Sweetest Music: Three Shaker Settings

Transcription

1 Sweetest Music: Three Shaker Settings ~ American anthems for SATB choir a cappella ~ Shaker hymns aith's Vision, Christmas Offering & Blest Zion Arranged y Christopher J Hoh HMM HohMade Music 4619 Seventh Street South Arlington, VA USA

2 Sweetest Music: Three Shaker Settings ~ American anthems for SATB choir a cappella ~ I To the Spirit Land We're Hastening (aith's Vision) II Sweetest Music, Softly Stealing (Christmas Offering) III Blest Zion, I Love Thee (Blest Zion) HMM

3 To The Spirit Land We're Hastening To the spirit land we re hastening, golden moments flit efore, While each sunset rings us nearer to its seeming distant shore; Yet upon her snowy pinions, faith will lift our hearts to see, In the life that is efore us, lessed immortality Oft its pearly gates are opened, floods of glory thro them come; And we catch a glimpse of eauty ust a foresight of our home Oh, it is y holy living that we gain an entrance there; or communion with the angels, spotless roes we must prepare Yet we ask their ministration while we tarry here elow, And that ever round our pathway light increasing still may glow If our lives are fraught with goodness, and the seed of love we sow, We shall reap aundant lessing, and the oy of angels know Shaker Hymn from Mt Leanon, New York This choral anthem presents "aith's Vision," from the 1894 collection pulished for the Shaker community at Mt Leanon, NY, entitled Shaker Music, Original Inspirational Hymns and Songs Illustrative of the Resurrection Life and Testimony of the Shakers The author is unknown The original music is a homophonic, threeverse hymn In this setting, the third verse reproduces the Shaker music In the Mt Leanon hymnal it is marked "Dolce," so a gentle style and moderate tempo seem suited to the aesthetic of the original While my music seeks to elaorate and extend the hymn, I have used relatively simple harmonies, rhythms and motifs I would like to think there is nothing in this composition that would have een alien to a Shaker musician of the 1890's This piece also reflects, I hope, the oyful, dancing spirit for which the Shakers were known HMM

4 2 Sweetest Music Softly Stealing Sweetest music softly stealing o'er our hearts in tuneful chime, Shall in oyous notes revealing, swell the song of olden times When the morning star was eaming, angels sang of peace and love; Many souls awoke from dreaming, hail'd the light from Heaven aove Gladsome sounds we echo still; peace on earth, to all goodwill Wake we now to oy and gladness, Christ the Saviour we have found; Banish from our hearts all sadness, and in deeds of love aound Now the fount of good unsealing, let us all our souls upfill; And in kindly Christian feeling reathe sweet peace and speak goodwill Gladsome sounds we echo still; peace on earth, to all goodwill Christmas Offering, Shaker Hymn Attr Martha Jane Anderson, Collected y rederick William Evans ( ) in 1875 The unison lines in measures 1 8, 17 24, and may e sung y soloists This anthem sets "Christmas Offering," from an 1875 hymnal pulished in Alany, NY It has een attriuted to Martha Jane Anderson and the Shaker community at Mt Leanon, NY The first phrase (ut little else) is similar to "Sweetest Music, Softly Stealing," words y GW Brindley, music y C (Cale) Simper This Christmas hymn is found in the monumental collection "Carols Old and Carols New" of Rev Charles Lewis Hutchins (Boston: Parish Choir, 1916) Which hymn came first and whether one helped inspire the other are questions for further research In any case, it is a sweet text and tune, with repeated lines providing an echo of gladsome sounds And its message is timeless HMM

