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Not So Simple: The History and Life of ‘Simple Gifts’Jonathan C. RappaportExecutive Director, Arts|Learning

COPYRIGHT © 2015 Jonathan C. Rappaport

1 The “alpha”… 2

Shakers: Boston Camarata

Find melodic and textual

differences in the recorded versions and this printed

version

…turning, turning, we come ‘round right 3 Agenda

• Aaron Copland and Simple Gifts• The Great Awakening• Shaker Religion• Joseph Brackett

Music Antecedents:• Barley Break• Now is the Month of Maying• Der Templer und die Jüden

(Marschner)• Long, Long Ago (Bayly)

• Cluster of Nuts• Sag Mir Das Wort• Roodborstje tikt tegen• Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree

Similar Folk Tunes• Resources for Studying Folk

Music• The Alley Alley-O• Fred Pidgeon’s # 3• Five Song Comparison

Classical Antecedents• Haydn “Surprise Symphony”

Simple Gifts in Vocal and Instrumental Music• Vocal Solo• Choral Arrangements• Appalachian Spring Arrangements• Other Instrumental Adaptations

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The omega: …Appalachian Spring

• Interest in “Simple Gifts” started with the iconic ballet by American Composer, Aaron Copland

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91y-NEdTj-g• 7th movement: Celebration of marriage and newfound relationships.

This is the use of the “Simple Gifts” theme.• Dancers in this film:

The Bride: Martha GrahamThe Husbandman: Stuart HodesThe Revivalist: Bertram RossThe Pioneer Woman: Matt TurneyThe Revivalists' Flock: Yuriko, Helen McGehee, Ethel Winter, Miriam Cole

• Film Directed and Photographed by Peter Glushanok, Produced by Nathan Kroll, Presented by WQED Pittsburgh. Filmed in 1959.

• Older film clips from 1944 original cast, reconstructed music added.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1o65tCZTWA8’30” Simple Gifts

• Modern version by Martha Graham Dance Company: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJelkj5pUU

6 Aaron Copland

• Commissioned in 1942 by Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) and Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge for a ballet with “an American theme”

• Composed mostly in 1943/44• Graham suggested Appalachian Spring for title, from a

phrase from a Hart Crane poem, “The Dance,” from Crane’s book “The Bridge.”

O Appalachian Spring! I gained the ledge;Steep, inaccessible smile that eastward bendsAnd northward reaches in that violet wedgeOf Adirondacks!

• Premiered at the Library of Congress Oct. 30, 1944, with Graham dancing the lead role.

• Four versions of Appalachian Spring: 1944 (13-player complete), 1945 (orchestral suite), 1954 (orchestral complete) and 1972 (13-player suite).

• Received Pulitzer Prize in Music (1945)

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FACT CHECK:3 minutes—find out

3 other facts about Aaron

Copland on your cell or laptop

Appalachian Spring

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Aaron Copland

• There are 14 sections to the Ballet,Appalachian Spring• The orchestral suite has 8 sections (about 10 minutes shorter than full

ballet)• Section 7 “Calm and flowing/Doppio Movimento.” Depicts scenes of

daily activity for the bride and her farmer husband. Based on “Simple Gifts”

• There are five variations on a Shaker theme, taken from a collection of Shaker melodies compiled by Edward D. Andrews, and published under the title “The Gift to Be Simple”

• Copland published independent arrangements of this section for band (1958) and orchestra (1967) titled Variations on a Shaker Melody.

• Prior to Copland’s use of this song, “Simple Gifts” was completely unknown outside of Shaker communities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U7hPHSkNJoChamber version. Start at 4’20”

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Appalachian Spring and “Simple Gifts”

Variations on a Shaker Melody 9

Section Instrumentation Comments

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*Form Map of Simple Gifts Variations (Appalachian Spring)—Orchestra Version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFpeMF58hgY(Orchestral version)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V_vwLrR7pQ(chamber version) Orpheus

*Form map from New Pathways to Art Music Listening, © 1983 Jonathan C. Rappaport, Pro Canto Press

Help figure it out as you listen: Theme, 5 variations, and two bridge sections

Aaron Copland

Old American SongsOld American SongsOld American SongsOld American Songs• Two sets of 10 songs arranged by Aaron Copland in 1950 and 1952 respectively. • Originally scored for voice and piano, they were reworked for baritone (or

mezzo-soprano) and orchestra.• Set 1 contains Simple Gifts

Marilyn Horne, James Levine conducting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i-X4IJzkNM

• These songs were later arranged for various combinations of choral groups by Irving Fine, including Simple Gifts, using Copland’s harmonies and accompaniments.

