Lord of the Dance (hymn)

"Lord of the Dance" is a hymn written by English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1963. The melody is from the American Shaker song "Simple Gifts" composed in 1848. The hymn is widely performed in English-speaking congregations and assemblies.

The song follows the idea of the traditional English carol "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day", which tells the gospel story in the first-person voice of Jesus of Nazareth with the device of portraying Jesus' life and mission as a dance.

The American composer Aaron Copland incorporated the original Shaker tune into the music for his 1944 ballet and subsequent 1945 orchestral work Appalachian Spring.

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