The seven items in this section were originally published in various hymn books or magazines of the LDS (Mormon) Church at least a century ago. They are all by composers considered to be among the best and most influential local musicians of their time. But since I have no way to record live vocals of these, as most were originally intended, here are some unauthorized re-arrangements to play them as instrumental music instead. Jolly good fun for me to adapt them, and I hope they allow at least some level of the original intent to shine through. Purists who only wish to see and hear these pieces as originally composed may skip this page.
Morning Hymn by George Careless, the first conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This piece was performed by the Choir, and appeared in one of their songbooks for choir members in the 1880s. But the simple melody also works as adapted here for a string trio of 1 violin, 1 viola and 1 cello. (Synthesized.)
The Trumpeters, Joseph J. Daynes – The original version from the 1880s was for men’s voices and keyboard, but due to the title and style of music, and the lack of a Men’s Chorus at my disposal, I decided to adjust this arrangement to be played by a synthesized brass ensemble and organ/piano. Daynes was a central figure in the Utah music community of the day, both as a composer and as a merchant with several popular music stores.
On the Shores of the Great Inland Sea from 1896 by Edwin F. Perry. Originally a song for young voices, but because of the somber moods evoked I re-arranged it for Woodwind Quartet. (One each of Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, and French Horn.) This makes the Great Salt Lake the winner in sources of inspiration for local music presented on this page, although there are also plenty of songs praising the towering mountains of Utah, a subject which may yet be explored.
“Four Seasons in Utah” (audio link below) An un-authorized adaptation from songs by Evan Stephens, a gentle giant of early 20th Century Mormon music whose vast output of original works included these four short songs titled after the seasons. I’ve transcribed them here for String Quartet from the original songs, for which he wrote both lyrics and music. They appeared in a 1905 songbook for youth in the “Primary” program – sort of a Sunday School system – although these four songs were mostly secular in theme. The entire 4-song suite clocks in under 3 minutes, so I took the artistic liberty of adding a repeat (2nd verse) to the very short “Summer” movement and modulated it up. The order is Spring (scherzo) – Summer (lively) – Autumn (soft and slow) – and finally Winter, with some sparkling themes. (Music is done, so here is the audio only version by a synthesized string quartet. I’ll eventually do a video for this one as well.)
Christmas Cradle Song by Joseph Ballantyne. From a 1905 Utah songbook for children in the “Primary” program of the LDS (Mormon) Church, although the composition may have been from years earlier than the publication. Originally for voices and piano, but presented here as a harp solo, since the simple harmonies and rhythms reminded me of traditional harp music from Mexico’s Veracruz region. Composer Joseph Ballantyne specialized in songs for youth. In fact, he chaired committees to assemble and edit several songbooks in that field. His best known song in LDS music traditions may be “Come Follow Me.”
River Song – Another short piece by Ballantyne, this one from 1910, but not a hymn. It was identified on publication as a “motion song”, probably to let kids move around during long meetings. The original was a fairly, umm… boring piano solo, so with blatant disregard for authenticity I re-arranged it a bit for the folksy combo of Ukulele, Banjo and Tuba.
Song to the Morning from 1910-ish was by B. Cecil Gates as composer, with lyrics by Susa Young Gates, who some think of as Brigham’s favorite daughter. As is usual on this page, instruments are substituting for the vocals, and for this one I went with flute, cello and harp because of the wistful moods. (Click to play it – audio only.)
Coming soon — a few more arrangements from hymns or songs to instrumental music. These are fun exercises for me, so this type of recording will probably keep being added to this page. Composers will include Ebeneezer Beesley, John E. Tullidge, etc. to try to see that most of the big names of those days are represented.
Hoping to find some more good examples of works by female composers to include – and I do have a promising lead on such a composer from Logan!