Comments on: “Hymns That Are Peculiarly Ours”: B.H. Roberts on Music

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:32:59 +0000

#18: Thank you. I am just trying to get my notes straight. I have it as a poem in 1830, then a hymn in 1840. I have first mention of the First Vision in 1832(?).

By: Christopher

Christopher — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:40:13 +0000

Bob, that's a fairly common notion in early Mormonism. Moroni's visit and the Book of Mormon were emphasized much more than the vision. Regarding "An Angel from on High": According to Michael Hicks, Pratt penned the hymn in 1840 in England for the European printing of the new LDS hymnbook. It's actually an adaptation of a Protestant hymn (Mormonism and Music: A History, 26).

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:10:13 +0000

#16: I believe it was first a poem in about 1830 (?), than a song. The idea is (not mine), was that Pratt believed the “long, long silence (of the ages), was broken by Moroni’s visit, not a first Vision in 1820.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:36:47 +0000

#11 Bob–An Angel from on High was written sometime before 1840. Since it deals with the ministry of Moroni and the restoration of the gospel, it doesn’t refer to the First Vision and I can’t imagine that it would change the song one way or the other to know whether PPP knew of the First Vision before or after he wrote the song. Maybe I’m missing something?

By: John Turner

John Turner — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:42:28 +0000

I associate “How Great Thou Art” with George Beverly Shea, Billy Graham’s baritone sidekick.

Did Roberts not include “Come, Come, Ye Saints” on his list?

By: David G.

David G. — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:37:30 +0000

Haha, I’m glad you have such a good memory of the namby-pamby quote. I’m also looking forward to a new post!

Oh, and congrats on the successful contract negotiations.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:20:24 +0000

yes yes! The namby-pamby quote! This was seriously one of my favorite memories from our seminar! Umm…and I promise I’ll post soon…and I’m back from my non-Mormonish Lenten Fast…and I’m engaged. Yay.

By: Katie

Katie — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:06:14 +0000

We recently had an awesome fireside where they sang gospel spirituals. It was very moving. I live in Detroit and we are blessed with a multicultural stake. I love it. It brings a good flavor to the ward. I wish more wards could have our experience. I think it would make for more interesting sacrament meetings. There is just so much out there that I think we as members can explore with other members from other cultures. I wish we could expand the hymns a little more. The church just represents more now than just your basic North American White Person.

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:32:28 +0000

Anyone wish to help me on “An angel from on high, the long, long silence broke”. I once heard Pratt wrote this before he learn of the ‘First Vision’?

By: Kristine

Kristine — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:25:26 +0000

As a curiosity: there’s a bishop in Cambridge, MA, who insists that only “hymns of the Restoration” be sung in his ward’s Sacrament Meetings. I’m not quite sure how he defines this, whether it’s Mormon-authored hymns, or the section labeled “Hymns of the Restoration” in the hymnal, but it’s an interesting notion, and not something I’ve ever seen anyone try to put into practice before.

One bumps into this problem as well with the (uneven) insistence that music performed by ward choirs should be taken exclusively from the current hymnal–why is “I Stand All Amazed” really any more Mormon than “Old Rugged Cross”? (NOT that I’m agitating to do that one!!) To what extent should we view the selections of the committee that compiled the present hymnal authoritative? I suppose it’s much the same question as what sort of authority one ought to lend any product of Correlation, but it seems to be a case about which people hold more passionate opinions about, say, the seminary workbooks.