Simple Gifts: The History of the Famous Shaker Song

The Surprising Journey of “Simple Gifts”: From Shaker Worship to Global Icon

Have you ever heard a melody that feels instantly familiar, even if you can’t quite place where you first encountered it? For millions of people around the world, that tune is “Simple Gifts.”

Though it sounds like a traditional folk song passed down through the centuries, it actually has a fascinating, highly specific origin story. It began as a practical piece of devotional music for a unique religious community and evolved into one of the most recognizable pieces of American culture.

Who Were the Shakers?

To understand the song, you have to understand the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing—better known as the Shakers.

Emerging in the 18th century, the Shakers were a radical religious group known for their ecstatic worship services (which involved energetic, physical dancing, earning them their nickname). They lived communally, practiced total celibacy, believed in absolute equality between genders, and championed values of extreme hard work, pacifism, and innovation.

Crucially, the Shakers prized simplicity and craftsmanship—a philosophy that eventually bled into their architecture, furniture design, and, of course, their music.

The Birth of a Masterpiece in 1848

“Simple Gifts” wasn’t written by a professional songwriter sitting in a modern recording studio. It was composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine.

Brackett wrote the song as a “dance song” meant to guide the community through their active worship services. Because Shaker worship was physical, the song needed a rhythm that could keep people moving in unison.

The core philosophy embedded in the song’s lyrics centers on:

• Shedding pride: Acknowledging that true freedom comes when we strip away ego and social status.
• Embracing the essentials: Finding joy in the basic, unadorned necessities of life rather than material excess.
• Living intentionally: The idea of “turning, turning, ’twill be our delight”—making a conscious daily choice to walk a humble, right path.

From Rural Maine to the Classical Stage

For nearly a century, “Simple Gifts” remained largely confined to Shaker communities. That changed dramatically in 1944, when legendary American composer Aaron Copland was working on a ballet score for choreographer Martha Graham.

Copland was searching for authentic American folk material to anchor his ballet, which would be named Appalachian Spring. When he stumbled upon the Shaker tune, he wove it into a stunning set of variations near the climax of the piece.