{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_60732/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_60732","id":"gutenberg_60732","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60732","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - American","Category: History - Modern (1750+)","Category: Music","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Shakers","Shakers -- Hymns -- History and criticism"],"text":"Industries and Inventions\n                             of The Shakers\n\n\n\n\n                              SHAKER MUSIC\n                           _A Brief History_\n\n\n                                 + + +\n\n                         Sister Bertha Lindsay\n                         Sister Lillian Phelps\n\n                           Canterbury Shakers\n\n                                 + + +\n\n                       Canterbury, New Hampshire\n\n\nThe subject for the evening is one of great interest, as dating back 186\nyears, we find the Shakers to be an exceedingly ingenious people,\ndevoted pioneers of this adventure.\n\nIt is rather difficult for one who has been a member of this church, to\nspeak of the achievements of this especial group without seeming\nboastful, yet, we, the inheritors can justly be proud of the useful\ncontributions made in early days. It therefore is our duty to inform\nthose interested while we are able.\n\nWhile different societies originated and manufactured some particular\nitem, these were shared with all others as, while we were like one big\nfamily, each society was a complete unit within themselves,\nself-sustaining, supplying the necessities for their own needs. An\ninterchange of goods from one village to another was possible because of\nfrequent visits of the leaders. I will now try to detail for you some of\nthe early industries and inventions.\n\nPerhaps the most colorful of the early industries was the herb and root\nindustry. This was a natural outgrowth of the Shakers\u2019 interest in\ngardening and agriculture. Eldress Anna White states in her writings\nthat, \u201cthe Shakers were the first in this country to introduce botanical\nmedical practice, the first roots, herbs and vegetable extracts for\nmedicinal purposes placed on the market having borne the Shaker stamp\u201d.\n\nThomas Corbett of Canterbury originated the famous Syrup of Sarsaparilla\nalso, the Wild Cherry Pectoral Syrup. Rose-water was far-famed, used in\ncooking as well as medicinally. I would not have time to give a complete\nlist of the many herbs and roots, grown, harvested and packaged, but\nwill quote a few figures to show the tremendous extent of this industry.\nRecords show this industry started in 1800, reaching its greatest\nimportance around 1848 when the sisters cleaned and packaged 9,327 lbs.\nof roots. In 1871, 14,079 bottles of Norwood\u2019s Tincture of Veratum alone\nwas put up. Perhaps the extent of this business may be gauged by the\nfact that in one year more than a million labels were cut. How many of\nyou ever heard of \u201cHealolene\u201d? A hand, or after-shave lotion made from\nquinces, at Mt. Lebanon.\n\nThe physics gardens at Mt. Lebanon occupied at one time over 50 acres,\nwhere a variety of 50 plants were raised. They collected nearly 200\nvarieties of indigenous plants, bringing from the South, West and from\nEurope some 30 to 40 other varieties.\n\nBetween 1861-62 the extract business flourished, with over 100\nvarieties, both solid and fluid manufactured. The herb industry\ncontinued on a much smaller scale as late as 1900. Witch-Hazel was\ndistilled and sold at Canterbury up to 1910. The herb industry rapidly\nextended to Watervliet, Harvard, Sabbathday Lake, Canterbury, Enfield\nand Union Village.\n\nIt is but a step from the herb industry to the garden seed industry\nwhich flourished from the establishment of this business in 1794 to the\nearly 1890\u2019s. In its early stages plain paper and cloth bags were used,\nlater brightly colored posters were distributed, and the seeds put up in\nneatly labeled boxes or in gayly tinted little packages. One of the\nfirst industries was the making of men\u2019s wool hats. Another prosperous\nindustry was the tanning of leather. It grew to such dimensions, the\nShakers were not able to raise enough hides themselves, so bought from\nnearby farmers. The manufacture of cloth and leather shoes were for\ntheir own use mainly. Leather mittens, bridles, saddles and harnesses\nwere also made. Such industries as making whips and whip-lashes, dry\nmeasures, brass, bone, ivory and pewter buttons, shoe-buckles, garden\nhoes, and ironware were necessary items for home use.