Tuesday 8 July 2008

Fading Beauty



















Simple Gifts
Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be out delight
'Till by turning, turning we come round right. *)

Old Farm House
Hausruck Region
Upper Austria
Photographed July 2008

*

"The lyrics and music of this Shaker dance song
were written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett
at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine.
It became a popular American folk tune
and was used by Aaron Copeland
in his Appalachian Spring symphony in 1955
." *)

*) Sources:
History Department at the University of San Diego, and
The Aaron Copland Collection at the Library of Congress,
Washington, DC.

17 comments:

  1. Click here
    to hear Marylin Horn sing
    Aaron Copland's version of
    "Simple Gifts".

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  2. The simple and unsophisticated beauty of the rustic world is heart-warming.

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  3. I have always thought the simple gifts are the most precious and the most enduring.

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  4. it looks like straight out of fairy tale

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  5. How beautiful the slightly faded charm of the window frames - and how clean the actual windows are.

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  6. My goodness, I first thought the top photograph was a beautiful painting!

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  7. Lovely poem
    And even more lovely textures photos...

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  8. Anonymous08 July, 2008

    It's wonderful to see such old world craftsmanship endure! I'd be curious to know the age of that building.

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  9. Pictures of doors and a reference to Maine (or should I say, a reference to a Mainiac) - what a great post! Part of the charm of Maine is its simplicity which can still be found today - just like that lovely door and the windows you photographed.

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  10. That is a great! I take a bunch of Old Buildings. Make post cards!

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  11. I love this kind of beauty , where time passed by

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  12. faded beauty is the perfect title for this. Those top pictures. Yet, I think the element of age actually ADDS to the beauty. It turns the window warm and lovely.

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  13. Delightful shots. My kind of art photos. I love Aaron Coplands "Simple Gifts" too.

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  14. I thought the two first photos were paintings, too! What wonderful colors and textures.
    ~Allie

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  15. I love old buildings. I truly do. They can be ramshackle, falling down about your shoulders, I still love them.

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  16. What a beautiful old building...I love your photos...each suitable for framing....

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