Call for Love (a Shaker song from 1839)


You may need to boost your volume a little in order to hear the description I spoke at the beginning. Rev. Kim bought a book of Shaker hymn tunes. One of these she asked me to arrange for the choir to sing today, Mother’s Day. The Blessed Mother, in the Shaker tradition, was the founder of the Shaker sect. There’s another phrase you my hear with is “love, love,” which is, the best I can tell, a term that means the same as agape, or divine love. The song, as it was passed down by Mother indicates where people should dance–they believe that dancing was prayer–and where people should speak in tongues (they called it “shout”). I picked a bunch of words that relate to motherhood, like Work, Song, Fatih, Peace, Care, Hope, Love, Joy, Dance, Soul, Life, Home, Dream, Heart, and the choir in certain passages are to intone words of their choice from that set of words, randomly.

3 thoughts on “Call for Love (a Shaker song from 1839)”

  1. Wow loved this Shaker hymn and LUCC choir’s rendition! Thanks dear Hilton! My Aunts Mable and Helena raised by the Shakers at Sabbathday Lake Shaker village in Maine are smiling down from heaven on all of you! Happy Mothers Day to all!🎶♥️

    Claire A. Stiles, Ph.D. Professor Emerita, Human Development Eckerd College St. Petersburg, FL 33711 Pronouns: she/her/hers

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  2. wow! Wonderful toe tapping and real Shaker music! Choir did a great job and loved Hilton’s arrangement! My Aunts Mabel and Helena raised by the Sabbathday Lake Shakers in Maine at the beginning of the 20th century are smiling down on you all as am I from Maryland! Happy Mothers Day to all! 🎶♥️

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    1. Claire, I found my copy of the Mendelssohn the other day. It’s Summer Sundays in a couple weeks with the choir on hiatus for the summer, but with choir members doing solos. Will you be back in time to do your Mendelssohn…or any piece of your choosing? –Hilton

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