Golden Harvest: 38 Shaker Chants & Spirituals
Few collections are so aptly titled asThe Golden Harvest, a rich survey of Shaker songs, chants, and spirituals dating from the mid-19th century. The music often recalls the shapes and cadences of English folksong, while its unaccompanied, unison performance tradition connects with medieval chant. Thirty-eight selections are partitioned into groups according to subject: there are songs about birds, heavenly spirits, and the all-important harvest.Joel Cohen, who transcribed much of this music from old manuscripts, mixes and matches performers drawn fromthe Boston Cameratain solo and group settings to ensure maximum timbral and expressive variety. Hear, for example, how the call-and-response patterns in "Pretty Home" build to a joyful climax. By contrast, some of the introspective, a cappella hymns quietly resonate with poignant simplicity. A bonus track features the six Shaker family members of Sabbathday Lake, Maine, in conversation with Joel Cohen. In sum, this disc is a beautifully assembled, excellently annotated follow-up to Cohen's 1994 Shaker anthology,Simple Gifts. Should you feel inclined to sing along, full texts are included.--Jed Distler