#60 "Battle Hymn of the Republic"

I am so glad that this hymn was added to the 1985 edition of the hymnbook.  This is a favorite one to sing around patriotic holidays (Independence Day, Memorial Day, Patriots' Day) even though it is a reference to the second coming of Christ.  My favorite memory of this song is singing it with the Southern California Mormon Choir during the bicentennial in 1976.  It seemed like we sang it at every concert.  The best part was this man in the choir who was tall and kind of looked like Abraham Lincoln.  He would come out during the song, dressed as Abraham Lincoln, and recite the Gettysburg Address.  Sometimes there would even be gasps from the audience when he first walked out in his tall stovepipe hat, long black coat, and full beard.  We sang the Wilhousky arrangement for all those concerts.  Great memories!

#59 "Come, O Thou King of Kings"

Another favorite!  I really like when the men echo the women in the last half of the song.  I love the message and the tune of this hymn.

#58 "Come, Ye Children of the Lord"

I love this hymn--both the tune and the text.  This was probably one of the first songs where I learned the alto line--it's a very easy part in this hymn. 

#57 "We're Not Ashamed to Own Our Lord"

This hymn tune was easy to play--key of "F", with just a few accidentals.  This tune is different from the one in the old 1950 hymnal and is listed in the "Choir" section.  To be honest, this is another one of those hymns that I probably wouldn't use for sacrament meeting.

#56 "Soflty Beams the Sacred Dawning"

This was the most difficult hymn I've played this year.  The key of "D-flat" is not an easy one to play.  I can't see ever using this hymn for congregational singing or in a choir setting just because it so difficult to play.  It makes me wonder why the 1985 hymnbook committee didn't ask the composer to change the key.  I know I won't be using this hymn as long as I'm the ward organist.  Sorry, Brother J. Spencer Cornwall.

#55 "Lo, the Mighty God Appearing!"

I've never sung or played this hymn before but I recognize the tune from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcasts.  In the old hymnal it was located in the "Choir" section, but has been modified for the 1985 hymnbook for congregational singing.  I like the energy of this song.

#54 "Behold, the Mountain of the Lord"

This hymn was a treat to discover!  I really like the tune, but I know I've never sung or played it before.  However, I did have a notation in my hymnal to sing the words to the tune of "America the Beautiful".  I think this would be a nice hymn for a choir to perform. 

#53 "Let Earth's Inhabitants Rejoice"

This was a really nice hymn that didn't seem familiar to me.  I will probably schedule it for a sacrament meeting one day.  I liked the tune and the text.

#52 "The Day Dawn Is Breaking"

This hymn is familiar to me.  I've actually played it for sacrament meeting.  The tricky part is the time change for the chorus to 9/8.  No problem playing this one today!

#51 "Sons of Michael, He Approaches"

This hymn was totally unfamiliar to me.  I read about it in Davidson's book and then even played the older version from the 1948 hymnbook and it didn't sound familiar either.  I had trouble with the timing and the tune.  I am sure I've never sung or played this hymn until today!

#50 "Come, Thou Glorious Day of Promise"

I remember singing this song as a youth in the old Monterey Park Ward, but this hymn isn't sung very much anymore. In fact, I don't have notations in my personal hymnbook--and that tells me I've never played it in a sacrament meeting or have never sung it with a choir in the last ten or so years. The 2/2 timing needs to noted when playing and singing this hymn.

#49 "Adam-ondi-Ahman"

Adam-ondi-Ahman

Debi and Denise standing on a big rock
at the site "Adam-ondi-Ahman" (1965)

Truly an LDS hymn with a title like that! Elder Bruce R. McConkie said that "Adam-ondi-Ahman" means "the place or land of God where Adam dwelt." I have a funny story about a trip our family took to "Adam-ondi-Ahman". During the summer of 1965, my family visited Jackson County, Missouri and toured the church history site of "Adam-ondi-Ahman". In Elder McConkie's book "Mormon Doctrine", he states: "One of the greatest spiritual gatherings of all the ages took place in the Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman some 5,000 years ago.... At that great gathering Adam offered sacrifices on an altar built for that purpose. A remnant of that very altar remained on the spot down through the ages. On May 19, 1838, Joseph Smith and a number of his associates stood on the remainder of the pile of stones at a place called Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri. There the Prophet taught them that Adam again would visit the Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, holding a great council as a prelude to the great and dreadful day of the Lord..."
The missionary couple who served there told us that every spring a local farmer hauls all of his rocks to this area and by the end of the summer all of the rocks are gone. Apparently, visitors to the site take away a rock thinking that it might have been part of an ancient altar that Adam built. The joke is on the visitors! Thanks, Farmer Brown, for making everyone happy--you get a field cleared of rocks and visitors get a stone from "Adam-ondi-Ahman"!
Now, about the hymn... It was included in the first LDS hymnbook in 1835. The tune is unusual, but "catchy". The timing is a little tricky, too. Every time I see the title of this hymn I am reminded of the story of the pile of stones! ☺

#48 "Glorious Things Are Sung of Zion"

This hymn tune comes from a Dutch melody circa 1710, but no other details are given. Verse two mentions "Adam-ondi-Ahman, so the text is very LDS-oriented. I have notes written in my hymnbook (by me) that have a combination of singing #48 with #46. They are in different keys, so I don't know how the transitions are supposed to go. I don't remember singing this hymn, but the notes I have written make me think otherwise. I also have a note written that this hymn tune can be found in T.T. Noble's book so that you can easily do a hymn improvisation by having the choir sing in unison and use the organ to play Noble's arrangement.

