A Shaker Triptych

A Shaker Triptych is based on three Shaker tunes – Awake My Soul, My Carnal Life I Will Lay Down, and Mother Says Go On. These dynamic melodies are full of religious fervor and American nostalgia and as a group have been a ripe inspirational source for American composers in the last 50 years.

Genre: Percussion Ensemble | # of Players: 8-9
Level: Medium | Duration: 7:30

Instrumentation
Percussion 1 (bells, tenor drum [share w/ Perc. 9])
Percussion 2 (vibraphone [share w/ Perc. 4])
Percussion 3 (xylophone, 4.3-oct marimba [share w/ Perc. 5])
Percussion 4 (4-oct marimba, vibraphone [shared w/ Perc. 2])
Percussion 5 (4.3-oct marimba [share w/ Perc. 3 & 9])
Percussion 6 (bass marimba [optional])
Percussion 7 (timpani [4 drums])
Percussion 8 chimes, temple blocks, susp. cym., tenor drum, triangle, tambourine)
Percussion 9 (tenor drum [share w/ Perc. 1], triangle, chimes, marimba [share w/ Perc. 5], susp. cym., snare drum, woodblock)

Program Notes
A Shaker Triptych is based on three Shaker tunes. These dynamic melodies are full of religious fervor and American nostalgia and as a group have been a ripe inspirational source for American composers in the last 50 years. The suite opens with “Awake My Soul,” a driving, pulsating paraphrase of the original tune. The haunting melody in the second setting, “My Carnal Life I Will Lay Down” features the vibraphone on the melodic line. The work concludes with the exuberant “Mother Says Go On” (a reference to Ann Lee, and important figure in the early Shaker movement), full of surprising twists and colors.