Hymns in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Based on Wikipedia: Hymns in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In December 1836, in the freezing poverty of Kirtland, Ohio, a small leather-bound booklet was produced that would define the spiritual heartbeat of a growing faith for over a century. It measured only three by four and a half inches, a pocket-sized vessel for ninety sacred texts. The paper was thin, the binding crude, and the cost of production was a testament to the destitution of the community: the entire book was printed in "sexadecimal" format, a method where sixteen pages were squeezed onto a single sheet of paper, folded, cut, and sewn together. There were no musical notes, no staff lines, no indication of tempo or key. The church members held these words and had to supply the music from memory, from the folk songs of their ancestors, or from the hymnals of the Protestant traditions they had recently left. That small, text-only volume was the 1835 Hymnal, and its existence marks the fragile, desperate beginning of a musical tradition that would eventually become one of the most distinctive features of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The story of these hymns is not merely a chronicle of changing songbooks; it is the story of a people constantly on the move, trying to find a voice amidst persecution, displacement, and theological upheaval. The command to create this collection came not from a committee of theologians, but from a direct revelation received by Joseph Smith in July 1830. Addressed to his wife, Emma Smith, the revelation was specific and intimate. It stated, "And it shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church." The text continued with a profound theological assertion about the nature of worship: "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."
For the early Saints, singing was not a performance; it was a mechanism of survival. In the chaotic years following the church's organization in 1830, the community faced constant uprooting. They were driven from New York to Ohio, from Ohio to Missouri, and from Missouri to Illinois. In the midst of mob violence and the destruction of their printing presses, the act of singing together became a way to hold the community together. Emma Smith, tasked with the initial selection, found her efforts stalled by the sheer chaos of the times. The ambiguity of the revelation—whether it was a command to select hymns for immediate use or to compile a physical book—combined with the practical impossibility of printing in a war zone, meant that for years, the church relied on loose sheets and oral tradition.
It was W. W. Phelps, a man of considerable literary talent who had joined the church, who first attempted to give these songs a permanent form. In June 1832, he published hymns in The Evening and the Morning Star, the church's semimonthly newspaper printed in Independence, Missouri. These were text-only publications, with lyrics written by Phelps or borrowed and edited from Protestant sources. The first hymn to appear under his pen was "What Fair One Is This." But the violence that plagued the church struck again in July 1833, when a mob destroyed the church's printing office in Independence. The newspaper, and with it the primary vehicle for disseminating hymn texts, was forced to move to Kirtland, Ohio. The continuity of the church's literary life was shattered, yet the songs persisted.
By September 14, 1835, the leadership in Kirtland felt the need to formalize the collection once more. At a meeting of the high council and the First Presidency, Emma Smith was again counseled to make her selection, this time with the assistance of W. W. Phelps, who was appointed to revise and arrange the texts for printing. The result was the small, sexadecimal book of 1835. It contained ninety hymns, almost all of them words-only. The poverty of the church members in Kirtland is palpable in the physical artifact itself; the decision to print on single sheets folded into small books was a financial necessity. Of the estimated 500 copies printed, fewer than a dozen are known to exist today. The rarity of these books is such that in 2006, an original 1835 hymnal sold at Christie's Auction House in New York City for $273,600. That price tag reflects not just scarcity, but the weight of history held within those fragile pages.
The evolution of the hymnal continued as the church migrated west. In Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1841, Emma Smith published a significantly expanded version of her work. This 1841 hymnal contained 304 hymns and 340 pages, a massive increase from the Kirtland edition. Yet, it remained a text-only collection. The content of this Nauvoo edition revealed a distinct theological shift. Many of the hymns included were more focused on themes of grace, the blood of Christ, and the cross, drawing heavily from established Protestant hymnody. Songs like "Amazing Grace," "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," and "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" found a home in this collection. These were hymns of deep personal piety, emphasizing the Atonement in a way that resonated with the intense spiritual experiences of the Nauvoo period.
However, the trajectory of the hymnal was fractured by the succession crisis that followed the death of Joseph Smith in 1844. The movement splintered. Those who followed the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, led by Brigham Young, moved to the Salt Lake Valley and largely ignored the Nauvoo hymnal. Instead, they turned to a new publication produced in Europe: the "Manchester Hymnal." Published in 1840 by Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, and John Taylor in Manchester, England, this book was titled A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Europe. It was a words-only book, but it was designed for the massive emigration effort that was underway.
The Manchester Hymnal, or "Small Hymnal" as it came to be known, became the longest-lived of all LDS hymnals. Between 1840 and 1912, twenty-five editions were published. The publication location shifted from Manchester to Liverpool, and finally to Salt Lake City as the church established its headquarters in the West. The book grew physically over time, expanding from 323 pages in its first edition to 456 pages in 1905. Yet, through all these decades, it remained a collection of words. The tunes were not written down. The congregation sang from memory, relying on a shared oral culture that was surprisingly robust. The same melody might be sung by different people at different speeds, in different keys, or with slightly different variations, creating a living, breathing musical tradition that was fluid and adaptable.
This reliance on memory eventually began to feel insufficient to some within the church. The desire to capture the "freshness and vigor" of the spirit in a more formalized musical structure led to the first attempts to include notation. In 1844, G. B. Gardner and Jesse C. Little published a small, unofficial hymnal in Bellows Falls, Vermont. This was a watershed moment: it was the first Latter-day Saint hymnal to include musical notation alongside the words. It provided tunes for 18 of the 90 hymns found in the 1835 book, and another 17 were printed without music. The first hymn in this collection, "The Spirit of God," is historically significant as the very first LDS hymn ever published with musical notation. It marked the beginning of the end for the era of text-only worship.
