The
Boston Camerata, under the direction of
Joel Cohen, for decades was a leading ensemble in America's early music scene, making highly praised recordings of medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music. But in the '90s, Cohen's attention began to turn in a different direction -- toward 19th century American folk hymns. That interest eventually led him to the Shakers, a utopian and millennialist sect based primarily in New England. The
Camerata released a previous recording of Shaker songs based on Cohen's research at Shaker communities in New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut, and it was successful enough that a follow-up was issued. Recorded by an interesting mix of professional and amateur musicians (including the six remaining members of the Shaker family at Sabbathday Lake, ME), the music is, if anything, even sweeter and more uplifting than that on the first abum. Unlike other millennialist and utopian religious groups in the U.S., Shakers place no particular emphasis on Spartan living and have no aversion to technology; indeed, Shaker communities are known for the quality of their cooking and produced a surprising number of patents during the Industrial Revolution. Yet Shaker music is striking for its plainspoken, unadorned nature; although some communities sponsored saxophone orchestras and other instrumental ensembles, their worship music is generally sung a cappella and is never difficult or showy. The lyrics often celebrate a Shaker's willingness to bend to the will of God and to the vicissitudes of life; others relate to the importance of physical labor and the divinity of Mother Ann Lee, the group's founder. Sometimes the songs are nothing but melodies sung in wordless syllables. It's unusual for music to be simultaneously this soothing and this moving.