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Joseph Brackett: Quotes

Joseph Brackett, Jr. (1797-1882) was an American Shaker Elder and songwriter best known for the song 'Simple Gifts.' The song, originally composed in 1848, emphasizes the beauty of simplicity and has been widely adapted and performed, gaining recognition beyond the Shaker community. Brackett's work has been celebrated for its spiritual inspiration and has been included among essential American songs by music educators.

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10 views3 pages

Joseph Brackett: Quotes

Joseph Brackett, Jr. (1797-1882) was an American Shaker Elder and songwriter best known for the song 'Simple Gifts.' The song, originally composed in 1848, emphasizes the beauty of simplicity and has been widely adapted and performed, gaining recognition beyond the Shaker community. Brackett's work has been celebrated for its spiritual inspiration and has been included among essential American songs by music educators.

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mrguddu651
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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3/16/25, 9:24 AM Joseph Brackett - Wikiquote

Joseph Brackett
Joseph Brackett, Jr. (6 May 1797 – 4 July 1882) was an
American Shaker Elder and songwriter, famous as the author of
the song "Simple Gifts."

Quotes

Simple Gifts (1848)

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,


'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd, gift to be free,
To turn, turn will be our delight 'Tis the gift to come down where
'Till by turning, turning we come round right. we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in
Through the course of time these lines have often been the place just right,
altered into "'Tis a gift", rather than the original "'Tis the 'Twill be in the valley of love and
gift". The song was largely unknown outside of the Shaker delight.
community until Aaron Copland used the melody in his
1944 composition "Appalachian Spring". Many people
have thought that the tune of "Simple Gifts" is a
traditional celtic tune (as it is implied to be, as used in
the theatrical play Lord of the Dance) but the music and
original lyrics are actually the compositions of Joseph
Brackett. The original lyrics to a song "Lord of the
Dance", based upon the tune, were written by the
Quaker poet Sydney Carter in 1963, and these were When true simplicity is gain'd
adapted (in ignorance of the actual origins) without
To bow and to bend we shan't be
authorization or acknowledgments in the play, but
asham'd,
acknowledgement was eventually made, and some
To turn, turn will be our delight
royalty payments arranged. Several other adaptations
'Till by turning, turning we come
and parodies have since occurred. · Alison Krauss
round right.
performance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBOY
Ylanm1k) · Performance by the King's Singers (https://w
ww.youtube.com/watch?v=x6yTRcr2dxM) - GMCLA
performance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIx57ATBgZg) · Arrangement by John
Williams for the Inauguration of US President Barack Obama (https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=sXEIiKZRgpo&spfreload=10)

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3/16/25, 9:24 AM Joseph Brackett - Wikiquote

Quotes about Brackett or "Simple Gifts"


The man who wrote this claimed it came to him by
divine inspiration, and I truly believe that might have
been the case. This may be the perfect piece of music. I've
sung it close to 15,000 times over the years, and I never
get tired of it.
Randy Folger (http://www.americanmusicpreservation.c
om/folger.htm), who sang the song each weekday for
visitors at the "Shaker Village" in Pleasant Hill,
Kentucky.

I don’t think he was musically trained, as far as I can tell


from my research. There isn’t a lot of background material
to find on this question, but I do believe that he picked up
music as it was passed to him through the community.
Any youngster can tell you what this
They felt it was a communal gift to be able to write
song means: Simplicity is
music, a gift from God. They wrote about the
sometimes better than complexity,
experience as having inspirationally received a song.
and we shouldn't take ourselves too
Roger Hall, in in Simple Living: Discover spiritual gifts of seriously. ~ Will Schmid
the Shakers. (http://www.readthespirit.com/explore/simp
le-living-discover-spiritual-gifts-of-the-shakers/#sthash.
HLnRszem.dpuf)

The Music Educators National Conference — the professional organization for American music
teachers — named it among a handful of songs that every American should know. Teachers
ranked it right up there with the "National Anthem," "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and
"Home on the Range."
David Crumm in "From Lord of the Dance to Oldsmobile ads, the Shaker song 'Simple
Gifts' can now be heard in all kinds of places" in Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (30
November 1998) (http://web.archive.org/web/20090603024733/http://www.accessmylibrary.
com/coms2/summary_0286-5619018_ITM)

Everyone agreed that this is a song all Americans should be able to sing. It was a hands-down
favorite among teachers. And I've talked with kids in elementary and high schools about it, too.
Any youngster can tell you what this song means: Simplicity is sometimes better than
complexity, and we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously.
Will Schmid, president of the 1996 Music Educators National Conference, as quoted in
"From Lord of the Dance to Oldsmobile ads, the Shaker song 'Simple Gifts' can now be
heard in all kinds of places" by David Crumm in Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (30
November 1998) (http://web.archive.org/web/20090603024733/http://www.accessmylibrary.
com/coms2/summary_0286-5619018_ITM)

External links
Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village (http://www.shaker.lib.me.us/)
Simple Gifts (http://www.bostoncamerata.com/cd/titles/shakercd.htm) at The Boston Camerata
Joseph Brackett's Simple Gifts (http://www.americanmusicpreservation.com/JosephBrackettSi
mpleGifts.htm)

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