As the century turns we can notice a striking change to more modern styles in music. Coincidence?
“Ode to Irrigation” is an amazing oddity of local musical history. Composed in 1903 by John J. McClellan as a cantata/oratorio celebrating the history and impact of Irrigation in Western America, this was commissioned for a national convention of water works industries held in Ogden, Utah. Written for orchestra, chorus and solo singers, the piece is long and passionate, but for now we present only the first page of the 20+ page score, which is a piano reduction of the instrumental introduction. More later? Drink deeply. (Audio only, click to listen.)
Laughing Waves – Ragtime adjacent (?) piano solo from 1904 by Herbert W. Lawrence. He was a music student during his college days in Utah, but later concentrated on a career in mining. Proof that there was fun to be had with music in early Utah. Is this another piece inspired by the Great Salt Lake?
(Oh What) Songs of the Heart March – 1904. This one has a bit of a twisted history. The tune was originally composed in the 1870s as one of several hymns in which William Clayson, a self-taught composer, teamed with Joseph L. Townsend’s lyrics as both were resident of Payson, Utah. The pair crafted several upbeat songs, and this one is a positive, joyful song celebrating the LDS lifestyle. In some ways a counterpart to the more famous but arguably depressing standard “Come, Come Ye Saints”, which emphasized the need to go through many troubles on Earth for expected rewards later. But THIS selection adds yet another chapter to the story. In 1904 Thomas McIntyre adapted the melody to craft this instrumental march version of the tune, which appeared in an LDS/Mormon magazine. ( audio only – click to play )
Nephite Lamentation by Thomas Durham of Parowan (in SW Utah) appeared as an instrumental organ solo published in several LDS hymnbooks from 1905 to 1930. Durham was known for seeking inspiration in and out of the usual musical channels, and in at least one composition he claimed to have been aided by “receiving” a musical message of sorts from ancient Native American sources, specifically the ancient Nephite people chronicled in the Book of Mormon. Perhaps this one also worked that way? However he made his music, his legacy also includes generations of talent still working in classical music circles in several Utah Universities to this day. This *may* be an adaptation of his version of “Oh, My Father.” (audio only recording – click below)
The Russo-Jappo Waltzes by Moses Samuel Gudmundson from 1906. Story time. The title was almost certainly inspired by a very real conflict between Russia and Japan which was major news in 1904 and 1905. It was the first time an Asian Country had been considered to have “won” a war with a European power. The music is loaded with what are now stereotypical Russian harmonies of the romantic-era type, but little to no Japanese touches. The composer worked in education as the director of music in the Springville (near Provo) public schools, then later as a violin instructor at BYU. He seems to have been a man who very much loved his own ideas, as this piece runs over 10 minutes with all the repeats. But he also felt inspired to make some personal adjustments to his Mormon faith, and convinced several friends and associates to form a colony on the edge of the desert near the Jericho Sand Dunes, 50 miles SW of Provo, where his revelations included the doctrine of “Wife Sacrifice”, meaning that he could and would re-assign the wives of any follower to be partnered with another man instead. (Apparently not Polygamy – just shifting the ties.) This sheet music was published by a New York music company unlike so many others on this site which were locally published in Utah. Found in the Special Collections holdings at BYU’s Lee Library, which shared it with us. (Audio only – click below to play.)
(** Below is a new teaser/preview addition posted for this entry – a recording of the first theme of “Wandamere”, and it is a fun piece! The rest is coming by mid-2026. Click the link at the end of this entry to hear the audio preview… )
Wandamere Two-Step 1906 by William C. Clive. Showcasing the fun to be had at “Wandamere,” a small resort just a few miles south-east of downtown Salt Lake City, making it a bit more convenient than a trip out to Saltair for many. It drew thousands of revelers each day during warm weather to enjoy concerts, amusement park style rides, a lake with boats, bicycle races on a steep-banked oval track, etc. The park specialized in various themed days for groups, such as “German Day”, where thousands of people who identified with a group might attend. This music was transcribed from the hand-written original score by the composer, found in the archives of a local university. The score uses the title “Wandamere March or Two-Step by Piano”, but newspaper mentions of this music from the time it was first played uniformly referred to it as “Wandamere Two-Step.” The composer was also the designated leader of the resident orchestra/band which played at the major events for the park. There are indications in the score that the piece was sometimes played as a piano solo, and sometimes as part of a band, with instructions for performing it each way. (Transcription and recording is in progress, but the hand written notation is a tough read in spots, so it will probably not be available until sometime in mid 2026.)
