Hi, Jerry -
It's good to see you back. If you'd like to stick around, e-mail me for cookie reset information [joe@mudcat.org]. I hope you don't mind that I moved us over to an existing thread on the song.

I'd agree that what you posted may well be the original tune for "Simple Gifts," but it's not the tune that has been part of the Folkie Canon for most of my life. The tune for "Simple Gifts" in the Digital Tradition is this one:

http://www.mudcat.org/media/LORDANCE.MID

Now, I will agree that it is unfortunate we titled it lordance.mid - but I do think it's the tune people sing for "Simple gifts." For that matter, I think it's the tune that was played as "Simple Gifts" at the Obama Inauguration.

Maybe Aaron Copland changed the original tune when he used it in Appalachian Spring (1944) - perhaps we should credit Copland for the MIDI we have, but it certainly predated Sydney Carter's "Lord of the Dance."

-Joe-