The Testament of Ann Lee in 70mm | E Pluribus Unum: From Many, One
The Testament of Ann Lee in 70mm | E Pluribus Unum: From Many, One
Director Mona Fastvold's use of movement and music in Testament of Ann Lee dramatizes the Shakers' actual practice. While many of us know of Shaker music primarily through composer Aaron Copland's use of the song "Simple Gifts" in his Appalachian Spring, this musical tradition is a vast one, spanning the religion's origins in England through the 19th century when the Shakers reached their peak in the U.S. as part of the Second Great Awakening.
Join composer and scholar Kevin Siegfried and Robert Kirzinger of the Boston Symphony Orchestra to explore and hear Shaker music as an expression of philosophy and craft.
Siegfried and Kirzinger both came to know of the Shakers via visits to Pleasant Hill, a large and important Shaker community outside of Lexington, Kentucky.
In addition to using their music to praise God and elevate Shaker philosophies, what did the Shakers sing about? (Sometimes they sang without words, as it turns out.) Although music will be our focus, Shaker craftsmanship and innovation is also highlighted in the film. We can think of music as a craft, in keeping with Shakerism's central tenet of work and community.