\n\nShingle, brick making and stone-cutting were active industries, filling\norders for the world\u2019s market long before they used these items\nthemselves.\n\nCountless items as apple barrels, wash and dye tubs, churns and seed\npails were manufactured. Wooden dippers in nests of 3. Sieves of many\ntypes were made of wire, horses\u2019 manes and cows\u2019 tails, woven on special\nlooms.\n\nHaving a natural deposit of red clay at Mt. Lebanon, pipes were made for\nsale. A small industry was the manufacture of steel, brass and silver\npens, with handles of wood and tin, made to close telescopically. The\nShakers were credited with being the originators of the metal pen. An\nimportant industry was the making of oak staves for molasses hogsheads\nwhich were exported to the West Indies. Bee-keeping was an essential\nexperiment as the immense orchards of fruit trees were thusly benefited.\nMarkets as far as England were found for their superior apples. Sundry\nitems like coonskin fur gloves, floor mops, horn combs and the making of\nmen\u2019s shirts were occupations in most of the societies.\n\nWhile much of the sisters\u2019 time was occupied with domestic tasks, they\nfound time to assist in picking over the herbs, making seed bags and\nother useful articles. Wines, sauces and jellies were made for sale,\ncucumber pickles and tomato catsup were flourishing around 1811. Dairy\nproducts such as fine cheeses and butter were sold in quantity. Other\nrelated industries were the making of sausages, the raising of\nstrawberries, currants and gooseberries, even to barrels of dried\nelderberries. Our gift shops sold quantities of sugared flagroot, also\nsugared lemon, orange and grapefruit peel. Tons of dried apples were\nsold or made into apple sauce. Kilns were constructed for the paying\nindustry of drying both corn and apples. The famous Shaker Applesauce\nwas cooked in sweet cider, the proportion being something like 4 gallons\nboiled down to one, then slowly cooking the dried apples in this. The\nresult, a rich, delicious sauce.\n\nThe famous Shaker cloak, named the Dorothy Shaker Cape, was made from\nthe finest imported French broadcloth. The originator of this Cape was\nEldress Dorothy Durgin of Canterbury. These may still be purchased from\ntiny white ones for babies through little girls\u2019 sizes to ladies\u2019 sizes,\nalthough the fine material of earlier days cannot be found, they still\nare a charming acquisition to milady\u2019s ward-robe.\n\nHere in Canterbury we had an orchard of over 1,000 maples, situated\nabout a mile northeast of the village. Maple products such as syrup,\nmaple sugar cakes, pulled candy and clay sugar formed a thriving\nindustry for many years.\n\nA variety of many types of baskets were made. Elder Daniel Boler and\nDaniel Crossman of Mt. Lebanon invented machinery for splint making and\nbasket working. This craft was learned in early years from traveling\ngroups of Indians. Between 1809 to 1871 an unending variety of several\npatterns were made. Immense baskets for herbs, knitting, egg and fruit\nbaskets or utility baskets, difficult to classify were woven. The\npopular baskets or boxes were among the most unique made in several of\nthe societies from the middle 1800\u2019s to the present. The poplar tree is\nnative to our woods, they were cut when frozen into 24 in. lengths, put\nthrough a Shaker invented plane, taking off thin strips of poplar, then\nshredded into fine strips, first by hand, later Brother Irving Greenwood\ndevised an electric powered machine to shred the poplar. It was woven on\nhand looms. A paper pasted on the reverse side made it firmer and less\nsusceptible to breakage. Lined with various colored satins, they\npresented neat utility or sewing boxes.\n\nNo product of the Shaker wood-working shops possesses greater charm than\nthe multi-sized oval boxes, made in nests of from 5 to 12. The boxes\nwere joined with a method called fingers, a novel refinement over the\nold style of joining. Brother Delmar Wilson still active at our Maine\nsociety made oval carriers by the thousand. These lined with satin\nfitted with emery, cushion and wax made attractive sewing boxes.