#47 "We Will Sing of Zion"

This hymn was new to the 1985 hymnbook, but is another one of those "Zion" songs that is not sung very much.

#46 "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken"

I enjoyed the tune to this hymn. It was written by Franz Joseph Haydn so it has a nice classical feel to it. The footnote states that it was included in the first LDS hymnbook in 1835. Notes from Davidson's book points out that there were originally ten short verses. This hymn was a little tricky for me, but I like it. Too bad it isn't sung much in our sacrament meetings.

#45 "Lead Me into Life Eternal"

I love the story behind this hymn. I read about it in "Our Latter-day Hymns: The Stories and the Messages", by Karen Lynn Davidson. (I've been reading about each hymn as I've been playing and blogging each day.) The original title was 'Father! Lead Me Out of Darkness". The author was approached by Alexander Schreiner (the composer) about changing the title, but he (Elder John A. Widtsoe) said, "You don't understand, Brother Schreiner. It is being sung by a nonmember. I don't want anybody to change the words. Nonmembers are in darkness." After Bro. Schreiner said, "When you go to a stake conference and give an inspirational and enlightening message to the Saints, how would you feel if the stake president announced that the closing hymn would be "Father! Lead Me Out of Darkness"'? Elder Widtsoe could then see the point of giving the hymn a positive title, with only the rearrangement of a few words. The new title, "Lead Me into Life Eternal" gave a much more positive message, and the hymn became a favorite.

#44 "Beautiful Zion, Built Above"

The author of this text was not LDS. This was a surprising fact to learn about this hymn. I had to chuckle at the line that reads, "He who was slain on Calvary opens those pearly gates to me." The reference to "pearly gates" should have been a clue to me that the author was not LDS. This is an easy hymn to play and has a nice tune. I don't have any special memories associated with it, but it is yet another hymn that is not widely sung in our sacrament meetings.

#43 "Zion Stands with Hills Surrounded"

It is interesting to note that the author of the text wasn't even a member of the LDS church, yet the words to this hymn are perfect! This hymn is familiar to me, but another one that is not widely sung in our sacrament meetings. It is amazing how many times I have been typing that lately!

#42 "Hail to the Brightness of Zion's Glad Morning!"

I like this hymn, but the tune always makes me think of a vocal warm-up because the first four notes are "do-mi-so-do". It's another hymn that just isn't sung much.

#41 "Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise"

This hymn was familiar to me, but I don't know where I'd sung it before. There is a footnote that it was included in the first LDS hymnbook in 1835. I like the tune from this hymn.

#40 "Arise, O Glorious Zion"

Our Oak Hills Ward choir sang this back in 1997. (I know this because I write in pencil in my personal hymnbook the dates of choir performances.) The original hymn had eight verses!

#39 "O Saints of Zion"

This is another new hymn to me. I must be in the "sealed portion" of the hymnbook because all these unfamiliar hymns seem to be clumped together. In researching this hymn, I found that the original title was "O Sons of Zion" in the 1948 edition of the hymnbook. Because of the title, it was thought to be a priesthood hymn, and was not utilized much. The 1985 hymnbook committee approved the title change to "O SAINTS of Zion". I know that it is a hymn that I have never sung in sacrament meeting before!

#38 "Come, All Ye Saints of Zion"

This was another new one to me. The footnote states that it was included in the first LDS hymnbook in 1835, but I don't believe it is sung much anymore. The tune was easy to play--Key of "C"!

#37 "The Wintry Day, Descending to Its Close"

This hymn is difficult to play and sing, but I love it! Our Oak Hills Ward Choir sang it with a violin and mandolin accompaniment for a Stake Choir Fireside. It sounded great! I love the haunting melody and the text by Orson F. Whitney. Great hymn!

#36 "They, the Builders of the Nation"

This is a hymn that we always sing around "Pioneer Day", but the text was actually referring to the founding fathers, and not the Mormon pioneers. I'll still put it on the program for July 24th!

#35 "For the Strength of the Hills"

I've always liked this song and mentally have associated it with "Pioneer Day". However, when reading about the origin of this hymn, that the "mountains" mentioned in the hymn refer to the mountains of Switzerland, not Utah! That means even more to me because my great-grandmother immigrated to the USA from Switzerland. This hymn was originally in the 1950 hymnbook as a choir hymn, and singing it in the Monterey Park Ward Choir is where I remember learning the alto line.

#34 "O Ye Mountains High"

A memory I have of this song is hearing Dad sing this song as he puttered around the garage one Saturday. I especially remember him singing the words "and the clear streamlets flow". It's another one of those hymns that isn't sung that often.

#33 "Our Mountain Home So Dear"

I like the tune and words to this hymn, but it is another of those hymns that isn't sung much in Sacrament Meeting in the wards I've attended. Maybe it is sung more in the mountain communities!

#32 "The Happy Day at Last Has Come"

This hymn was included in the first LDS hymnbook (1835) but is not familiar to me. I had a tough time with the timing when I played it. I don't think I've ever heard it sung in a sacrament meeting.