Phoenix Boys Choir (with orchestra): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzVhFpffT2o'Simple Gifts', Shaker Song; arrangement by Aaron Copland. Phoenix Boys Choir. SA or TB and Piano. Arranged by Irving Fine and Aaron Copland. BH Secular Choral. 4 pages. Boosey & Hawkes #M051419036. Published by Boosey & Hawkes (HL.48003222). Item Number: HL.48003222. http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/simple-gifts-sheet-music/4099320

Gay Men’s Chorus, Los Angeles (with piano): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIx57ATBgZg

11 The Great Awakening

• Several times during the 1700s and 1800s

• USA and Britain

• Caused a sharp increase of interest in religion

• Resulted in a profound sense of conviction and redemption on the part of those affected

• Increased evangelical church membership

• Formed new religious movements and denominations

• The Shakers were one such new religious group

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“The Shakers: Hands to Work,Hearts to God”

• Documentary by Ken Burns, 1984https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a3jGL2dhxY

• Watch the first 20+ minutes of this film

• See page 2 of Handout for additional films and documentaries about the Shakers

13 About the Shakers

• A branch of Quakers, first called “Shaking Quakers” in England in the 1740s, came to USA 1774

• Work: Develop human perfection to become closer to God

• The second appearing of Christ was believed to be a personal thing that could occur within any believer, and had with Mother Ann Lee

• Dualism of God as male and female: complete equality of the sexes

• All races were treated equally

• Celibacy practiced to combat the original sin of Adam and Eve

• All possessions were owned communally and equally

• The Shakers were pacifistsand received conscientious objector status from President Lincoln during the Civil War—one of the first

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The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing

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Shaker Worship

• Worshipping: in simple unadorned meeting houses; pulpits and decorations were rejected as worldly

• Music and dance—essential ingredients to worship

• Included marching, singing, dancing, and sometimes worshippers turned, twitched, jerked, or shouted

• Earliest services were unstructured, loud, chaotic and emotional

• After first 20 years in the USA, Shakers developed precisely choreographed dances and structured marches, accompanied by unison singing and symbolic gestures

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The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing

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17 Joseph Brackett, Jr.

• Elder of The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, better known as theShakers

• “Simple Gifts” dance tune was written 1848

• “Simple Gifts” was said to have come to Brackett in a vision

• Born: May 6, 1797, Cumberland, ME

• Died: July 4, 1882, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, ME

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Music Antecedents

Similar Melodies to “Simple Gifts” Throughout History

19 Barley Break

(Shakespeare: The Two Noble Kinsmen, Act IV, Scene 3 (1634)

(Jailor’s Daughter:) Faith, I’ll tell you; sometime we go to barley-break,

we of the blessed.

Alas, ’tis a sore life they have i’ th’ tother place,

such burning, frying, boiling, hissing, howling, chatt’ring, cursing!

O, they have shrowd measure!

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Shakespeare’s Songbook, Volume I, by Ross W. Duffin. W. W. Norton, 2004, page 5821 Barley Break and Byrd

• William Byrd composed a keyboard piece based on “Barley Break” around 1580.

• It is a musical description of an energetic outdoor country game played by three couples. A detailed description of the game occurs in Sir Philip Sidney’s poem Lamon(c1581-83). Here, then, is a good-natured, amusing, and wholly original keyboard work.

• The Barley Breakis a medley of thirteen short dance sections, presenting galliard, alman, jig, pavan and other styles, quotations from at least two popular tunes, and above all a careful harmonic scheme that supports the whole over nearly ten minutes.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Y7d576F2Q• https://soundcloud.com/mert-soykan/william-byrd-davitt-moroney

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Barley Break

http://www.boosey.com/cr/sample_detail/The-Barley-Break-from-Grade-by-Grade-for-Trumpet/100840

https://soundcloud.com/mert-soykan/william-byrd-davitt-moroney

(Byrd’s composition)

Detailed game directions & history (The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland, Vol. I, by Alice Gomme -- 1894):

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41727/41727-h/41727-h.htm#GameI_31

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Notice verse 3 reference to “Barley Break”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXBPeiTPH5I

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Der Templer und die Jüdin(The Templar and the Jewess) is an opera (designated as a grosse romantische Oper) in three acts by Heinrich Marschner. The German libretto by Wilhelm August Wohlbrück was based on a number of intermediate works based in turn on Walter Scott's Ivanhoe.

