The LOST HYMNS Project
Discovering the Hymn Heritage of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
This project is copyright © 2006-2012 by Bruce T. Forbes
This is a work in progress - I began in 2006 and will carry on as I continue to research the subject.
NOTE: most of these chapters were written independent of each other
and then collected into this project.
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"...I believe that words of religion dissolved in music soak into the human soul better than any other way.
A good hymn is a good spiritual tonic to a sick or frightened soul."
Mr. E. Kent Kane, great-grandson of General Thomas Kane
October 1947 LDS General Conference
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"Every time I wanted to quit, a hymn came to mind that helped me keep going."
a young woman in our congregation
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INTRODUCTION
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As Latter-day Saints we have an incredible hymn heritage - home-grown hymns as well as those borrowed from the
vast hymn library. As a writer I find it exciting to find an original version of a text and discover how and why it was
edited for use today - or, why we've put it back on the shelf.
My goal with this project is -
FIRST, to create an index of all the hymns that have appeared in the officially-commissioned English-language
hymnals of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
SECOND, to discover which texts have been edited and to find the original and complete versions - as close to the
original writer's pen as I can find. I've already posted a few. As part of this, to present other significant and historical
texts of interest from the LDS hymn library that are no longer used.
FINALLY, to present an electronic copy (or link to) of each hymnal for your further study and use. I've already
posted a few.
My original dream was to publish this project as a book when I completed it. But it will probably be my grandchildren
who complete it as it is such a huge project. So here you go - enjoy and be uplifted while I continue to research. If you
find mistakes or have help or suggestions to offer (or even complements!) I would be pleased to hear from you.
Please write me at -
brucewrites@yahoo.com
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THANK YOU TO -
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-- Music & Cultural Arts Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - especially Diane Bastian,
who graciously opened the department's library to my research;
-- Church History Library & Archives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;
-- Mark Dewey of Hymnwiki for supplying some excellent material,
-- fellow LDS hymnists Wade Kotter (also a librarian!) and Lynn Carson (respected historian of Utah music heritage) -
their friendship and their expertise are both appreciated,
-- the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, especially for their patient assistance in tracking down original
Wesley texts;
-- CyberHymnal - proving that the internet is one powerful means in spreading the music of God. What a 'pearl of great
price' they are!
-- my mother, Betty Mae Taylor Forbes, who taught her children the Gospel with her piano and taught me to love
hymns;
-- all my musician friends, whose encouragement and faith in me continues to give my faith wings to fly;
-- all of you who have written with thanks, encouragement, suggestions, and complements. You make this project all
the more worthwhile and give me the motivation to continue on. Please, keep writing to me!
--most especially, He Who inspires all good hymns.
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Why do I love hymns? Read THIS BOOK in PDF, EPUB, or KINDLE.
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"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."
Doctrine and Covenants 25:12
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DEDICATION
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When the Lord needed scriptures brought to light
and His church restored to the earth,
He called a man and molded him into a prophet.
But when He needed a hymnal that would serve
as a foundation for generations to come,
He turned to that prophet's wife -
Thank you, dear Sister Emma Smith,
for the firm Gospel foundation you have given
to an entire dispensation of time.
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"If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing,
and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.
If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication,
that your souls may be joyful."
Doctrine and Covenants 136:28-29
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PART ONE: Introduction
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Chapter 1: What Is a Hymn?
Chapter 2: The Writer Writes...
Chapter 3: ... And the Editor Edits
Chapter 4: A Very Brief History of LDS Hymnody
Chapter 5: How Should We Sing?
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PART TWO: Significant Names in LDS Hymnals
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Chapter 6: Isaac Watts
Chapter 7: Charles Wesley
Chapter 8: John Newton & William Cowper
Chapter 9: Emma Smith, W.W. Phelps, Parley P. Pratt, & Eliza R. Snow
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PART THREE: The Hymns
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These chapters are updated as I continue to work on the indexes. I am past the half-way mark in
creating the indexes; I will then concentrate on chasing down more of the original texts. But this is
going to be a long project for which I joyfully see no end.