\n\nWomen who joined the societies were often experienced in the varied\ndomestic arts practiced in colonial homes, so it was natural they\ncontinue to spin yarn, weave and dye cloth, dip candles and engage in\nthe countless occupations of that period. Looms were used and\nconstructed at the very outset. Carding, spinning and the weaving of\nwoolen, cotton and cotton-wool cloth done exclusively by the sisters,\nwho also hatcheled the flax for linen cloth. The first bird\u2019s-eye linen\nwas a Shaker product. Until 1809 when a machine was invented, the cloth\nwas cut with shears made by Shaker blacksmiths. The looms were in\nconstant use until 1853 when the comparative cheapness of mill cloth\nmade it seem uneconomical for the Shakers to rely on their own produce.\nHowever, weaving of handkerchiefs, toweling, carpets and spreads\ncontinued up to 1865. In Kentucky the Shakers grew mulberry trees so as\nto raise silk worms for the weaving of silk. Some of the first\niridescent silk was woven in Kentucky, also the Sabbathday Lake Shakers\nmade some of the first wrinkle-proof material. This was obtained by\nplacing the cloth between layers of chemically treated paper, pressed in\na Shaker invented screw-press, using heat underneath, producing a shiny\nsurface on one side, a dull water silk on the reverse.\n\nThe Shaker brothers were expert agriculturists and mechanics, making\nwoodenware such as pails, tubs, measures, boxes, spinning wheels, rakes\nand all the furniture to supply the houses with the necessities of\nliving. Chairs were made in all societies for their own use; however, at\nMt. Lebanon chairs of all sizes were made for sale, up to the close of\nthat society. A particularly interesting chair, called a tilting chair,\nwas made by the addition of a novel invention called a boot, which\nfitted on the bottom of the back legs like a ball and socket joint. The\nchair revolves on the boot while the boot remains stationary\u2014secured\nwith a piece of rawhide, it enabled one to tilt back without tipping\nover or leaving mars on the floors.\n\nSaxon and Merino sheep were raised to obtain the finest wool for\nweaving. Thoroughbred horses and cattle were raised for sale. Some of\nthe first thoroughbred Guernseys were purchased by the Canterbury\nShakers from the English Isle of Guernsey. The brothers looked upon the\nsoil as something to be redeemed from rugged barrenness into smiling\nfertility and beauty. So their vast acreage yielded abundantly as proof\nof their devotion. From early records of farming, we learn that wheat,\noats, rye, barley, corn, flax and potatoes were the first crops\ncultivated. Fruit trees were planted at an early date. Shakers were\ntaught that agriculture was a part of their religion. A Gardener\u2019s\nManual was published in 1843. In this one writer expressed the Shakers\u2019\nbelief that \u201cif you would have a lovely garden, you should live a lovely\nlife\u201d.\n\nAmong the inventions was a Screw-Propeller, a rotary or disk harrow,\nautomatic spring, the sash balance and threshing machine. The Shakers\nwere among the first to use water power to run their various mills, this\nled to the invention of a governor of the overshot water wheel, also a\nTurbine water wheel. Many inventions influence our homes today such as\nthe machinery for making the tongue and groove boards and the first flat\nbroom invented by Theodore Bates of Watervliet. Broom corn was raised\nand brushes manufactured as early as 1798. Table swifts for winding yarn\nwas a helpful contribution of the Hancock Shakers. Other inventions\nincluded a machine for filling seed bags, and one for filling herb\npackages, the apple paring machine, the common clothes pin, the\nself-acting cheese press. Did you know the first one-horse wagon used in\nthis country was a Shaker product of Enfield, Conn.? The Shakers not\nbelieving in patents or monopolies of any type were, however, forced\nbecause of lawsuits from unscrupulous money grabbers, to patent a few\nitems such as the Revolving oven, which may still be seen in the\nCanterbury Bakery, and the far-famed Wash Mill, which won a gold medal\nat the Philadelphia exposition in 1876.\n\nThe list of inventions and devices of Shaker ingenuity if extended into\ndetail would seem almost endless. Briefly, I would like to tell you of\nsome important inventions showing their relation to our lives today.