The first performance took place at the Stadttheater in Leipzig on 22 December 1829. It became Marschner's most successful work and was staged more than 200 times in Germany during the next 70 years.

Important German Opera Composer

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Heinrich August Marschner

Opera synopsis: http://opera.stanford.edu/Marschner/Templer/synopsis.html

Der Templer und die Jüden 27

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Long, Long, Ago

Thomas Haynes Bayly(13 October 1797 – 22 April 1839) English poet, songwriter, dramatist, and miscellaneous writer.• “Long, Long Ago” is a song dealing with

nostalgia, written in 1833. • Originally called “The Long Ago,” its name

was changed by editor Rufus Wilmot Griswold when it was first published, posthumously, in a Philadelphia magazine, along with a collection of other songs and poems by Bayly.

• Became one of the most popular songs in the United States in 1843-44.

• Beginning melody has the same ascending structure as “Barley Break” and “Der Templerund die Jűden”

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What famous saying is attributed to Bayley?

Already in 1839 and 1840) it was reprinted -surely illegally -in magazines and newspapers like The New Yorker(October 3, 1840, p. 48, at Google Books)

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Tell me the tales that to me were so dear,Long, long ago, long, long ago,Sing me the songs I delighted to hear,Long, long ago, long ago,Now you are come all my grief is removed,Let me forget that so long you have roved.Let me believe that you love as you loved,Long, long ago, long ago.0

Jo Stafford & Gordon Macrae:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZniciOv2U70Patti Page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBGjVHNXDZ8 (a bit jazzy)Florida State University Singers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVmqCfi3GGM

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FORMA

Av

B

Av

• This variant is also known as “Cluster of Nuts” and may be a dance folk tune. Unclear origins of the melody of this song. Folk or composed?

• German versions of “Long, Long Ago” claim that it was an Irish folk tune • This claim was likely to have been a way of avoiding copyright issues

during the mid 1800s• Note melodic variation at the end of line 3 31

• Use this example of variation to have students improvise or compose their own ending to line 3

• Decide upon rhythmic values and solfa notes that students may or may not used, have them work in groups of 2 or 3 and compose their ending

• Whole class sings song, and each group performs their ending• Class and/or teacher critiques each ending 32

Fost

eri

ng

Cre

ati

vity Use only:

Rhythmic values:8th, Quarter, Half

Melodic toneset:s, l, t, d r m f s l(G = do)

German Version of “Long, Long Ago.”German text is virtually a literal translation of Long, Long Ago.

• According to HofmeistersMonatsberichte, the song was first listed in November 1859 as:

Volkslied: irisches (Sag mirdas Wort). Hamburg, Fritz Schuberth 5 Ngr

• An amazing history of the German version is online at:

http://www.justanothertune.com/html/longago.html"Long, Long Ago" & "Lang Ist's Her"--How A British Popular Hit Became An "Irish Folk Song" in Germany

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N66JvIoNr4E

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Dutch SongSingable English:A cold little redbreast did tap, tin tin tin; please let me in, please let me in.It is so cold and so freezing outside; please let me in, tin tin tin. She opened the window and laid on her lap small grains of sugar and small crumbs of bread.Cold little redbreast was happy and pleased; later flew back to the wood.

Examples on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgY4xoHjSz0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0j5l6AlWD8

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Jan Jacob Antonie Goeverneur (1809-1889)• The lyrics of 'Roodborstje' were

written by J.J.A. (Jan Jacob Antonie) Goeverneur (1809-1889), poet.

• The text was published in the songbook De zingende kinderwereld(Singing Children's World) which in 1866 began to appear in print in installments.

• The piano score in De zingendekinderwereldwas made by the well-known music educator J.A. Worp(1821-1891), who was also a composer but in this case only made the arrangement for piano.

