The composer was Sydney Carter who wrote the song in 1963.
It was an adaptation of a Shaker tune called Simple Gifts. The Shakers used dance as a spiritual medium for their religion.
Lord of the Dance is therefore not really a 'traditional' tune but rather, it is based on one.
It is the fifth most sung 'copyrighted' song in the world according to statistics.
The composer described it as ' a dancing kind of song the life of which is in the dance as much as the verbal statement'
It is a song for all creation all times and all places in the universe and has therefore been said to have 'pagan' elements running through it.
It should not be confused with Lord of the Dance by Michael Flatley which is a dance show launched in Dublin in 1996. This is a dance show based on the fight of good over evil and love and loosely some characters from Irish folklore.
It was an adaptation of a Shaker tune called Simple Gifts. The Shakers used dance as a spiritual medium for their religion.
Lord of the Dance is therefore not really a 'traditional' tune but rather, it is based on one.
It is the fifth most sung 'copyrighted' song in the world according to statistics.
The composer described it as ' a dancing kind of song the life of which is in the dance as much as the verbal statement'
It is a song for all creation all times and all places in the universe and has therefore been said to have 'pagan' elements running through it.
It should not be confused with Lord of the Dance by Michael Flatley which is a dance show launched in Dublin in 1996. This is a dance show based on the fight of good over evil and love and loosely some characters from Irish folklore.