Sunday, September 9, 2012

Elder Joseph Brackett

Elder Joseph Brackett
Joseph Brackett wrote the lyrics of the Shaker dancing song "Simple Gifts" in 1848, which has become an internationally loved tune, both through his original version, and many of its adaptations. The song was largely unknown outside of Shaker communities until Aaron Copland used the melody in his 1944 composition Appalachian Spring. Brackett was born in 1797 and died 1882 as a member of the Shakers at Gorham, Maine. His father's farm was the nucleus of the Shaker settlement at the time.

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