\nBrother Thomas Corbett of Canterbury built a static electric machine in\n1810. It consisted of a glass cylinder, revolving against a chamois pad\nproducing frictional electricity. This charge was drawn off into a\nLeyden jar. It was the first therapeutic electric machine. It is hard to\nimagine a shop today without a circular saw. Sister Sarah Babbitt of\nHarvard while watching some of the brothers saw, remarked on the amount\nof lost motion, the idea of a circular saw came to her. She experimented\nwith a notched disk of tin, slipped it on to her spinning wheel, and\nfinding it adequate to saw a shingle, reported her findings. The first\none piece circular saw may now be seen in the New York State collection\nof Shaker Items, Albany, N. Y. The Shakers prowess in research was well\nrecognized by a gentleman who while visiting his children at Mt.\nLebanon, heard of a Vacuum Pan being used by the Shakers in their\nmedicinal herb industry. The Vacuum Pan was utilized by the Shakers\nbecause when medicine is boiled in a vacuum it boils at lower degree of\ntemperature. Hence, many of the good qualities are not driven off in\nsteam. He asked permission of the Shakers to experiment with the vacuum\npan in an attempt to preserve milk. He made a success and a fortune when\nhe invented evaporated milk. His name was Gail Borden. If you should\never go to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, you will see the\nVacuum Pan. The Shaker Museum at Old Chatham, N. Y. has on display Gail\nBorden\u2019s Work Bench.\n\nAt its very peak, the Shaker movement numbered only about 6,000 members,\nat our beautiful village at Canterbury around 400 members which by some\nworldly standards of measurement would be only a drop in a gigantic\nocean of humanity, but we feel that numbers do not count if the\nmotivating principles are right and if each individual gives all that he\nhas, and dedicates his \u201cHands to work, and his Heart to God\u201d, and if he\nstrives to be his brothers\u2019 keeper. And so, we humbly point to the\ncemetery of our early Shaker founders who lived not for fame but who\nwere dedicated to the beliefs that when a person loves his God and also\nhis fellow man, the personality of the individual is lost in the Spirit\nof Christ. And so even if much of Shakerism remains unknown and the\nphysical symbols to some seem to disappear completely, we know that\ndarkness and night may fall, but there is always a tomorrow when the sun\nwill rise again. For we feel thru the revelation of Mother Ann and the\nteachings of Christ, we have followed a path that is clearly defined\nleading us to an inner Godliness and a perfect union\u2014a love of God\u2014and a\nuniversal love for all mankind.\n\nSome have asked\u2014why did the Shakers invent so much\u2014why did such beauty\nabound in their work\u2014I can only say\u2014The beauty of the world about us is\nonly according to what we ourselves bring to it. For example: to some,\nAutumn is a prelude to winter with its cold and loneliness. To others,\nAutumn represents the magnificence of God\u2019s Great Creation, but for we\nwho follow the path of Godliness, the world takes on a new and more\nbeautiful dimension, and everywhere we find that inner love that brings\nto our lives the great radiance of God\u2019s great love. With you and only\nyou, lies the choice of selection. To me\u2014I like the words of the poet,\nwho looking on the beauty of Autumn, said, \u201cDear Lord, when with this\nlife I\u2019m thru and I make my abode with you, Just one thing I would ask\nof Thee. Will Heaven have Autumn, and crimson trees?\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                              SHAKER MUSIC\n\n\nThe study of music was a basic feature of education among the Shakers.\nIn the early days, songs were learned orally, and communicated from one\nSociety to another, by word of mouth.\n\nThe first person to urge the study of music was Brother Abram Whitney, a\nteacher of music, and a member of the Shaker Society at Shirley, Mass.\nUpon solicitation, Brother Abram visited Canterbury and Enfield, N. H.,\nand gave lessons in the rudiments of elementary music.\n\nAbout 1821 he, with the help of other inventive minds, developed a form\nof musical notation, called Shaker Script or Letteral System, so named,\nbecause of the use of letters, instead of the conventional round notes.\nIn this method, the first seven letters of the alphabet, were used.\nCapital letters were whole notes, small letters designated quarter\nnotes, while Italics were used for eighth notes, and half-notes had a\nline added to the side of the letter.