Twenty years ago, when the current Church hymnal was published, contributors to it gathered in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square to sing from its contents. On Sept. 16 of this year, many of the same people gathered in the same locale to celebrate two decades since its publication.
Billed as "A Celebration of Latter-day Saint Hymns," the event was part of the Temple Square Performances Series, but most of the music was provided by audience members.
It was a sentimental occasion for Michael F. Moody, 33-year chairman of the General Music Committee of the Church and chairman of the hymnbook committee in 1985. He is retiring from full-time Church employment; he and his wife, Maria, have been called to serve a Church mission at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, where he will oversee the music at the center.
"Maybe it's my ability to appreciate, but I think the singing tonight is better than it was 20 years ago," he remarked in a speech to the congregation.
"Hymns have endured through centuries with timeless messages set to simple melodies that have a universal power to influence people," he said. "The stability and appeal of the humble hymn is for us a source of strength in a world of crumbling traditions. So, when the work of producing a new hymnbook began, we who were involved knew that this was a sacred undertaking, and we thought of Emma Smith's first hymnbook, published in 1835, knowing that this new book would be a 150th-year commemoration of her book."
After the advent of the current book was announced in the early 1980s, the music office was deluged with some 6,000 hymns from throughout the Church, and giving due consideration to each one was a "humongous task," he said.
"So it's been 20 years now; a lot has happened during these last two decades," he said. "About 22 full-size hymnbooks have been produced in the most commonly used languages. These hymnbooks include about 100 hymns in common, 50 hymns that are recommended but not required and about 50 hymns of local preference. I think this formula represents a beautiful balance between the unity characteristic of the worldwide Church and the rich cultural variety that each member brings as their offering to the hymnal." In addition, he added, about 75 smaller booklets have been prepared in lesser-known languages.
He quoted this from a review written by his scholarly, non-Mormon friend Hugh McKellar: "Mormons attend public worship not to have their cultural level raised but to have the faith deepened and strengthened. If their hymns can inspire rank-and-file Mormons to go out and worship week by week and put their faith into practice, might not editorial committees of other denominations profitably take note?"
"I hope we can be worthy of this compliment," Brother Moody remarked. "I know that the Lord can speak to us through the hymns, both to our minds and to our hearts to lead us to good works."
In remarks earlier in the program, David T. Warner, director of the Church's Music and Cultural Arts Division, said, "Twenty years ago, the most recent Latter-day Saint hymnbook, the great-great-grandchild of Emma Smith's collection, was born. It is a marvelous volume, as we know. Like its predecessors, it brings together hymns that helped lay the foundation for the Restoration of the gospel, hymns that taught and blessed and even prepared Christians who, in some cases, lived hundreds of years before the gospel was restored. The book also represents hymns that are unique to the Latter-day Saints, some written during the Prophet Joseph's time, and others written since. And, of course, several new hymns were introduced in the volume that have since become loved throughout the Church."
A sampling of the hymns in their variety was sung by the congregation, supplemented by offerings from soloists. Several members of the 1985 Hymnbook Executive Committee, who, like Brother Moody, had contributed music or text to the hymnbook, were featured. Vanja Y. Watkins, composer of "Families Can Be Together Forever" and "Press Forward Saints," led the music. Karen Lynn Davidson, who wrote the words to "Each Life That Touches Ours for Good," gave narration. Darwin Wolford gave the invocation. Marvin K. Gardner, not a committee member but the author of the text of "Press Forward Saints" gave the benediction.
Brooke Rose, a young Church member, sang a solo on two already familiar children's songs that were new to the hymnbook in 1985, and Laura Garff Lewis, a Mormon Tabernacle Choir soloist, gave performances on other hymns. Meredith Campbell performed a violin obligato on "Our Savior's Love."
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