‘Simple Gifts/Lord of the Dance’ (downloadable PDF)

$1.00

An adaptation of the famous New England Shaker dance tune ‘Simple Gifts’, here set in D-Major for Scottish-style pipes with original 3-part harmony. Please see the below description for more information and an audio sample.

Description

An adaptation of the famous New England Shaker dance tune ‘Simple Gifts’, here set in D-Major for Scottish-style pipes with three-part harmony. This tune was composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett, a Shaker from Maine, U.S.A. It has since been borrowed by many composers (including Aaron Copland in ‘Appalachian Spring’), and is also the melody used for the popular Christian hymn ‘The Lord of the Dance’. Chord symbols included.

Audio sample, featuring Scottish smallpipes (A-chanter).  The harmony parts can be heard on the repeat, approximately halfway through the track: