#7 "Israel, Israel, God Is Calling"

This hymn always makes me think of the words to what most other Christian denominations sing with this tune: "What a Friend We Have in Jesus". I like that the message is now "Come to Zion, come to Zion."

#6 "Redeemer of Israel"

This is another one of my favorite hymns to sing. My favorite memory is singing this anthem with the "Southern California Mormon Choir". It is typically our opening number. We sing the version by Mack Wilberg, director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The Southern California Mormon Choir doesn't have an orchestra to accompany us, but our two organists play a 4-hand arrangement that is pretty awesome!

#5 "High on the Mountain Top"

This has always been one of my favorite hymns to sing. I really like the alto line--especially when we sing two beats behind the melody line on "In Deseret's sweet, peaceful land...".

#4 "Truth Eternal"

This short hymn speaks of the eternal nature of truth. Truth will liberate, enlighten, and save us. Verse three begins: "Truth shall triumph as the light/Chases far the misty night." This hymn was fairly new to me. I don't recall any special memories associated with it.

#3 "Now Let Us Rejoice"

My favorite memory of singing this song was when I was the Hesperia Stake Choir Director and it was going to be my last time conducting the stake choir because I had been released from that calling. I used the version of this hymn from "The Choirbook" that includes a soprano descant for the third verse. I recorded it and was amazed how wonderful it sounded. In fact, several congregation members came up to me after the conference and told me they "heard angels singing" on the last verse.

#2 "The Spirit of God"

"We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven, Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!"
As a child, I always enjoyed singing this phrase with lots of energy. I remember singing this is the 1972 "Los Angeles Regional Music Festival" when I was in high school. I also remember this being my favorite song to choose to sing for early-morning seminary. As an adult, attending the "Redlands Temple" Dedication (at the Hesperia Stake Center, via satellite) and singing this is part of the service. This hymn will always be one of my favorites.

#1 "The Morning Breaks"

Today is the first day of my "2012 Hymn Challenge" where I have made a goal to play and sing a new hymn each day. The first song in the hymn book is "The Morning Breaks". I remember growing up in the Monterey Park Ward (East Los Angeles Stake) and back then, this hymn was listed in the "Choir" section. I sang with our ward's choir as a teenager and I loved the part where the men sing "The dawning of a brighter day" in their rich bass and tenor voices, and then the sopranos and altos echo that line in their range. What a perfect hymn to begin this new year!