\n\nIn 1843, a Shaker brother from Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., by the name of Isaac\nN. Youngs, changed this method, and used only the small letters of the\nalphabet, and altered the system of designating the tempo. He published\na pamphlet, entitled \u201cA Short Abridgement of the Rules of Music\u201d. Later,\nRussel Haskell of Enfield, Conn. wrote \u201cA Musical Expositor\u201d, or a\ntreatise on the rules and elements of music, about the year 1847.\n\nIn 1852 our beloved Elder Henry Blinn, of Canterbury, had a set of\nletteral music type made, from which he printed a book, entitled \u201cHymns\nand Anthems\u201d. When the Manifesto, (a magazine which was published at our\nCanterbury Society, and which had a fairly wide circulation throughout\nthe country) was printed Elder Henry Blinn, the editor, realizing that\nmany people of the world, as well as Shakers, were reading this\npublication, thought it best to use a note-system more universal than\nthe old Shaker Script system, as each number contained a Shaker Hymn. So\nhe advised the return of standard notes, commonly used by the world.\nThus in 1871 the round note-system came back into Shaker use. And so,\nabout that time, the \u201cRepository of Music\u201d was printed, right here at\nShaker Village, containing the elementary and advanced lessons from the\nworks of able teachers, and showing the more universal note-system used\nby the outside world.\n\nSome years later the Shakers of Canterbury hired Professor Davis of\nConcord, N. H., to give a course of lessons in music, adding further to\nthe knowledge that had already been gleaned from Brother Abram Whitney.\nProgress was rapid, as brethren and sisters, desiring to add greater\ndimensions to their religious expression, diligently labored to learn\nall that was offered.\n\nSoon the answer to a continuous desire to learn, came with the\nintroduction to the Society, of a Dr. Charles Guilmette, of Boston.\nDoctor Guilmette was a superior teacher of vocal music, both in theory\nand in practice. He proved to be, not only an accomplished vocalist, but\nan elocutionist and physician as well. Continuous lessons in correct\nbreathing and tone-production, awakened in all, an even deeper interest\nin singing.\n\nFormation of classes in singing soon followed, composed of groups of\nchildren as well as adults. Soon we had numerous well-executed trios,\nquartets, and double-quartets or sextets. Family singing-meetings were\nheld twice a week, at which each group presented selections for the\nenjoyment of the family. Vocal training became a \u201cmust\u201d with the\nShakers, and a high standard of quality music was soon attained.\n\nElder Arthur Bruce of Canterbury, a gifted musician, before entering the\nSociety, and a brilliant baritone, in his own right, formed and directed\na Shaker Ladies Quartet, called the \u201cQui Vive Quartet\u201d. Under his\ndirection, and with the added assistance of visiting musicians, the\nquartet acquired a perfection which brought many requests for their\nconcert performance, from various parts of the country.\n\nThe quartet sang entirely without accompaniment, and could sing, at a\nmoment\u2019s notice, over 100 selections from memory. Nearly all of these\nsongs were arranged by the members. As an illustration of the\ncooperative spirit of the Shakers, the instruction received by this\nquartet, was freely shared with the younger singers, resulting in a\nfamily chorus of unusual quality.\n\nFirst attempts in singing in harmony, by the family, were ventured in\nthe 1800\u2019s, but only melodies were used in Church Service. These\nmelodies contained lessons in practical Christian living, and were often\nmore impressive than the spoken word. One of these was a gentle reminder\nin song, of the importance of loving, daily association.\n\n  May I softly walk, and wisely speak,\n  Lest I harm the strong, or wound the weak.\n  For all these wounds I yet must feel,\n  And bathe in love until they heal.\n\n  Why should I carelessly offend,\n  Since many joys of life depend\n  On gentle words and peaceful ways,\n  Which spreads such brightness o\u2019er our days.\n\nMuch of the music used in our Church Service, we believe to have been\ninspirationally received by members so gifted. Eldress Dorothy Durgin,\nwho was especially adept in this gift, kept a slate by her bed, upon\nwhich she wrote the spiritual messages which came to her in the night or\nearly morning hours. She would then pass the words to the one for whom\nshe thought the message was intended, saying \u201cI thought of you when\nthese words came to me\u201d.