Saltair March by Godfrey Buglione, 1910 – This was composed to be played by concert bands, but there was also a solo piano version of sheet music available for this piece. Now a professional recording by a “live” player is finally available! (Thanks to Tim at Fiverr, who is available for quality recordings and demos.) Click the link below this paragraph to hear it. However, I will also post a recording with a video in early 2026, since the visual possibilities are endless for this subject. For additional artsy interest, the cover image for one edition of the commercial sheet music of this piece was by the famous Utah-born artist John Held, Jr, whose father was leader of an active concert band around the same time as this was composed. For further background notes, please see the listing lower on this page for the “band” version.
“Brigham Young University” March – A 1909 work composed by Robert G. Sauer in his first few years as BYU Director of Bands. This recording is from the piano reduction published by the student body at the school. Found in the sheet music section of the BYU Lee Library Special Collections, which has several other interesting works by him, including a few more titles written as BYU theme songs. (But they may or may not have ever been the “official” school songs or fight songs.) This new recording presents only the first half of the piece since a vocal chorus gets added for the conclusion of the work. (Audio only – click below to play.)
Two piano solos in quite contrasting styles by Gustav Schuster (a.k.a. Edw. Herman):
~~ Wizard of the Wasatch March by Gustav Schuster – Composed around 1913 for a short-lived festival in Salt Lake City that included Mardi Gras style parades and many other features, but with local and pseudo Native American themes. The festivities were designed both for fun and funds, with the stated goals of stimulating local tourism & shopping — until the onset of WWI put a damper on this and many other non-essential events. But while it lasted, the festival was heavily promoted, and the sheet music for this frisky “circus band” style march was even printed in local newspapers. He also composed a march titled “Broncho Buster” which was the theme song for a big annual rodeo event in Denver. (Coming someday?) Here is a recording from my YouTube channel.
~~ Meditation “Oh, My Father” an instrumental (piano only) selection published around 1914, but based on a well-known Mormon (now LDS) hymn tune from the late 1800s. However, it is not that simple. This music has a multi-faceted origin, starting as a tune in the British Isles in the mid 1800s, (sources differ as to whether it was Welsh or Scottish), then the melody was adopted by James McGranahan into a hymn tune titled “My Redeemer” with different lyrics. It migrated into the world of Utah/LDS music when it was reworked yet again in the late 1800s with lyrics from prolific poet Eliza R. Snow, whose poem is notable for raising the question that since God is a Father in Heaven, doesn’t that also mean that there is a Mother in Heaven? This page often presents piano solos rendered by synthesized keyboards, but for this selection it is a pleasure to link to a video on YouTube by the talented player and teacher Stefanie Struhs Kiester of the Denver, CO. area, who had already posted her solo piano recording of this piece a few years ago. Link shared here with her permission. (In addition to performing, she is a sometimes composer, and is available as a piano teacher.) Note on the composer’s name — Gustav Schuster composed these variations, but for some of his published sheet music, including this one published by his own company, he opted to use the pseudonym Edw. (Edward or Edwin?) Herman. Sheet music for this one shows up occasionally on EBay, but is also free online on at least two sites — one at BYU, and another in a century old LDS Church magazine archived at Google Books.
Prelude and Postlude by Leroy J. Robertson, one of the best known and respected composers in Utah history. Most of his mature works came after 1930, making them still likely in copyright status and thus unavailable for this site. But this very short pair of piano solos, designed to open and close a religious service, was published in an LDS Church magazine in the 1920s during a period when various composers contributed a set almost every month. (Published for piano rather than organ, but playable on both instruments.) Robertson had a wide-ranging influence as a composer, including the landmark “Book of Mormon Oratorio”, and also as the head of the music departments at both BYU and at the University of Utah in mid-century nurturing dozens of talented musicians of the future. (Click to hear the audio – less than a minute total.)
Along the Navajo Trail by Seldon Heaps – This entry sees a style change to a much more modern sound. Impressionistic piano solo from around 1937 by a versatile composer who worked in classical, popular and religious music. There was likely an orchestral version as well, since the composer used the same title for one movement of his “Bryce Canyon Suite” for orchestra. (This piece also shares a name with an unrelated classic “Western Swing” song, but this local one is in a very different style.) This solo piano recording is by Tim via Fiverr. He is available for music projects and demo recordings and is great to work with.
... also looking for a few vintage “Utah related” pieces by non-local composers …
Note that there are additional recordings of piano music in the lists/pages as long as a piano is included in the group. Or even if it is an ensemble or theatre piece recorded in a version available only as a piano reduction.