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Chapter 10: Hymnals / Editions published by the Latter-day Saint Church
Chapter 11: Title / First Line Index for Congregational Hymnals
Chapter 12: Title / First Line Index for Auxiliary Hymnals
Chapter 13: Author Index for Congregational & Auxiliary Hymnals
Chapter 14: Original & Additional Texts to Hymns in the LDS Hymnals
Chapter 15: Notable LDS-written hymns that have not appeared in a hymnal
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APPENDIX
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Appendix 1: Scriptures on Singing
Appendix 2: LDS General Conference Quotes on Music and Hymns
Appendix 3: Other Quotes on Music and Hymns
Appendix 4: Using 'King James English' in Hymn and Prayer ... and a Chart to help
Appendix 5: Truths & Falsehoods on How Latter-day Saints are Directed to Use Music in
their Worship Services
Appendix 6: Defining Hard or Auld Words in the Hymns
Appendix 7: Music from Church Educational System (CES) Soundtracks
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SEE ALSO
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Hymnastics 101 ... Articles and Addresses on Hymns, Music, and Singing
Hymnastics 102 ... "How-to" Write Metered Poetry / Hymns
And Also ... You've asked about my 'Dream Hymnal' ... here it is.
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ELECTRONIC COPIES OF HYMALS
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WordPad (.rtf or .txt) files have been formatted for use in your e-reader. Thank you to
Mark Dewey of Hymnwiki for creating the .txt files of the Manchester and Nauvoo
hymnals that I have, with his permission, modified to present here.
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1748 ... Hymns of Isaac Watts ... RTF
(Isaac Watts is the most-quoted composer in LDS Hymnody.)
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1779 ... Olney Hymnal ... RTF or PDF
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1804 ... Methodist Hymnal ... PDF
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1835 ... (LDS) Kirtland Hymnal ... RTF ... PDF ... see also: "Doctrines of Faith and Hope
Found in Emma Smith's 1835 LDS Hymnal" by Mary D. Poulter ... PDF
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1840 ... (LDS) Manchester Hymnal ...RTF ... PDF ... thank you to Mark Dewey of
HymnWiki for allowing me use of his RTF file and to add to it
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1841 ... (LDS) Nauvoo Hymnal ...RTF ... PDF ... thank you to Mark Dewey of
HymnWiki for allowing me use of his RTF file and to add to it
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1844 ... (LDS) Manchester Hymnal (4th Edition) ... PDF
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1884 ... (LDS) Deseret Sunday School Union Music Book ... PDF or HERE
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1889 ... (LDS) Latter-Day Saint Psalmody ... PDF
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1890 ... (LDS) Sacred Hymns and Spiritual Songs (12th Edition) ... PDF
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1894 ... (LDS) Deseret Sunday School Union Song Book ... PDF (doesn't say what
edition) This book has instructions for the European 'Tonic Sol-Fa' notation method Brigham Young preferred
over much more popular (and understandable) Shape Note method that was popular in England and the Southern
States. This is the only place I have actually seen instructions for this method.
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1896 ... (LDS) Latter-day Saints' Psalmoday (2nd Edition) ... PDF
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1908 ... (LDS) Latter-Day Saint Psalmody (4th Edition) ... PDF
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1908 ... (LDS) Deseret Sunday School Songs ... PDF
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1919 ... (LDS) Relief Society Song Book ... PDF
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1948 ... (LDS) HYMNS ... PDF of hymns not carried over into the Second Edition
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1985 ... (LDS) HYMNS ... RTF of the texts that don't have copyright issues
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1985 / 1989 ... current LDS Hymnal and Children's Songbook
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Other Items of Interest:
1843 ... "A Collection of Sacred Hymns Adapted to the Faith and Views of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"
1844 ... "A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the use of the Latter-day Saints"
1883 ... Hymns and Anthems Set to Music by Home Composers for the Use of the Salt
Lake City Tabernacle Choir ... PDF / See also this site for other formats
1900 ... Hymns and Songs for Little Saints ... PDF
1908 ... Songs of Zion ... PDF or HERE
1913 ... Millennial Hymns of Parley P. Pratt ... PDF
1839 ... The Millennium and Other Poems, by Parley P. Pratt, 1839
1856 ... Poems Religious, Historical, and Political, Volume I, by Eliza R. Snow, 1856
2009 ... Eliza R. Snow: The Complete Poetry (at Amazon.com) jointly published by BYU
Press & U of U Press - you should also be able to find it or order it at most any
LDS-centered book outlets
2009 ... Sacred Hymns of the Book of Mormon by Marilyn Arnold, Maurine Ozment, and
Lisa Farr; available through Cedar Fort INC at www.cedarfort.com
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"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
Colossians 3:16
"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"
Ephsesians 5:19
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HYMN-RELATED LINKS
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Ames Hymn Collection ... about 500+ hymns
CCF Songbook ... lots of hymns
Center for Black Music Research ... a very good starting point
NEW!!! Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Traditions ... a place to research the poetic writings of John & Charles
Wesley!
Christian Classics Ethereal Hymnary ... huge database of hymn tunes
Christmas Hymns & Carols ... just what it says
Christian Life Hymnal ... I told myself I would not "advertise" any specific product, but this is a good hymnal; mostly
just plain old standard hymns that have stood the test of time. To me this one's a treasure.
