Recorded at the Shaker Village, Sabbathday Lake, Maine, June/July 2000

Glissando CD 779 020-2

THE BOSTON CAMERATA

Anne Azéma, soprano
Margaret Frazier, soprano
Deborah Leath Rentz, contralto
Timothy Leigh Evans, tenor
Dan Hershey, tenor
Donald Wilkinson, baritone
Joel Frederiksen, bass

with

Members of THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY CHOIR
Murray Forbes Somerville, director

Members of YOUTH PRO MUSICA
Hazel Somerville, director

and

THE SHAKER FAMILY OF SABBATHDAY LAKE, MAINE

Special Thanks to:

The Florence Gould Foundation, for project funding;
Shaker librarian Gay Marks, for research and archival support;
The Shaker Family of Sabbathday Lake, Maine, for hospitality

Sabbathday Lake, Maine (about half an hour north and west of Portland) is home to the world's last functioning Shaker community. Despite that solitary-sounding description, Chosen Land is a vital, cheerful, and active place -- you really ought to drop by for a visit! The six Shakers who reside there are good and cherished friends and collaborators. We made our award winning Simple Gifts CD on location there in 1994, and in June, 2002, we returned to the Shaker village to share a week of communal life with our friends, and to record a new program of superb, beautiful, and mainly unpublished Shaker songs.

The rehearsals and recording sessions extended over a period of six days. Performing forces included the soloists of the Boston Camerata, the Shakers, the Harvard University Choir , and the Youth Pro Musica -- over forty singers all in all. We sang our hearts out, ate like royalty at the Shakers' generous table, enjoyed the marvelous environment, and came away inspired by the place, its music, and its people.

Much of the music is available for the very first time ever outside of the Shaker communty and its archive.

1 Stone Prison
2 Trumpet of Peace
3 Voice of the Angels of Mercy
4 O Zion Arise
5 Joyful Praises
6 Rights of Conscience
7 The Blessings of Peace
8 Holy Habitation
9 Thanksgiving
10 A Suite of Five Dance Tunes
11 Solemn Song of the Ancients
12 Mother Ann's Song
13 Path of Sorrow
14 Fall on the Rock
15 Sweep as I Go
16 Philomela
17 Mourning Dove
18 Mother's Pretty Dove
19 Consoling Dove
20 Woben Mesa Crelana (Indaian Song)
21 He Haw Tallabo
22 Indian Song
23 Negro Songs
24 Pretty Home
25 Angel of Light
26 Angel Invitation
27 Four Little Angels
28 Sweet Angels Come Nearer
29 Mother's Comforting Promise
30 Holy Order Song
31 O Come, Come Away
32 The Savior's Cheering Promise
33 Behold the Day
34 All Glean with Care
35 The Harvest
36 Angel Reapers
37 Light
38 The Angel Reapers
and bonus track
39 The Shakers of Sabbathday Lake, Maine, in conversation with Joel Cohen

Transcription of individual melodies by Anne Azéma, 16-17;
Joel Cohen, 1-5, 7-13, 18-19, 22-31, 33-36, 38;
Daniel W. Patterson, 4, 6, 20, 21, 24, 32, 35

Coming Soon...