Summary
Simple Gifts started life as a Shaker Hymn and became incorporated into the hymn Lord of the Dance and Aaron Copland's ballet suite Appalachian Spring.
Nora Guthrie describes the central place this tune has played throughout her life.
Pete Lashley tells how he heard it unexpectedly whilst touring in New Zealand.
Michael Carter explains why his father chose this tune for his famous hymn "Lord of the Dance" and Scott Malchus describes running a marathon whilst listening to this music.
Featuring:
Thomas Swain Michael Carter Nora Guthrie Scott Malchus Pete Lashley
Series exploring famous pieces of music and their emotional appeal.
Producer: Rosie Boulton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2011.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Traitors is back, and so is that mysterious cloaked figure with the familiar fringe. |
| 0:06.6 | Yeah, it's me. |
| 0:07.8 | And when you've watched Claudia in the castle, join me, Ed Gamble, for the official visualised companion podcast. |
| 0:13.6 | And remember, I'll be listening. |
| 0:15.8 | Okay? |
| 0:16.6 | No, seriously, I love it. |
| 0:18.4 | What a faithful. |
| 0:19.7 | We'll unpack betrayals and spill scandalous secrets |
| 0:22.2 | with celeb guests, traitors' legends, |
| 0:25.0 | and murdered and banished players. |
| 0:27.0 | The traitors uncloked. |
| 0:28.3 | Watch on EyePlayer, listen for more on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:32.3 | You're listening to a download of soul music from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:40.0 | Simple Gifts was one of the very, very first songs that we learned as children, |
| 0:45.5 | and we actually learned it in four-part harmony. |
| 0:48.6 | And I remember taking the subway train to school |
| 0:52.5 | and back from school every day with my friends. And we would |
| 0:56.6 | sing at the top of our lungs, simple gifts on the A train and the B train and all the different trains |
| 1:04.1 | around Manhattan. We just thought it was so beautiful and the harmonies was so beautiful. And I can't |
| 1:10.1 | think but wonder what all the subway riders |
| 1:12.4 | were thinking and feeling as they look at this group of |
| 1:15.9 | eight, nine and ten-year-olds |
... |
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