5 3 Blest Zion, I Love Thee Blest Zion, I love thee, thou eautiful city Home, my sweet home, with the pure and the ust; Away, far away from turmoil and confusion rom sorrows of earth where my soul finds rest Earth hath no treasures, sin hath no pleasures, I would exchange for that peace which I feel; A conscience unspotted, with confidence lessed, Angels my guard, and the Lord's will my seal Shaker Hymn from West Gloucester, Maine Collected y rederick William Evans ( ) in 1875 This forthright hymn from Maine evidently consistst of a single, eightline stanza Its roust melody covers the span of an octave and a half At first the whole choir presents the tune in unison Then sopranos and altos sing it again while tenors and asses accompany with a repeated figure on "lessed Zion" Next sopranos and altos emrace and develop the accompaniment as tenors and asses urst forth with the theme Energy uilds and they reak into octaves, with sopranos and altos following in canon The piece ends with a calm repetition of the last line The Shakers danced and marched in their worship; this hymn seems to convey that feeling starting strong, growing in excitement, reaching a high point and winding down in quiet confidence Cover shows "The Shaker Village at Mount Leanon, NY" line engraving y The Photo Engraving Company (New York) from Hind, William, "American Communities," (The Perfectionists Community; Oneida, NY: 1878), ased on a photo of the Mt Leanon Shaker Community taken y James Irving, HMM

6 Soprano / Alto Tenor / Bass To The Spirit Land We're Hastening Shaker Hymn from Mt Leanon Gently {q = 68} To the spir it land we re "aith's Vision" Arr Christopher J Hoh hast 'ning, Gol den 3 mo ments flit e fore, While each sun set rings us 6 near er To its seem ing dis tant shore; Yet up 9 on her snow y pin ions, aith will lift our hearts to 12 see, In the life that is e fore us, Bless ed 15 im mor tal i ty Oft its pearl y gates are ΠOft its pearl y gates are HMM a Arrangement copyright 2006 y Christopher J Hoh Pulic domain text and tune All rights reserved

7 18 To the Spirit Land We're Hastening glo ry thru them come; 5 open ed, loods of open ed, loods of glo ry thru them glo ry thru them come; come; And we And we catch a glimpse of catch a glimpse of home Oh, it home Oh, it eau ty Just a fore sight of our eau ty Just a fore sight of our Oh, it is y ho ly is y ho ly Oh, y ho ly is y ho ly liv ing That we gain an en trance there; or com mun J an gels, Spot less roes pre roes we must pre ion with the or com mun ion with pare P pare Yet P we the 33 ask their min is tra tion While we tar ry here e HMM a

8 6 36 low, And that To the Spirit Land We're Hastening ev er round our path way Light in 39 creas ing still may glow If our lives are fraught with 42 good ness, And the seed of love we sow, We shall 45 reap a un dant less ing, And the oy of an gels know Œ To the mo ments flit e Spir it land we're hast' ning, Gold en Ó fore, While each sun set rings us HMM a

9 54 57 near er To its seem ing dis tant lives our lives cresc are fraught with To the Spirit Land We're Hastening dis tant shore; good ness, And the good ness, And the shore; seed of If our love we love we seed of love we cresc 7 60 sow, We shall sow, We shall reap a un dant less ing, And the reap a un dant less ing, And the oy of an gels know oy of an gels know We shall reap a un dant Πless ing, less an gels HMM a ing, oy oy of an of And And the gels an reap And the oy of And the oy oy of an the gels gels an gels oy know U know know u know

10 Shaker Hymn from Mt Leanon Attr Martha Jane Anderson Sweetest Music Softly Stealing "Christmas Offering" Arr Christopher J Hoh Soprano / Alto Tenor / Bass c P Gently {h = 48} J Sweet est mu sic soft ly steal ing c O'er our hearts in 4 tune ful chime, Shall in oy ous notes re veal ing, J Swell the song of 8 old en times Sweet est mu sic soft ly steal ing J J O'er our hearts in 12 tune ful chime, Shall in oy ous notes re veal ing, J J Swell the song of 16 old en times When the morn ing star was eam ing, An P J gels sang of J 20 peace and love; HMM Ma ny souls a woke from dreaming, Arrangement copyright 2006 y Christopher J Hoh Pulic domain text and tune All rights reserved Hail'd the light from

