Track Listing

1. I Will Bow and Be Simple
2. In Yonder Valley
3. All Is Summer
4. O Lord Make Me Pure
5. Love Is Little
6. Burning Day
7. Circular March
8. Help Me, O Lord
9. Heavenly Display
10. Followers of the Lamb
11. Come to Zion
12. We Must Be Meek
13. Lay Me Low
14. Solemn Song
15. Beautiful Treasure
16. Peace
17. Angels of Heaven
18. Hunger and Thirst
19. Dismission of Great I
20. Revelation
21. Prayer for the Captive
22. Gentle Words
23. Beautiful Valley
24. Jubilee
25. Ezekiel's Vision
26. Almighty Savior
27. Cords of Love
28. I Will Go on My Way

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47905 in Music
• Released on: 2001-06-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Fanfare Magazine, September/October 2001
If you care about American music or the art of sublime choral singing, I implore you to buy this recording.

Customer Reviews

beauty, simplicity, and utility
Of this CD's twenty-eight tracks, eighteen are arrangements by Kevin Siegfried; the remaining ten are straightforward, unadorned performances of Shaker hymns, sung either by the choir in unison, or by a solo voice, as they would have been sung in Shaker services. Occasionally the choir stomps and claps, also as the Shakers would have done. The unison songs and Kevin's settings blend seamlessly together, since Kevin's music is very sensitive to the spirit of the original tunes. His harmonies have an open, rough-hewn quality to them, like early American furniture, sturdy and useful. The music carefully mirrors and supports the text, occasionally employing mixed meter to follow the natural cadences of speech. The settings are largely homophonic, like Lutheran chorales, rendering the text easily comprehensible. Kevin avoids unnecessary embellishments and repetitions, and each piece is a small, well-proportioned gem, averaging about two minutes in length. In the liner notes, Kevin writes of his desire to preserve the Shaker ideals of "beauty, simplicity, and utility" in his settings, and he has succeeded brilliantly; the music is unassuming, serene, and peaceful.

Words and Music Marry in Siegfried's Arrangements
This recording of Shaker Hymns arranged by composer Kevin Siegfried and sung by the very fine Tudor Choir of Seattle is magnificent for several reasons chief of which is the careful blending of text and music in the arrangements. The "gentle words" of these hymns come alive through Siegfried's thoughtful soundscapes, providing the right context for the message of these poignant and life affirming hymns. This is no small task and although the Tudor Choir sings beautifully throughout, it is the arranging that has really caught my ear on this cd; you'd be hard pressed to find a recording of choral works with a better marriage of text and music. Well worth your money, time, and ears.