\n\nSome of these messages were accompanied by melody, others were set to\nmusic at a later date. And even today many of these songs remain the\nmost loved ones in our Canterbury Hymnal. One of these, an especial\nfavorite, reads as follows:\n\n  Angels call me, call me higher\n  To a realm of purer thought;\n  Call me to the fountain nigher,\n  Where the gems of Truth are wrought.\n\n  Call me here to love and worship,\n  Here to serve and learn God\u2019s way.\n  Rise, my soul, renewed, responsive,\n  Meet the Christ that calls today.\n\n  Ever calling are the angels,\n  Calling to the heights Divine;\n  Calling where the gifts immortal\n  Seek my spirit to refine.\n\n  All of life it is to serve them,\n  All of joy to feel their power.\n  Rise, my soul, thy friendship deepen\n  With the Christ that calls each hour.\n\nThese inspirational hymns were not confined to any one individual as in\nevery Society there were many members so gifted. The Christ Spirit could\neasily find expression, where hearts were dedicated to His Service.\n\nEldress Dorothy Durgin, who was born in Sanbornton, N. H., entered the\nSociety at the age of 8 yrs., after the death of her mother. A lover of\nchildren, she was given the care of 24 little girls, while still a young\nwoman. Because of her interest in the youth, she was appointed teacher\nof the District School, where she taught for six years. Her qualities of\nleadership were tremendous, so it was only natural that she be appointed\nto the order of Eldership, at the age of 24 yrs., which position she\nheld for 50 yrs. She was, probably, without parallel, as a writer of\nhymns, and, during her lifetime produced over 30 inspired songs.\n\nFew persons realize the tremendous effort involved in tracing the\nauthors of our Shaker Hymns. We have always considered that those who\nreceived them, were only the channel through which these inspirational\nmessages flowed. In other words, we believe that when an individual is\nthoroughly consecrated, the personality is lost in the spirit of Christ.\n\nIf it wasn\u2019t that we have remembered the circumstances connected with\nthese hymns, their authorship would have been purposely submerged. For\nour Hymn Books bear only the name of the Society, where the hymn was\ncomposed, never its author.\n\nBut recently, and only after the author had passed away, did we consent\nto give out these biographical facts, for we believe that a talent to\ncreate a work of art, to invent or compose, is God-given. It is a gift,\nand we are but the tools chosen to be used in His service. We have, it\nis true, the power to increase these talents, by study and by\napplication; but we are to take no credit for these gifts, for we are\nmerely His instruments, and they are loaned to us, to be used for the\nblessing of others. One of our lovely old hymns ably expresses this\nsentiment in the words,\n\n  \u201cLost in the tide of doing good,\n  Thy Master\u2019s humble name.\n  So thy discipleship record,\n  Beyond all earthly fame.\u201d\n\nMusic used in Church Service was without instrumental accompaniment, as\nthe mixed voices of the members, formed an adequate chorus. However, as\ndiminished numbers left the singers without the assistance of male\nvoices, an organ was introduced for vocal support.\n\nMany persons are curious as to the reason for using dancing or marching,\nin our earlier religious services. It is amazing how much sound reason\nis behind the thinking of the early Shaker leaders, and how much\npsychology was employed.\n\nIt was the belief of the Shakers that every faculty should be used in\nthe worship of God, and so, various forms of physical exercise were\nintroduced, particularly the March. A group of eight or ten singers,\noccupied the center of the room, around which the members marched in\nperfect formation. It was with a graceful, rhythmic motion of the hands\nas the members marched to the slow or quick tempo of the music.\n\nDancing, or the March, was not such a strange occurrence during a\nreligious service of the early days of the Church. We have mention, in\nthe Old Testament, of David and Miriam dancing before the Lord. Also\nthere are 19 instances where dancing is mentioned in the Mosaic Law.