A collection of communal hymns
for study or performance!
"The Best Choice":
A Sampling of American Communal Hymns
by Roger L. Hall
PineTree Press
This collection was compiled and arranged
by ethnomusicologist Roger L. Hall,
who is Director of the Center for American Music Preservation.
He has researched American communal music for over four decades.
"The Best Choice" is a valuable collection
of American communal hymns from the 18th and 19th centuries.
It was published in 2006 and reprinted in 2017.
This edition contains more material (total of 400 files) including
music research papers presented by Roger Hall
at the Communal Studies Association (CSA) Conference
held at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky in 2015,
and at Zoar, Ohio in 2017.
These are the sheet music titles
included in the collection:
1. "The Best Choice" (1705 manuscript)
text: Johannes Kelpius,
edited and arranged by Roger Hall
(The Contented of the God-loving Soul)
2. "Hymn for the Spinning Sisters" (1745)
Augustus Gottlieb Spangenburg
translated from the German
(General Economy - The Moravians)
3.
"How Gracious Is The Lord" (1747)
Anna Thomen - in German and English
(The Ephrata Cloister)
4. "Children of Friendship" (ca. 1820)
Frederick Rapp
translated from the German
(The Harmony Society)
5.
"The Spirit of God" (ca. 1835)
words: William W. Phelps/tune: English
(United Order - Kirtland Latter Day Saints)
6. "Let Us Ye Brethren" (ca. 1840)
words: Gerhard Terstegen
tune: Solomon Ackerman
in German
(Zoar Separatists)
7. "O Youth Who Travel On So Far" (1846)
words: Eric Jansson
tune: V. Schumann, arranged by Roger Hall
translated from the Swedish
(Bishop Hill)
8. "Come And Welcome" (1846)
words and tune: David Austin Buckingham
harmonized by Roger Hall
(The United Society of Shakers)
9. "Farewell, Dear Friends" (1849)
words: Adin Ballou
hymn tunes: NEW HINGHAM and OLD HUNDRED,
arranged by Roger Hall
(The Hopedale Community)
Also on this disc are:
Checklist of American Communal Hymnals
from 1730 to 1855.
Roger Hall's research papers
at the Communal Studies Association Conference
held in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky in 2015 and
in Zoar, Ohio
in 2017.
Video concert
highlights featuring Shaker hymn arrangements
by Roger Hall and Conrad Held
performed by The Canterbury Singers, Kathryn Southworth, Director.
To purchase this computer disc,
make your donation of $25.00 (including Worldwide shipping)
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(owner and distributor of PineTree
Press)
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The Best Choice disc
Also available separately:
Roger Hall presented his research paper titled,
"Heavenly Music" -
Evolution of communal singing at Zoar, Kirtland, and North Union, Ohio
based partly on his research
which is available on a multimedia collection
titled,
"May We Ever Be United" -- click here
Related publications
"Give Good Gifts" - Shaker Music in the 20th Century
"Invitation to Zion" - A Shaker Music Guide
"Simple Gifts": Great American Folk Song
CDs with Shaker music
"Blended Together" - Interviews with The Shakers
"Celestial Praises" - A Celebration of Shaker Spirituals
"Gentle Words" - A Shaker Music Sampler
Are you interested in scheduling a entertaining
music lecture or workshop
presented by Roger Hall
for your school, college, museum,
or other organization?
See the list of topics at
Music Lectures and Workshops
Help support the educational misssion of this website.
Order your music books, Shaker music broadsides,
CDs or DVDs at the
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