Although it was not one of the general conference sessions, the "Music and the Spoken Word" program on April 4 by the Tabernacle Choir was one of the highlights of conference weekend.
The program began at 9:30 a.m., just before Sunday morning's session of conference. The music featured hymns and anthems appropriate for commemorating the Salt Lake Temple's centennial. The spoken word by Lloyd D. Newell contained references to man-made temples of spiritual worship, as well as temples that house people's souls.Tabernacle Choir director Jerold Ottley conducted; John Longhurst was at the organ. The choir's broadcast began with its standard opening hymn, "Gently Raise the Sacred Strain," and continued with "To God Be Praise and Glory," a 16th century Bohemian selection. Choir member Victoria Morris sang the soprano solo in two of the choir's numbers: "The Palms," about Christ's entry into Jerusalem, and "In My Father's House Are Many Mansions," based on John 14:2.
Other numbers were "Thou, Whose Unmeasured Temple Stands," with music by Robert Cundick, former Tabernacle organist, and words by 19th-century poet William Cullen Bryant; "Dedication," a hymn that promises commitment to the Lord; and "Behold the Tabernacle of God."
Brother Longhurst performed an organ solo, "The Heavens Declare the Glory of God," an 18th century composition declaring the majesty of God's dwelling place.
The longest continuous broadcast in the world (the April 4 program was the 3,320th broadcast), "Music and the Spoken Word" is carried weekly over the CBS Network.