\n\nThere was also a definite psychological purpose behind the Shaker\nmarches, seldom explained, and rarely understood by the general Public.\nThe perfect rhythmic body motions, of a worshipper, who combined this\nactivity with a deep mental and religious fervor, developed within\nhimself, a great spiritual inspiration, almost impossible to understand\nor describe, by one who has never witnessed or participated in this form\nof worship. But if one could have been present, as I was, and could have\nseen the perfect spiritual union, that was produced, when a soul\ncombined the physical motions, the singing voice and the dedicated\nheart, in giving praise and thanks to God\u2014I\u2019m sure you would have agreed\nthat the physical motions added a still greater dimension to the\nexpression of Prayer. However, as years passed, and older members were\nunable to join in these marches, the exercises were discontinued, as it\nwas considered necessary to maintain a perfect union among the members,\na service in which all may participate as One.\n\nToday, our Church Service is quiet and more formal, resembling, perhaps\nthe Prayer meetings held in many of the churches of other denominations.\n\nThe first organ was introduced into the Society, by Elder Henry Blinn.\nIt was one of the first built by the Prescott Organ Co., of Concord, N.\nH., and can be seen today, still in working condition, in our little\nMuseum, right here at the Canterbury Village. When purchased, it was\nplaced in the School House, where the members gathered for instruction\nin the reading of notes.\n\nThe introduction of instrumental music was quite an innovation among the\nShakers. Eldress Dorothy Durgin felt that music added refinement to a\nyoung person, so she made a trip to a Music Company in Boston, to\nnegotiate the purchase of a second organ for instrumental practices.\n\nEldress Dorothy possessed a gracious, winning personality, and so\nimpressed the proprietor of the Company, that he presented the Society\nat Canterbury with a fine cabinet organ. The first piano was introduced\nin 1872. Later, pianos owned and brought in by those who joined the\nSociety, provided added facilities for instrumental practice.\n\nIn order to encourage this musical movement, Eldress Dorothy held\nmonthly recitals, at which each pupil was represented, everyone, from\nthe beginner, who could do but simple finger exercises, to the more\nadvanced student, who could, perhaps, master the difficult music of the\nclassics. Every child who desired, was given the opportunity for musical\ninstruction whether so gifted or not.\n\nSoon other instruments found their way into the Society, and an\norchestra was formed composed of 2 violins, cornet, bass-viol and piano.\nSome years later another orchestra was organized comprising 2 violins, a\ncornet, cello, 2 saxophones, drum and cymbals and pipe-organ and piano.\nThis orchestra was under the direction of Professor Nevers of Concord,\nN. H., who also directed the well-known Nevers Band of Concord. The\nSociety at Sabbathday Lake, also formed a small, but fine, orchestra.\nIndeed every Society made the study of music a part of their educational\nlife.\n\nOn special days such as Easter and Christmas, the members arranged\nconcerts, at which time they presented selections from Standard\nCantatas, such as Gaul\u2019s Holy City, Handel\u2019s Messiah, Haydn\u2019s Creation,\nMendelssohn\u2019s Elijah, etc., plus many choruses of our original\ncomposition.\n\nOn Christmas morning the young people greeted the family, as they\nassembled for breakfast, with a beautiful Christmas Carol. One\nespecially impressive and original arrangement, was called \u201cThe\nCelestial Choir\u201d. As the family assembled for breakfast a small group of\nsingers, started singing on the attic stairs, and, as they descended,\nothers joined them on each loft, resulting in a full chorus of voices,\nas they approached the lower hall, after which they joined the family in\na well-prepared Christmas breakfast.\n\nGod\u2019s gift of Music has always played a most important part in the life\nof the Maine Societies. The library of the family at Sabbathday Lake\nreflects the breadth and richness of Shaker musical tradition. Not only\ndoes the collection contain the earliest known Shaker musical manuscript\ndated 1802, but it serves as a guide to the musical history not only in\nMaine, but of all the other Societies. In some manuscripts, hauntingly\nbeautiful melodies, in a minor key, written over 175 years ago, before\nthe gathering of the Societies in Gospel order, mingle with the\nimpassioned and moving hymns, given under inspiration, by the Holy\nSpirit.