The push for a more sophisticated musical tradition accelerated with the publication of John Tullidge's Latter Day Saints' Psalmody in 1857. Tullidge, a composer and musician, felt that the pairings of tunes and texts in use at the time were often poor matches. He believed the spiritual intensity of the Latter-day Saint experience demanded better, more complex music. His collection included piano accompaniment and featured iconic hymns such as "O My Father," "Praise to the Man," and "An Angel from on High." Tullidge's work was a conscious effort to elevate the musical standard of the church, moving away from simple folk melodies toward a more composed, harmonized style.
Finally, in 1889, the church released its first official hymnbook to include music: The Latter-day Saints' Psalmody. This publication was a conscious effort by church leaders to develop a hymn style that was uniquely their own. It was at this juncture that many of the familiar melodies that define the modern LDS hymnal were finally fixed in place. However, this fixation came with a cost. The tunes that were sung in 1835, the melodies that had been passed down orally for generations, were largely discarded. The new hymnal standardized the music, creating a unified musical language for the global church, but it severed the connection to the specific, improvisational musical heritage of the early pioneers.
The hymns of the church have always been more than just songs; they are a record of the community's journey. From the text-only pamphlets of Kirtland to the piano-accompanied volumes of the late 19th century, the evolution of the hymnal mirrors the evolution of the church itself. It reflects a shift from a small, persecuted sect relying on oral tradition to a global institution with a standardized liturgy. The early hymns, with their focus on the blood of Christ and the cross, spoke to a people in crisis, seeking redemption and survival. The later hymns, with their more complex harmonies and specific musical arrangements, spoke to a people who had established a foothold in the West and were looking to build a lasting civilization.
Today, the current hymnal, Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, continues this tradition. It is used in sacrament meetings, family home evenings, and gatherings around the world. The songs are sung by choirs and congregations alike, serving as a bridge between the individual and the divine. The revelation given to Emma Smith in 1830—that the song of the righteous is a prayer—remains the central tenet of this practice. Whether sung to a simple folk tune from the 1830s or to a complex arrangement from 1889, the hymns serve as a reminder of the community's history, its struggles, and its enduring faith.
The transition from words-only to music-rich hymnals also highlights the tension between tradition and standardization. The early church members, singing from memory, had the freedom to adapt the music to their immediate emotional needs. The melody could speed up in moments of joy or slow down in moments of sorrow. The introduction of notation froze these expressions in time. While it brought a new level of unity and precision, it also removed a degree of the spontaneous, communal creativity that characterized the earliest days of the church. This tension between the fluidity of oral tradition and the rigidity of written music is a recurring theme in the history of the hymnal.
The rarity of the early editions serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of the early church's cultural production. The 1835 hymnal, printed on thin paper in a time of poverty, and the 1841 Nauvoo edition, produced in the shadow of the succession crisis, are physical artifacts of a time when the very existence of the church was in doubt. The fact that these books have survived, and that their contents have been preserved and expanded over nearly two centuries, is a testament to the resilience of the people who cherished them.
In the modern era, the hymnal remains a central part of LDS worship. It is a tool for teaching doctrine, for expressing emotion, and for building community. The songs are sung in homes, in temples, and in meetinghouses across the globe. They connect the modern member to the pioneers of Kirtland, Nauvoo, and the Salt Lake Valley. The music may have changed, the arrangements may have become more complex, but the core purpose remains the same: to lift the heart in prayer. As the church continues to grow and change, the hymnal stands as a constant, a link to the past and a guide for the future. The journey from the sexadecimal pamphlets of 1835 to the modern hymnal is a journey of faith, perseverance, and the enduring power of song.
The story of these hymns is also a story of the women who shaped them. Emma Smith, the first compiler, set the tone for the tradition. Her work in 1835 and 1841 laid the foundation for the hymnal, even as she faced the immense challenges of her time. Her selection of hymns, particularly the focus on grace and the atonement in the 1841 edition, reflected a deep theological vision that would influence the church for generations. The hymnal is not just a collection of songs; it is a testament to the role of women in the early church, a role that is often overlooked in historical narratives.
As we look at the hymnal today, we see the layers of history that have been built up over nearly two centuries. We hear the echoes of the early pioneers singing from memory, the voices of the composers who sought to elevate the music, and the thousands of congregants who have sung these words in worship. The hymnal is a living document, a collection of prayers set to music that continues to inspire and sustain the faithful. It is a reminder that in the midst of change and uncertainty, the song of the heart remains a constant source of strength and blessing.
The legacy of the hymnal extends beyond the church walls. The music and the lyrics have influenced American religious music and culture in profound ways. The hymns of the LDS church are unique in their blend of traditional Protestant themes with distinctly Mormon theology, creating a musical tradition that is both familiar and new. The hymnal is a treasure trove of historical and cultural significance, a resource for scholars, musicians, and believers alike.
In the end, the hymnal is a testament to the power of community. It is a collection of songs that have been sung together, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, by people who have shared a common vision and a common faith. The journey from the text-only pamphlets of Kirtland to the modern hymnal is a journey of faith, perseverance, and the enduring power of song. It is a story that continues to be written, one hymn at a time.