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Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me)

An aside—here is an “updated” version of Long, Long Ago

• Melody: Sam H. Stept as an updated version of the nineteenth-century English song "Long, Long Ago".

• Lyrics: Lew Brown and Charles Tobias

• Debuted in the 1939 Broadway musical Yokel Boy.

• After the United States entered the war in December 1941, Brown and Tobias modified the lyrics with the chorus ending with "...'till I come marching home".

• 3 different recordings were on the hit parade list at the same time!

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Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me)

• I wrote my mother, I wrote my fatherAnd now I'm writing you tooI'm sure of mother, I'm sure of fatherAnd now I want to be sure, very, very sure of you

• Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but meAnyone else but me, anyone else but meNo, no, no, don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but meTill I come marching home

• Don't go walkin' down Lover's Lane with anyone else but meAnyone else but me, anyone else but meNo, no, no, don't go walkin' down Lover's Lane with anyone else but meTill I come marching home

• I'm so afraid the glance we made beneath the moonlit skiesWill fade away, we're bound to stay, the stars get in your Eyes.So, don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but meTill I come marching home

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Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcyiC79l910Andrews Sisters 1942, from the film Private Buckarooas a performance by the Andrews Sisters with the Harry James orchestra and featuring a tap dancing routine by The Jivin' Jacks and Jills.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Qx4Y_hUuEGlenn Miller Orchestra (and vocals)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSorXRvTPoSpinettes(Andrews sisters version)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUrdb9MrfZQToronto All Star Big Band (ages 15-22)

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Other Folk References:This is where it gets sticky…

• It is very hard to precisely date folk songs.

• Several folk songs bear similar structure to “Long Ago” and “Simple Gifts”

• Two fabulous resources that can help:• www.abcnotation.com

• Roud Folk Song and Broadside Index: http://www.vwml.org/search/search-roud-indexes

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GAME: The person on the end of the line put his/her right arm on the wall and then the others went under, the kid by the wall letting their left arm follow through to cross the arms. The line the went under the arch made by the first kid's left arm and the next kid's right and so on, until all had their arms crossed in front. They then made a circle, still with arms crossed, and sort of twisted left and right as they chanted the follow-on rhyme so that their arms (in front of their bodies at waist height) sort of slid up and down each other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mvKhUUcLB0

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2. The captain says, “I can see some land ahoy…”3. The boatswain said, “Let me go and get the map…”4. The first mate said, “Do you think we’ll find the gold…”5. The captain said, “Bring the shovel and the spade…”6. The Boatswain said, “Now we dig, dig, dig…”7. The first mate said, “There’s enough here for us all…”8. So they sailed away on the alley alley-o…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mvKhUUcLB0

42 The Big Ship or Ally Ally-o

• The origins of this song are cloudy; dating next to impossible.• People in Manchester, England, claim it refers to the

Manchester canal which opened in January, 1894• Iona and Peter Opie claim that the problem with the

Manchester Ship Canal origin is that there is an 1870 recollection from New Zealand; and that it has some obscure connection to the Christmas ships sailing, and various “through and through the salley go” threading-the-needle songs

• “Ally-O” may refer to the “Atlantic Ocean” or as noted above, a corruption of “Salley Go”

• “Threading the Needle” type songs go back to at least the 1300s

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Fred Pidgeon (1880-1970)—was a fiddler, farmer and master baker from the village of Stockland, near Honiton, East Devon, England. He was recorded by Peter Kennedy in 1951 and 1954, and was still playing out in his 70s; as Kennedy remarks, “although tired from a long night of fiddling for local dances, Fred used to go straight from the hall to his bake-house to prepare the villagers’ daily loaves of bread.” 44

ClassicalAntecedents

Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony, Movement II, Andante(1791)

Numerous recordings available:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLjwkamp3lI(Janos Ferencsik, conducting)

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SIMP[LE GIFTSUse in Vocal, Choral, and Instrumental Music

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Sing in again… 48 Simple Gifts

Vocal Solo Performances in Popular, Folk, Jazz, Classical Idioms• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYi9Vr8bHJY(Yo-Yo