\n\nIn discussing Maine Shaker music we cannot pass over the name of Otis\nSawyer who for nearly fifty years served the Cause of Christ; first as\nElder of the family at Poland Hill, later as Elder of the Church Family\nat Sabbathday Lake and finally as Spiritual Head of the Maine Ministry.\n\nElder Otis is responsible not only for the words and music of countless\nlovely hymns, but also the untiring compiler of things musical in Maine.\nDue to his efforts we have preserved over 500 inspired hymns from\nAlfred, Gorham, Sabbathday Lake and Poland Hill.\n\nOne of the most talented musicians ever to have lived the Shaker life in\nMaine, was Elder Oliver Holmes. Altho\u2019 he died in 1841 fond memories of\nhis great gift of song, and of his musical inventiveness still remain.\n\nIt is of interest to note that \u201cThe Gift to be Simple\u201d, the Shaker song,\nperhaps best known to the world, chiefly through Aaron Copland\u2019s having\nused it in his \u201cAppalachian Spring\u201d, is from Maine, having been composed\nby the Ministry of Alfred.\n\nWe must mention, too, the names of two sisters, important for their\ncontributions to the world of Shaker Music. To Aurelia Gay Mace, the\nversatile Chronicler of Maine Shaker history, we owe, not only the\npreservation of several remarkable manuscript collections, but also a\nwealth of highly personal and original comment both on the songs,\npopular among Believers, and the manner in which they were sung. To\nSister Aurelia we are also indebted, for much of our knowledge of the\nMarch in Worship, and the interaction of song and March.\n\nEldress Mary Ann Gillespie was the composer of many beautiful hymns\nduring the period immediately following the Civil War. One of the best\nloved of her hymns is entitled, \u201cWatching and Praying\u201d. The words\nfollow:\n\n  Watching and praying, I find you,\n  O my beloved, my own.\n  Trusting a Father\u2019s rich promise\n  I will not leave you alone,\n  I will not leave you alone.\n\n  Though thro\u2019 the desert I lead\n  Or apart in the mountain ye pray,\n  For strength in the hour of need,\n  I never will answer you, \u201cNay\u201d,\n  I never will answer you, \u201cNay\u201d.\n\nThe musical education of the Shakers has certainly come a long way,\nsince the days of Brother Abram Whitney\u2019s letteral notation and the\nsimple melodies of our early founders. Today, many of our hymns and\nanthems are much more elaborate as you will note in a later Shaker\nAnthem, entitled \u201cRejoice\u201d. Although, perhaps, rather empty without the\naddition of a full chorus, you will get some idea of the quality of the\ncomposition, as I play it on the organ. The present day Shaker Hymnal\ncontains many beautiful hymns and anthems. Some were arranged and\nharmonized by members, using various Scripture texts, while others were\nthe musical expression of those simple, sincere soul-breathings from the\ndedicated hearts who were imbued with the spirit of the first Christian\nfounders. One of these hymns ably voices the universal faith of the\nShakers, whose hearts deeply feel for those, their brothers, who suffer\nand are in need of love and assistance. The following hymn, entitled\n\u201cUniversal Prayer\u201d, is one of many, which are sung in our Church\nService, in loving thought of others.\n\n  The Spirit is calling, earnestly calling\n      O Zion, unfold in deep prayer.\n  O pray for the fathers, the sisters and brothers,\n      O pray for the household;\n  O pray for the mothers, remember all others,\n      O pray for the whole, whole world.\n\n  O Spirit, most holy, earnestly calling,\n      So tenderly pleading for all,\n  In prayerful devotion we bow at Thy bidding\n      To ask Thy rich mercies may fall,\n  \u2019Till household and nation shall see Thy salvation,\n      Thy power reach the whole, whole world.\n\n\n\n\n                          Transcriber\u2019s Notes\n\n\n\u2014Silently corrected a few typos.\n\n\u2014Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook\n  is public-domain in the country of publication.\n\n\u2014In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by\n  _underscores_.","title":"Industries and Inventions of the Shakers: Shaker Music, a Brief History","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":5667}