Simple Gifts

Reel · 4/4 · C major

Simple Gifts is a well-known Shaker song whose exact composer is traditionally attributed to Elder Joseph Brackett, who wrote it in 1848 at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Hampshire. The tune is characterized by its simple, graceful melody and an upbeat, dance-like meter that reflects its origins as a functional song for Shaker worship dances. Over the 20th century, the tune gained widespread historical association with American classical music, most notably when Aaron Copland prominently featured it in his 1944 ballet score Appalachian Spring.

Rendering music notation and GDAE tablature...