Simple Gifts

E743629

Simple Gifts is a 19th-century Shaker song best known today as the folk melody incorporated into Aaron Copland’s ballet score for Appalachian Spring.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Simple Gifts canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Shaker song
song
associatedMovement American folk music revival
associatedWithCommunity Shaker community at Alfred, Maine
linked to: Alfred, Maine
centuryOfOrigin 19th century
composer Joseph Brackett
copyrightStatus public domain
countryOfOrigin United States
dateOfComposition 1848
firstLine 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
genre Christian hymn
Shaker music
folk song
hasCulturalSignificance iconic American folk melody
hasForm monophonic melody
hasNotableAdaptation Lord of the Dance (hymn)
linked to: Lord of the Dance
hasNotableRecordingBy Judy Collins
The King’s Singers
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Yo-Yo Ma
hasStructure strophic form
hasSubject religious devotion
simple living
hasTheme humility
simplicity
spiritual freedom
incorporatedIn Appalachian Spring
ballet score Appalachian Spring
influenced American classical music
American folk hymnody
isMelodicBasisFor Lord of the Dance (hymn)
linked to: Lord of the Dance
key often performed in G major
language English
lyricist Joseph Brackett
melodicContour conjunct melody with simple intervals
meter 4/4 time
notableArrangementBy Aaron Copland
originalUse Shaker dance song
Shaker worship
performedOnOccasion American patriotic events
Thanksgiving celebrations
placeOfOrigin Maine
religiousTradition Christianity
Shakers
linked to: Shaker
usedAs theme in Appalachian Spring

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Appalachian Spring basedOnMelody Simple Gifts