To Be Free

This arrangement of Joseph Brackett’s well-known Shaker song “Simple Gifts” draws on the Shakers’ history as an immigrant group to the colonial United States with the addition of a new second verse and chorus. It emphasizes the second clause in the opening line, that it’s a gift to be free, and it elaborates on the idea of being in “the place just right,” expressing gratitude for our communities and emphasizing the importance of showing kindness to the newly arrived stranger. I have taken many rhythmic liberties with Brackett’s song, in addition to fragmenting and layering the tune, but it is still recognizable as the song that is as quintessentially American as the idea of freedom itself.  Winner of the 2018 Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition.