Popular Post Bernard Gui Posted March 5, 2015 Popular Post Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) I have brought up the subject of LDS hymns before. In my opinion our hymnody is a mixed assortment thathas room for improvement, but while singing last Sunday's sacrament hymn, it occurred to me that his isan example of the best we have produced. Upon the Cross of CalvaryText: Vilate RaileMusic: Leroy Robertsonhttp://www.ldshymns.com/lds-hymns-176-200/184-upon-the-cross-of-calvary 1. Upon the cross of Calvary they crucified our LordAnd sealed with blood the sacrifice that sanctified his word.2. Upon the cross he meekly died for all mankind to seeThat death unlocks the passageway into eternity.3. Upon the cross our Savior died, but, dying, brought new birthThrough resurrection’s miracle to all the sons of earth. Why I think it is exemplary:Text and music by Mormon writers.Text precisely aligned with musical phrasing, i.e., no commas or breaks in the text that interrupt the musical line.Natural rise and fall of musical line matched with natural rise and fall of text.Quality of melody and harmony equaled by quality of text.Text reflectively, simply, and effectively expresses profound doctrine.Harmony interesting and musically sophisticated.Melody crafted carefully, accessible to untrained singers, yet suitable for more advanced musical interpretation. http://mormonmusic.org/content/upon-cross-calvary-easter-0 Edited March 5, 2015 by Bernard Gui 5
Daniel2 Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) Hmmm... "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" gets my vote for the most perfect hymn... but I guess it doesn't count as uniquely LDS. Edited March 5, 2015 by Daniel2 1
JLHPROF Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) I think it really depends what you are looking for in a hymn, and whether you have a ton of musical knowledge. For me, the most quintessentially Mormon hymn, and basically a perfect one, is "The Spirit Of God Like A Fire Is Burning". When sung with passion and energy it is the most stirring song of praise to God and the Lamb (especially with the Hosanna Anthem included). Edited March 5, 2015 by JLHPROF
Garden Girl Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 For a hymn in general that other faiths would be comfortable singing... How Great Thou Art...For LDS... O My Father by Eliza Snow. Now I didn't go into the tehnical aspects as Bernard did... but I find both of these beautiful and uplifting in melody and message... GG 1
Daniel2 Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 For a hymn in general that other faiths would be comfortable singing... How Great Thou Art...For LDS... O My Father by Eliza Snow.Now I didn't go into the tehnical aspects as Bernard did... but I find both of these beautiful and uplifting in melody and message... GGI agree about "O My Father"... that's probably the one I'd choose for the most perfect quintessentially LDS hymn..."Love One Another" is a very close second for me. 1
Popular Post Buzzard Posted March 5, 2015 Popular Post Posted March 5, 2015 You want some real unique LDS theology, try #284 "If you could hie to Kolob". It sometimes gets shuttled to the back because of mentioning Kolob in the first line, but grasps the eternal nature of God and the gospel like no other hymn. 6
mnn727 Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 Were I in charge I'd get rid of about 1/3 of the hymns in the hymnal. If its not about God - its gone.If its a Patriotic song - its gone.If it glorifies war - its gone (Onward Christian Soldiers, Battle Hymn of the Republic, etc) 2
JLHPROF Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 Were I in charge I'd get rid of about 1/3 of the hymns in the hymnal. If its not about God - its gone.If its a Patriotic song - its gone.If it glorifies war - its gone (Onward Christian Soldiers, Battle Hymn of the Republic, etc) Disagree with that last one... 1
Scott Lloyd Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 I have brought up the subject of LDS hymns before. In my opinion our hymnody is a mixed assortment thathas room for improvement, but while singing last Sunday's sacrament hymn, it occurred to me that his isan example of the best we have produced. Upon the Cross of CalvaryText: Vilate RaileMusic: Leroy Robertsonhttp://www.ldshymns.com/lds-hymns-176-200/184-upon-the-cross-of-calvary 1. Upon the cross of Calvary they crucified our LordAnd sealed with blood the sacrifice that sanctified his word.2. Upon the cross he meekly died for all mankind to seeThat death unlocks the passageway into eternity.3. Upon the cross our Savior died, but, dying, brought new birthThrough resurrection’s miracle to all the sons of earth. Why I think it is exemplary:Text and music by Mormon writers.Text precisely aligned with musical phrasing, i.e., no commas or breaks in the text that interrupt the musical line.Natural rise and fall of musical line matched with natural rise and fall of text.Quality of melody and harmony equaled by quality of text.Text reflectively, simply, and effectively expresses profound doctrine.Harmony interesting and musically sophisticated.Melody crafted carefully, accessible to untrained singers, yet suitable for more advanced musical interpretation. http://mormonmusic.org/content/upon-cross-calvary-easter-0Good analysis. And good judgment
thesometimesaint Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 Come Come Ye Saintshttps://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=Come+Come+Ye+Saints&vid=a7df2085a8bf2692c6fc1e3fbc9d7a79&l=5%3A08&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DVN.608010805157564100%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DF5vWgEsmVms&***=Come%2C+Come%2C+Ye+Saints&c=5&sigr=11bajcqf9&sigt=10lo59685&sigi=11rj5bf6f&back=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3DCome%2BCome%2BYe%2BSaints%26ei%3DUTF-8%26hsimp%3Dyhs-001%26hspart%3Dmozilla&sigb=12vefrjkp&ct=p&age=1365391188&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mozilla&tt=b
Scott Lloyd Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) I reiterate that there are still far too many beautiful hymns in our hymnal that remain effectively hidden from consciousness because they are never sung. Some people say the hymnbook needs to be revised and updated. I say, let's get acquainted with some of these unsung (literally) hymns before we start revising anything. One of these is "Rise Up, O Men of God," wonderfully stirring in text and melody. There are two versions in the hymnbook. No. 323 is arranged for men's choir. We hear that one occasionally in general conference and other meetings. No. 324 is for congregational singing, but one never hears it, because men in priesthood meeting will not sing anything they're not familiar with, and the words are not suitable for a mixed congregation. As ward choir director, I have selected that version of the hymn for our group to perform in April. I changed the words to "Rise up, O saints of God" so that it could be sung by men and women together, except that I retained the second verse intact as "Rise up, O men of God." I arranged the music for SATB choir (with four-part men's harmony on the second verse). I put in a fanfare interlude and composed a four-measure ending after the last verse. I changed some of the words. "As brothers of the Son of Man..." became "Disciples of the Son of Man ...". Finally, I wrote an extra verse to lengthen out the performance: Rise up, O saints of God.His marv'lous work has begun.Take on the strength of Zion's cause,And with our Lord be one. ( © 2015 by R. Scott Lloyd; all rights reserved) Edited March 5, 2015 by Scott Lloyd 2
Scott Lloyd Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) Hmmm... "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" gets my vote for the most perfect hymn... but I guess it doesn't count as uniquely LDS.Mack Wilberg kind of made it our own. It was in the 1948 (later revised in1950) hymnbook, but was scarcely ever sung back then. That's the reason it wasn't retained when the hymnbook we currently use was published in 1985. Last week, while covering the closing concert with the Tabernacle Choir presented for the American Choral Directors Association National Conference, I sat between two professional choir directors. Chatting with the man on my right, a church choir leader from Texas, I told him the saga of "Come Thou Fount," being popularized among Mormons after having been ignored for so long. Familiar with what Mack Wilberg has done with the hymn, he was amazed to learn that it hadn't been retained for our current hymnal and that we weren't acquainted with it until Mack did his special arrangement, first with BYU choruses and ultimately with the Tabernacle Choir. Edited March 5, 2015 by Scott Lloyd
KevinG Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 My son is a soldier and a medic. He repairs broken bodies. He has been in combat and knows the difference between good and evil. The Battle Hymn of the Republic is one of his favorites and this is his favorite verse. ln the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, (civilian versions use "let us live to make men free")While God is marching on. This is not about glorifying war, but facing the reality of the world we live in. The Gospel will not be preached in some corners of our world as long as despots and tyrants prevent people from exercising their agency. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpZ3jPMM5Ac Watch at 2:50 for the best part. 4
Stormin' Mormon Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 Not a bad hymn, but I have issues with any hymn that attempts to rhyme "Lord" with "word." Sometimes I'll sing it "Lerd" or "Ward" to MAKE the words rhyme. I guess I'm just kind of petty. 1
Scott Lloyd Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) Not a bad hymn, but I have issues with any hymn that attempts to rhyme "Lord" with "word." Sometimes I'll sing it "Lerd" or "Ward" to MAKE the words rhyme. I guess I'm just kind of petty.What hymn are you talking about? edited to add: Never mind. I see now your talking about the OP. Edited March 5, 2015 by Scott Lloyd
Duncan Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 Why don't they revise the hymnbook? there are some songs that are so weird to sing that you think this made the cut and not Amazing Grace or Come Thou Fount of Every something or other?
Kenngo1969 Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 I've always liked #85 How firm a foundationI would give you more than one rep point for this if I could. I second the notion. Not to turn the thread maudlin or anything, but I would like the fifth verse as the epitaph on my gravestone. 1
Kenngo1969 Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 Not a bad hymn, but I have issues with any hymn that attempts to rhyme "Lord" with "word." Sometimes I'll sing it "Lerd" or "Ward" to MAKE the words rhyme. I guess I'm just kind of petty.Ever been to southern Utah?
Scott Lloyd Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 Why don't they revise the hymnbook? there are some songs that are so weird to sing that you think this made the cut and not Amazing Grace or Come Thou Fount of Every something or other?Even the hymnbook done over would not wholly please everybody. There would still be those who thought this or that hymn was weird and upset that this or that one was not included. It's a huge and involved undertaking to produce a new hymnal. And the job's not done when it's published. It must be translated. Even today, 30 years later, our current hymnal is not translated yet into all the languages of the Church.
Duncan Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 Even the hymnbook done over would not wholly please everybody. There would still be those who thought this or that hymn was weird and upset that this or that one was not included.It's a huge and involved undertaking to produce a new hymnal. And the job's not done when it's published. It must be translated. Even today, 30 years later, our current hymnal is not translated yet into all the languages of the Church. true, very true! they should have regional ones! Like living on the Canadian Prairies it's odd to sing the line "Firm as the Mountains around us"!
Daniel2 Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 Mack Wilberg kind of made it our own.It was in the 1948 (later revised in1950) hymnbook, but was scarcely ever sung back then. That's the reason it wasn't retained when the hymnbook we currently use was published in 1985.Last week, while covering the closing concert with the Tabernacle Choir presented for the American Choral Directors Association National Conference, I sat between two professional choir directors. Chatting with the man on my right, a church choir leader from Texas, I told him the saga of "Come Thou Fount," being popularized among Mormons after having been ignored for so long. Familiar with what Mack Wilberg has done with the hymn, he was amazed to learn that it hadn't been retained for our current hymnal and that we weren't acquainted with it until Mack did his special arrangement, first with BYU choruses and ultimately with the Tabernacle Choir.You may not have been aware of its popularity elsewhere, but it has been popular in other Faiths... it's in our Unitarian hymnal and has been seminally popular among Unitarians, independent of Mormons' awareness/lack of awareness throughout the years.
Bernard Gui Posted March 6, 2015 Author Posted March 6, 2015 I reiterate that there are still far too many beautiful hymns in our hymnal that remain effectively hidden from consciousness because they are never sung. Some people say the hymnbook needs to be revised and updated. I say, let's get acquainted with some of these unsung (literally) hymns before we start revising anything. One of these is "Rise Up, O Men of God," wonderfully stirring in text and melody. There are two versions in the hymnbook. No. 323 is arranged for men's choir. We hear that one occasionally in general conference and other meetings. No. 324 is for congregational singing, but one never hears it, because men in priesthood meeting will not sing anything they're not familiar with, and the words are not suitable for a mixed congregation. As ward choir director, I have selected that version of the hymn for our group to perform in April. I changed the words to "Rise up, O saints of God" so that it could be sung by men and women together, except that I retained the second verse intact as "Rise up, O men of God." I arranged the music for SATB choir (with four-part men's harmony on the second verse). I put in a fanfare interlude and composed a four-measure ending after the last verse. I changed some of the words. "As brothers of the Son of Man..." became "Disciples of the Son of Man ...". Finally, I wrote an extra verse to lengthen out the performance: Rise up, O saints of God.His marv'lous work has begun.Take on the strength of Zion's cause,And with our Lord be one. ( © 2015 by R. Scott Lloyd; all rights reserved)I agree that there are too many good unknown hymns in the hymnbook. Are you old enough to remember the practice hymns in the old Sunday School formatbefore the 3-hour-block? We learned new hymns during that time. Learning new hymns was one of the many casualties of the 3-hour-block. As a ward organist,I have worked with a couple of music leaders to learn a new hymn by singing it every Sunday for a month. First Sunday....kind of quiet. Fourth Sunday....most people know it. I like "Fount" but to me it has hints of Calvinism, and I fear the video versions have been overdone. Very nice addition to Rise Up....you should submit it for the next edition.
Bernard Gui Posted March 6, 2015 Author Posted March 6, 2015 I think it really depends what you are looking for in a hymn, and whether you have a ton of musical knowledge. For me, the most quintessentially Mormon hymn, and basically a perfect one, is "The Spirit Of God Like A Fire Is Burning". When sung with passion and energy it is the most stirring song of praise to God and the Lamb (especially with the Hosanna Anthem included).Yes, I was speaking as a person with some musical knowledge. That's why I included the analysis. Spirit of God is an excellent hymn with many of the same compositional strengths as Upon the Cross. For me it is too long, especially whenit is sung slowly. I don't like the somewhat common practice of singing the word "shout" loudly and staccato.
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