Ma & Allison Krauss) cello and voice• http://www.susankrebsmusic.com/Susan Krebs, jazz

vocalist and the Susan Krebs Chamber BandDo a “form map”

of the Susan Krebs

Chamber Band version

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Section Instrumentation Comments

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Form Map for Susan Krebs version of Simple Gifts

Lord of the Dance

Vocal Solo Performances in Popular, Folk, Jazz, Classical Idioms• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tctjJZVa5c

Simple Gifts/Lord of the Dance; Benjamin Luxon and BllCrofut

“Lord of the Dance” was written by English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1963. He borrowed the tune from the American Shaker song “Simple Gifts.” The hymn tells the gospel story in the first person voice of Jesus of Nazareth with the device of portraying Jesus’ life and mission as a dance.

• Lord of the Dance, Revels with John Langstaff

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Simple Gifts Choral Performances and Arrangements• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_g4rEPXkyICantus: Simple Gifts (male

choral) Arranger is not named, but is the Stephen Caracciolo version (seebelow)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1jqCJVM5pYSimple Gifts (St. Paul’s School for Boys, Brooklandville, MD) by Stephen Caracciolo. TTBB choir -(2012)

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Cantus St. Paul’s SchoolSame

Compare two performances of the same arrangement

Simple Gifts

Simple Gifts: More Choral Performances and Arrangements• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXDW-J3U2g4Mormon

Tabernacle Choir, Mack Wilberg's arrangement of the Shaker song “Simple Gifts” with additional lyrics by David Warner. Mixed Choir (SATB), Piccolo, Flute, Glockenspiel & Organ -Level B (easy)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fmFPBW04TUHong Cong Treble Choir, Arranged by Mark Hayes, piano, clarinet. Mark Hayes - Alfred Music Publishing

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6yTRcr2dxMKings Singers• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFnq2HEbPDsSimple Gifts

for Women’s Chorus, Arr. Amy Dalton; USM Women's Chorus 2012, Jonathan Rodgers, Conductor

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Simple Gifts

Simple Gifts Instrumental CompositionsVersions from Copland’s Appalachian Spring• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz5KvpZDoEIFive

Pianos with the 5 Browns, playing transcription of Copland’s variations from Appalachian Spring (combined with a bit of “Going Home”)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALXA8BOxJLQThe Chicago based Alliance Brass Quintet performs Aaron Copland's adaption of the Shaker Hymn Simple Gifts from Appalachian Spring, Arr. O'Hara, Chris

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Parkening MartinSame

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKicuW2bSQEChristopher Parkening, Guitarhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WhY8BZQTWISimple Gifts, Arr. Joseph Martin, piano with Aaron Ott.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST – VENN DIAGRAM

Simple Gifts Instrumental Compositions

Simple Gifts

Simple Gifts Instrumental Compositions

Other Arrangements

• http://www.manhattanbeachmusiconline.com/manhattan_beach_music/audio/simplegifts4.mp3Band arrangement of Simple Gifts by Frank Ticheli (movement 4)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBI6c4yBJAUAir and Simple Gifts by John Williams for 1st Obama inauguration. Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill, Gabriela Montero

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRiSDT-SGzEOcarina!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFWKS4e4OAoRobert Hebble – Simple Gifts. Doug Marshall plays Marshall & Ogletree Opus 3 in Memorial Hall at Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina. (Organ version)

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Section Instrumentation Comments

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Form Map for Filip Pogády & Peter Fančovič—Simple Gifts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82OB1NdJiCoFilip Pogády & Peter Fančovič play their arrangement of "Simple Gifts". (piano, electric violin). You can hear influence of some composers, for example, Mozart or Beethoven, jazzy (rag time - stride piano) and rock influences. There is also somehow "scary, horror movie" dark variation included and a blended the melody of "Simple Gifts'' with "Jingle Bells" played at the same time.

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QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? OBSERVATIONS?

TAKE-AWAYS—take a few minutes to reflect on the following, and then report back to the whole class:

• Name three things learned today that were new, interesting, or different to you (e.g., specific content, teaching techniques, research tools, etc.)

• Name at least one thing that you can use in your teaching in the near future

Grand Finale:Simple Gifts and Appalachian Spring

variations from the show, “Blast”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mvewRB9CN4

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Contact info:Jonathan C. Rappaport 508-335-1670 jonrappi1@gmail.com

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