwriter known for her eclectic style. One of the finest singer-songwriters of her generation, she has released several albums and EPs and has toured Europe and North America, playing sold-out shows and festivals.

Yo-Yo Ma was born in Paris, France, a child cellist prodigy of Chinese descent who started performing when he was just four years old. He rose to prominence playing with renowned orchestras worldwide. In 2001, Ma was awarded the National Medal of Arts; in 2006, the UN Secretary General named him Peace Ambassador; and in 2010, he was named a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Natalie Merchant is a legendary folk-pop singer who has been performing for more than three decades. Her career began in 1981 when, as a college student, she joined the seminal alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs as lead vocalist. She left the group in 1993 and, since that time, has released eight albums, from her multi-platinum solo debut Tigerlily (1995) to the ten-CD set The Natalie Merchant Collection (2017).

Mountain Man (Durham, North Carolina) is a trio of traditional Appalachian folk singers Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Amelia Randall Meath. The three met in 2009 in Vermont as students at Bennington College and have garnered critical acclaim for their beautiful a cappella harmonies.

Allison Russell (Nashville, Tennessee) is half of husband-and-wife team Birds of Chicago, which makes soulful, heartfelt music that they refer to as secular gospel. Paste Magazine called the Birds of Chicago an “Americana gospel dream team” and NPR’s Folk Alley included their album Real Midnight (2016) in their top ten favorite albums of the year.