The words and tune for this Shaker song were written by Sister Polly Rupe at the

Shaker community in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky just after the end of the Civil War.

This song was popular among other Shaker communities too --

at North Union, Ohio; Canterbury, New Hampshire;

and Sabbathday Lake, Maine.

The book is titled after the Shaker song since it expresses so much about their

humility and caring about others with these words:

What the dew is to the flower,
Gentle words are to the soul,
And a blessing to the giver,
And so dear to the receiver,
We should never withhold.
Gentle words, kindly spoken,
Often soothe the troubled mind,
While links of love are broken
By words that are unkind.
Then, O thou gentle spirit
My constant guardian be,
"Do to others," be my motto,
"As I'd have them due to me."

Sister Polly M. Rupe (1826-1875)
Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, 1867

The last two lines of this Shaker song are from

the "Golden Rule" in the Bible from St. Matthew Chapter 7, verse 12

 

© Picture from PineTree Press

The book was written by one of the foremost authorities on Shaker music,

Roger Lee Hall, an ethnomusicologist and music preservationist who has researched,

edited and performed Shaker music for over 50 years.

He is currently Director of the Center for American Music Preservation (or CAMP).

He first studied Shaker music while in the M.A. program at Binghamton University,

including visiting the two remaining Shaker communities

at Canterbury, New Hampshire and Sabbathday Lake, Maine.

In 1972 he completed the first Master's Thesis about Shaker music titled:

The Shaker Letteral System: A Practical Approach to Music Notation.

He continued on with Ph.D. studies at

Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

His doctoral dissertation was about one specific Shaker community and

has been published as an ebook titled:




"May We Ever Be United: Music of the North Union, Ohio Shakers"
(PineTree Press, 2022)

Over the years he has written numerous articles on Shaker music,

and two books about the most popular Shaker dance song, "Simple Gifts."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a rave review on Amazon.com for the first edition of the Gentle Words book:

5.0 out of 5 stars  Worth the effort to obtain

Hall has worked tirelessly to interpret Shaker music and bring it to the public. Shaker scholars know how profound "Gentle Words" is - in both text and tune. Hall's essay develops interesting background information on this moving song, so that general readers can discover it.

 

 

First published in 2009 and reprinted with corrections in 2011,

the 3rd edition of the Gentle Words book has been revised and expanded

with additional pages of historical information and

a new Music Supplement with arrangements of four Shaker songs.

This book is dedicated in memory of three past Shaker singers

the author interviewed:

Eldress Bertha Lindsay and Sister Lillian Phelps at Canterbury, New Hampshire

Sister Mildred Barker at Sabbathday Lake, Maine.

Mr. Hall wrote that these three Shakers conveyed to him

"the deep love" of their m,usic.

The book begins with a short history of Shaker music written by Sister Lillian Phelps

from Canterbury, New Hampshire.

She writes how their music evolved over several centuries.

There are also highlights from a two-day interview in 1972 with two Shaker woman at

Canterbury, New Hampshire: Eldress Bertha Lindsay and Sister Lillian Phelps,

who was the last living Shaker composer in the 20th century.

In addition, there are highlights from an interview by the author with distinguished

American composer, Aaron Copland, about his arrangements of the popular Shaker

dance song, "Simple Gifts."

Also, a picture of Copland meeting Sister Mildred Barker in 1974.

There are also lyrics for 25 Shaker spirituals which the author has discovered and

written about over the years.

All of these spirituals are included on the accompanying

Gentle Words CD (see below).

At the back of the book is a new Music Supplement with the author's

choral arrangements of four Shaker songs:

"Welcome, Welcome"
"May I Softly Walk"
"Gentle Words"
"Love is Little"

 

Here are the contents of the book with the names of the Shakers who wrote the music.