"CHURCH MUSIC" ... a link to Archive.org's digital collection of books on the topic of 'Church Music'.
CyberHymnal ... incredible source for hymn texts & tunes; you can download from their 8,000+ hymn library of
Christian hymns & Gospel songs from many denominations—lyrics, MIDI files, scores, pictures, history & more.
Searchable, advanced Autoplay feature, free downloads. New entries every week. User friendly. Two thumbs up! Uses
NoteWorthy sofware.
Digital Tradition Folk Music Database ... includes many, many folk songs and folk hymns
Early LDS Hymns ... hymns from early LDS hymnals teamed up with the tunes history says they were sung to at the
time.
Ehymnbook ... have just found this one
Folk Music of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and America ... a fun site
Hymnal - a Worship Book ... have just found this one; has links to several other hymnals of various genres.
Hymnlyrics.org ... says to have over 10,000 hymn texts, but they don't list authors or composers or give any historical
references
Hymn Site.com ... listen, copy, buy ... lots of things to do here
Hymn Tune Index ... an excellent hymn text and tune index for English-language hymnals prior to 1820
Hymnal.net ... another good collection. lyrics, mp3's, printable sheet music
Hymnary.org ... I have just found this and haven't looked it over too much yet
Hymns and Carols of Christmas ... a great site!
Hymns and Christian Songs ... a link to several collections
Hymnwiki ... info on hymns, mostly those used in LDS hymnals
International Music Score Library Project ... just found this ...
LDS Composers Trust ... celebrating classical music written by LDS composers and artists
Lutheran Hymnal ... in midi with lyrics
Music for the Church of God ... a collection of hymnals, a Psalter, and other resources
Music of Faith ... a download site
Name That Hymn ... a discussion board where people ask each other for help in finding lost hymn texts
Negro Spirituals.com ... a good starting place
NetHymnal ... a site I have only just found and so far it looks good. Says to have 10,000+ hymns
Olney Hymns ... The full text of this historical hymnal!
Oremus Hymnal ... large collection of hymn texts and tunes, mostly of the Anglican tradition
"PRACTICAL HYMNOLOGY" ... digitized book written a hundred years ago with some great advise for worship
music
Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts and his companion Divine and Moral Songs for Children ... some say Watts' texts
have disappeared ... Ha! They obviously aren't a Sacred Harp singer!
Seventh-day Adventist Digital Hymnal ... exactly what is says it is ... in English and Spanish
Wikipedia ... direct link to a Wikipedia article on LDS hymns & hymnals
SACRED HARP:
FASOLA Homepage ... a comprehensive site for all types of information about Sacred Harp singings. The staring
point for anyone searching out Sacred Harp!
Sacred Harp Singing ... another good source of information on this great tradition.
Ephraim's Harp ... a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and performance of American music,
especially that of disappearing or underrepresented traditions, including Sacred Harp
Northern Harmony ... on-line index & lyrics
The Sacred Harp (Cooper) - Index and Lexical Companion
The Sacred Harp (Denson) ... index
Southern Harmony ... one of the great pillars in Sacred Harp hymnal
Utah Sacred Harp Singing ... my singing group. We do our best to fulfill the hymnal declaration of "We'll SING and
We'll SHOUT"!
GROUPS I KEEP MY EYE ON:
Fiddlesticks Celtic and American Folk Music, especially their ‘Return to Nauvoo’ and ‘Farewell to Nauvoo’ albums
Hoffman House Studios, especially for their 'Greatest Hymns of Eliza R. Snow' and 'Greatest Hymns of Parley P.
Pratt' albums
The Lower Lights: A Hymn Revival ... a group of LDS studio musicians who got together and created some wonderful
recordings.
Mormon Choir of Washington DC ... founded in 1980; well-known through the Washington DC area
Mormon Tabernacle Choir ... dubbed "America's Choir" by President Ronald Reagan, this world-famous Grammy
award-winning choir has also been awarded the 2006 Mother Theresa Award! You can also read about them at
Wikipedia.
Saints Unified Voices ... Las Vegas-based Grammy award-winning choir organized by Sister Gladys Knight - gathering
Latter-day Saints of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds together to celebrate the Gospel through their combined
heritage. You can also read about them at Wikipedia.
Southern California Mormon Choir ... singing the Gospel locally, nationally, and internationally since 1953
Southern Utah Heritage Choir ... performs locally & internationally
ALSO:
Provo Tabernacle ... In December 2010 hymnody lost a wonderful building
Pilgrim Baptist Church ... one of the great homes of American Hymnody
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