11 Sweetest Music, Softly Stealing 9 24 Heaven a ove J When the morn ing star was eam ing, An gels sang of J J 28 peace and love; Ma ny souls a woke from dream ing, Hail'd the light from 32 Heav en a ove Glad some sounds we ech o still, ( ) J Peace on earth, to J 36 all good will Glad some sounds we ech o still, P Peace on earth, to 40 Ó all good will Ó Wake we now to oy and glad ness, 44 Christ the Sav iour we have found; Ban ish from our hearts all sad ness, HMM

12 10 48 And in deeds of Sweetest Music, Softly Stealing love a ound Wake we now to Π( Wake we now to) oy and glad ness, 52 Christ the Sav iour we have found; Ban ish from our hearts all sad ness, J 56 And in deeds of love a ound Now the fount of good un seal ing, Let us all our Breathe sweet peace and Let us all our souls up fill; And in kind ly Christ ian feel ing speak good will Now the fount of Π( Now good un seal ing, good ) souls up fill; And in kind ly Christ ian feel ing J J HMM

13 Sweetest Music, Softly Stealing Breathe sweet peace and 76 speak goodwill Peace on earth, to all good will Glad some sounds we ech o still, Peace on earth, to all good Glad p Glad some sounds we decr some sounds we ech o still, will ech o still, w Slower ΠJ P ΠGlad some sounds we Peace on earth, ech o still, still, Πw Peace on earth, Πto Peace on earth, to all good will all w w w good w will w HMM

14 Shaker Hymn from West Gloucester Soprano / Alto Tenor / Bass & Happy ut not too fast {q = 76} Blest Blest Zion, I Love Thee J Zi on, I "Blest Zion" Arr Christopher J Hoh love thee, thou 4 & eau ti ful ci ty, home, my sweet home, with the 8 & pure and the ust; a J way, far a way from 12 & tur moil and con sor rows of fu sion, from earth, where my 16 & soul finds rest Earth hath no treas ures, 20 & sin hath no pleas ures I would ex change for that HMM c Arrangement copyright 2007 y Christopher J Hoh Pulic domain text and tune All rights reserved

15 24 & peace which I feel; Blest Zion a J con science un spot ted, with & con fi dence less ed, an gels my guard, and the 32 & 37 & Lord's will my Œ Zi Blest seal P Ó Bless Ó ed Zi on, less Zi on, I love thee, thou eau ti ful on, less ed Zi on, less ed ed 41 & 45 & ci Zi ust; Zi ty, home, my sweet home, with the on, less ed Zi on, less Œ a on, less ed Zi way, far a pure and the way ed from on, HMM c

16 14 49 & 53 & 58 & 62 & 66 & tur moil and con fu sion, from sor rows of less ed Zi on, less soul Zi finds rest earth, where my on, less ed Zi on, less sin hath no Zi pleas Earth hath no treas on, less ed Zi on, less peace which I Zi feel; ed ures, ed ures I would ex change for that ΠA on, less ed Zi ed con science un spot ted, with con fi dence less ed, an gels my less Blest Zion ed Zi on, less ed Zi on, on, 70 & guard, and the less Lord's will my ed Zi on, less seal ed HMM c

17 74 & # & 80 # Ó Zi less Ó on P Bless ed Zi Ó Blest! ed Zi Blest Zion # Ó on, # on, Œ Blest J 15 # & # 84 Zi on, I love thee, thou eau ti ful ci less ed Zi on, ty, J # & # 88 # & # 92 home, my sweet oh way, far a on, home, with the less pure and the ust; way from tur moil and con fu sion, from less ed Zi ed Zi a on # & 96 sor rows of Œ earth, where my Ó soul finds rest # Earth hath no treas ures, Earth hath no treas ures, sin hath no pleas ures HMM c

18 16 # & 100 # sin hath no I would ex pleas ures I would ex Blest Zion change for that peace which I change for that J feel; a # & # 104 peace which I feel; J a con science un spot ted, with con fi dence less ed, con science un spot ted, with # & # 108 con fi dence less ed, an gels my J guard, and the an gels my guard, and the Lord's will my seal, # & # 112 Lord's my will my decr seal; seal; P an P an gels gels my my guard, guard, J # & # 119 ΠΠand and the the Lord's Lord's will will my my, my seal seal my seal HMM c

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