Shaker Music in Maine: Simplicity in Song

We find ourselves in January, when much of nature slumbers. There is a special kind of spare, elegant beauty at this time of year, revealing the “good bones,” the form and essence of things. We ourselves turn to the fundamentals, after the demands of the holiday season are behind us - we settle in for quiet nights, toasty fires, comforting soups, or a warming snifter of whiskey. Simple pleasures and sparse landscapes are the gems of winter, keeping gloom at bay.

I’m reminded of the music of the Shakers in this still, bare season. Unadorned and direct, simplicity is at the core of their music making. Thousands of songs, long unsung, are waiting to be discovered by curious singers and listeners.

The Shakers were founded in the 1740s. They incorporated ecstatic movement and dance into their religious practice, earning them the nickname "Shaking Quakers." Their leader was Ann Lee, called Mother Ann, who experienced divine visions and preached a way of life that included gender equality, communal living, and a commitment to devoting hearts and hands to bringing about heaven on Earth. In 1774, these early Shakers quietly settled north of Albany, NY, but word of their practices spread throughout the country. At the height of their membership in the 19th century, thousands of Shakers lived in communities spread from Maine to Kentucky. The last active Shaker community is nestled in New Gloucester, Maine at Sabbathday Lake - you can visit, enjoy workshops and festivals, and Shaker Meeting still takes place each Sunday.

Music and song are integral to Shaker life and spiritual practice.Historically, songs came to, or were "received by" individual Shakers, sometimes without words - these melodies were sung on vocables, or syllables without meaning in English.Melodies were seen as spiritual gifts, sometimes coming directly from the departed Shakers of the past.

The music reflects Shaker theology in both form and content - like Anglo-American folk music, the melodies are simple and often very brief, following a clear AABB form, making the tunes easy to learn, memorize, integrate into worship, and teach to others. Musical instruments are not used in Shaker worship, and the vocal part consisted of a single line, free of harmonies. There's a purity in the melodies and a directness in the texts, often reflecting on the importance of simplicity, the pursuit of paradise on earth, and praising the work of Mother Ann.

Interested in learning more about Shaker music? There are tremendous resources from musicians past and present to explore:

Sister Mildred Barker came to the Shakers of Maine as a young girl, living first in the Shaker village at Alfred, then relocating to Sabbathday Lake after the Alfred community closed. Barker was especially active in keeping the musical traditions of her community alive, and her singing can still be heard today - her voice is included a collection of Early Shaker Spirituals released in 1996, featuring several singers from the Sabbathday Lake community.

Classical musicians have found their way to Sabbathday Lake over the years, yielding some meaningful connections and beautiful recordings. Composer Kevin Siegfried traveled to Shaker communities (including Sabbathday Lake) in the 1990s, getting to know archived songs and the folks dedicated to preserving their legacies.His arrangements of Shaker tunes for choir are warm, inviting, and accessible, but still maintain the feel and impact of the original melodies – something that was very important to the composer. Siegfried has pointed out that these thousands of Shaker melodies, mostly unknown today, represent a huge piece of American folk culture.

In 1995, members of The Boston Camerata and Schola Cantorum traveled to Maine and put together their own collaborative album with the Shakers. In the notes that accompany the recording, Joel Cohen, now Director Emeritus of the Camerata, described Shaker melodies as “untold treasures,” draws parallels between Shaker tunes and Medieval chant, and points out similarities to English folksong, too.
Maine-based folk musician Chris Moore is another advocate for Shaker music - he began coming to Sabbathday Lake in his teens and remains connected to the community still. Moore leads Shaker music workshops around New England regularly and works to preserve and promote the music of the Shakers in his own performances. Here's his arrangement of a little-known Shaker tune, Bright Angels Descend.

Maine is a treasure trove of information and music - one that I look forward to exploring more deeply.In the meantime, visit Sabbathday Lake’s website to learn more and explore upcoming events. Stay warm, and happy listening!