1. Song of Greeting: WELCOME, WELCOME -- Rosetta Cummings,
Enfield, New Hampshire, 1869

2. Dance Song: COME LIFE, SHAKER LIFE--
Issachar Bates, New Lebanon, New York, ca. 1835

3. Anthem: MOUNT ZION -- Issachar Bates, Ohio ca. 1815

4. Ballad Hymn: RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE -- Issachar Bates, Ohio, 1810

5. Hymn: ODE TO CONTENTMENT --
words: Richard Pelham/ music: Issachar Bates, ca. 1835

6. Song: WHILE WE'RE MARCHING -- unknown author, North Union, Ohio, 1847

7. Dancing Song: SIMPLE GIFTS-- Joseph Brackett Jr., Alfred, Maine, 1848

8. Hymn: COME LET US CHANT -- Oliver C. Hampton, Union Village, Ohio, 1850s

9. Vision Song: A DREAM -- Harvey L. Eades, Union Village, Ohio, 1860

10. Vision Hymn: A PRAYER FOR THE CAPTIVE-- Cecilia DeVere, New Lebanon, NY, 1862

11. Anthem: MILLENNIAL PRAISE-- James G. Russell, Enfield, NH, 1883

12. Song: GENTLE WORDS - Polly M. Rupe, Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, ca. 1867

13. Song: LOVE IS LITTLE - unknown author, South Union, Kentucky, ca. 1834

14. Hymn: CELESTIAL PRAISES -- "Given by inspiration, Jan. 10, 1841"
in Canterbury, New Hampshire

15. Hymn: CELESTIAL CHOIR -- Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1847

16. Song: MAY I SOFTLY WALK -- Mt. Lebanon, New York, 1869

17. Instrumental: Variations on a Shaker Marching Tune -- for piano
(new music composition by Roger Lee Hall, 1971)

18. Song: LIVING SOULS, LET'S BE MARCHING --unknown author,Tyringham, 1853

19. Hymn: PROGRESS -- from the singing of Sister Mildred Barker and
Sister Frances Carr and recorded in Shaker Heights, Ohio in 1974

20. Song: O MY SWEET SHAKER HOME --
from the singing of Eldress Bertha Lindsay, Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1980

21. Song: I WANT TO BE LIKE THE LILY -- singing of Eldress Bertha Lindsay, 1980

22. Song: O WE'RE A BAND OF SISTERS -- singing of Eldress Bertha Lindsay, 1980

23. Song: GIVE GOOD GIFTS -- Martha J. Anderson, Mt. Lebanon, NY, ca. 1890

24. Hymn: THE HUMBLE HEART --
text: Eunice Wyeth/ tune: Thomas Hammond, Harvard, Massachusetts, ca. 1820

25. Song of Farewell: WE WILL ALL GO HOME WITH YOU -- Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1862

Bibliography
Recordings
About the Author

Music Supplement: "A Shaker Song Quartet" (arranged by Roger Lee Hall):

"Welcome, Welcome"
"May I Softly Walk and Wisely Speak"
"Gentle Words"
"Love is little"

Book cover: GMH Design

 

 

 

 

 

The new edition of this book is only available at this website as a printed book or

as an ebook sent by email attachment

for the low price of $12.95,

click the "Quantity" button ONE TIME

To order, click the "Add to Cart" below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To receive

both the book and the accompanying CD

 

If you wish to order both the book and accompanying CD

with all 25 Shaker titles -- go here

 

Other CDs and multimedia discs available separately

 

CDs with Shaker music
edited and arranged by Roger Lee Hall

"This CD is a wonderful view of the world of Shaker music and a celebration indeed."
-- Benjamin Sears & Bradford Conner, Song Duo for American Classics

CELESTIAL PRAISES: A Celebration of Shaker Spirituals

 

 

 

"I found it deeply moving...it is music that speaks to the heart"
Phyllis, a concert singer

MY SHAKER HOME : Words & Music by Shaker Sisters

 

 

 

 

Multimedia publications
on computer discs
with historical information,
pictures, audio and video clips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See a list of Roger Hall's Shaker music collections -- click here

 

Contact email for questions -- click here

 

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