Music Store:
NEW CD! "Mountain Side"
Personal Favorites from Rise Up Singing
"Meet Me by the Moonlight"
Where Have All the Flowers Gone:
A Singalong Memoir - new edition!
including live recordings of his Solstice celebrations heard on NPR
NY Times article "Shared Song - Communal Memory" talks about Annie & Peter, the origins of Rise Up Singing & ways it's being used in singalong around the country.
So, what are Quakers? (And do they even sing???!!!)
Peter's Quakerism writings have been moved to a new website: InwardLight.org
Information on Quaker Spring has been moved to a new website:QuakerSpring.org
homepage
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(especially folk music and group singing!)
Traditionally (i.e. until the late 19th century) Quakers didn't believe in group singing or playing musical instruments. In the classic film "Friendly Persuasion" (based on the novel by Jessamyn West), Gary Cooper chafes at some of the traditional Quaker values and acquires an organ, which he hides in his attic. He has a major scare when several elders from the local meeting come to visit and one of his kids begins playing the organ. To his relief the elders believe the sounds they heard during silent prayer were strains of music from heaven!
Quakers today no longer oppose group singing or use of musical instruments, although in "unprogrammed" meetings based on waiting upon the spirit in silence any singing that is done is usually individual and a capella. Peter wrote an article a few years ago in Friends Journal about the history of Music Among FGC Quakers - focusing especially on group singing among FGC meetings & at FGC summer gatherings. We have often led group singing at FGC summer gatherings as well as at a wide variety of yearly meetings, local meetings and Quaker conference centers.
Quaker Musicians
Quakerism today are blessed with a rich variety of Quaker musicians. Most of those listed below are folk musicians (broadly defined), but there are a huge number of other Friends skilled in other genres.
Here is our partial but growing list.
Alphabetical Listings
A to F
G to L
M to R
S to Z
Geographical Listings
California & Southwest
Pacific Northwest
Midwest
Southeast
Mid-Atlantic Region
Northeast
British Isles
Quaker Musical Groups & Organizations
If you know of Quaker musicians that are not listed here please drop us a line! (Send additions & corrections for this list to: Peter.)
Song of the Soul. Many of these musicians have been interviewed by Mark Judkins Helpsmeet on his show called "Song of the Soul", a project under the care of Eau Claire (WI) Friends Meeting. For more information, go to NorthernSpiritRadio.org. Links for interviews of musicians in the lists above on Song of the Soul are indicated as "SOTS Interview". I encourage you to go to Mark's site to make a contribution to support this wonderful program, as well as its sister program "Spirit in Action", on Spirit-imbued social activism.
Here are links for our interviews on Song of the Soul:
Annie's SOTS interview
Peter's SOTS interview
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UPCOMING EVENTS & WORKSHOPS with Annie & Peter
WFCR interview with Peter and Annie. Hear us talk about sing-alongs and the origins of Rise Up Singing with live performances of several favorite songs. Northampton, MA Sat. Jan. 21 10am - 1pm NoHo Winter Farmer's Market, located in Thorne's basement. Annie Patterson & Mary Witt perform folk & Americana.
Easthampton MA Fri. Feb. 3rd - The Mic @ The Delaney House - Annie's 3-part harmony group, The Harmony Grits, will perform 7-11pm, Mary Witt, Dan Zuckergood, and Annie Patterson (guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass - Americana & Folk music)
Leverett MA Sat. Feb. 4th - No Nukes Benefit Concert & Speak Out. Leverett Town Hall, 9 Montague Rd, 2-9pm. Annie will sing 4 songs at 5:30pm. Info from Ann Ferguson 413-367-2310.
New York NY, Sat. May 5 - People's Voice Cafe, Community Church of NY, 40 E. 35th St (betw Madison & Park), 7pm. Annie & Peter will lead a sing along and Four Shillings Short is also on the bill this evening. 212-787-3903. Kingston RI, Fri. July 6 - We will be taking part in another performance of "The Fire & the Hammer" - which Peter organized & we both took part in at New England Yearly Meeting last August. The final evening plenary of the 2012 Friends General Conference summer gathering. Detailed information on the performance & applying to join the choir will be posted later on the FGC website.
See also swing performances Annie is doing with:
GIRLS FROM MARS and The O-TONES
promoting efforts to secure a Nobel Peace Prize for legendary folk singer & environmental & peace activist, Pete Seeger. A new edition of Seeger's autobiography (which Peter edited) is coming out this spring.
There are some great quotes from Pete on the power of group singing in the recent New York Times article on community sings around the country, many of which use Rise Up Singing.
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