EPHRATA CLOISTER CHORUS DIRECTED BY DR. RUSSELL P. GETZ 

 Music Of The Ephrata Cloister

Gordon Associates LP 1009 RARE '67 MONO private Pennsylvania press. Modern day group recreates the songs from 250 years ago.
Founded in 1732 by Conrad Beissel, the Ephrata Cloister was a unique German Pietist communal society in Pennsylvania known for its celibate brothers and sisters, distinctive architecture, original music, printing, and elaborate Fraktur art, aiming for spiritual perfection through rigorous discipline and communal living, flourishing in the 1750s before declining by the 1800s, though its legacy as a National Historic Landmark preserves its influential role in early American religious and cultural history. 
Founding & Beliefs
  • Founder: Conrad Beissel, a German Pietist, established the community around Cocalico Creek.
  • Celibacy: Members practiced celibacy, believing it led to a heavenly union with God, and observed Saturday as the Sabbath.
  • Disciplined Life: They followed a strict schedule, rising at midnight for worship and sleeping on wooden benches with block pillows. 

Community Life & Contributions
  • Architecture: The Cloister features unique Germanic-style buildings, including large timber-framed structures.
  • Art & Music: A significant center for early American music, with women composing hymns, and for Fraktur (ornamental calligraphy).
  • Printing: They printed important works, including the massive Martyr's Mirror.
  • Support System: While celibate members lived communally, married "Householders" lived nearby, supporting the community. 

Decline & Preservation
  • Decline: The Cloister entered a period of decline in the late 1700s, with the last celibate member dying in 1814.
  • Continuation: The married members continued as the German Seventh Day Baptist Church until 1934.
  • Historic Site: The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acquired the property in 1941, preserving it as a historic site and museum. 

Key Period: The Cloister's peak was in the 1750s, housing around 80 celibate members and 200+ householders.


Jacket Grade NM Little to no wear to front cover art. No splits
  
Record Grade: NM No visible play wear. BEAUTY

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