Mormon folk music is primarily composed of folk music which was sung by Mormon pioneers in present-day Utah from the mid-19th century through the early 20th century. A notable historical component of Utah music, the popularity of Mormon folk music declined along with traditional music nationally after the advent of music recording. However, the popularity of uniquely Mormon folk music had already begun its decline before the end of the 19th century. Mormon folk songs generally showcase pioneer-era Mormon unity and communal values.
In 1847 Brigham Young led the first company of Mormon pioneers into what became Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Great Basin area became steadily populated by Latter-day Saints. [1] : xv The traditional folk ballad played an important role in the lives of Mormon pioneers and early settlers. [2] Songs detail the life of saints from the organization of the church in New York in 1830, through life in Kirtland and Nauvoo, to the trip across the plains and life in the Salt Lake Valley. [3] Additionally, cultural and religious themes unique to the LDS Church in some songs made Mormon folk music distinct from larger folk music in the United States, and many songs herald church leaders and promote obedience to the church's teachings. [4] : 8, 33–35, 141
Songs typically had simple tunes, easy-to-recall lyrics, and broad enough appeal to be sung by contemporary Mormons. Mormon folk music mainly consisted of adaptations of popular songs, as well as of traditional folk songs from the United States and Europe. [5] : 120 Given that many early Mormon converts came from different countries and spoke different languages, music became a way of sharing and preserving one's cultural heritage, as well as a means of communication with others. [5] : 112 Historical Latter-day Saint attitudes and beliefs can generally be inferred from the types and lyrics of songs they sang.
During the first generation of pioneers, instruments were limited to violins, banjos, and guitars, and so many songs would have been sung with accompaniment from these instruments or were sung a capella. The first piano was brought to Utah in 1851, and piano arrangements of many popular folk songs were written. [5] : 64
Some songs recounted the difficult trip across the plains to Utah. [3] Like many other overland pioneers, most Mormons came west by ox or horse-driven carts, and some songs were shared between Mormon and non-Mormon pioneers. [6] The journey was difficult and often perilous, and tragedies occurred such as that of the Martin and Willie handcart companies. Handcart pioneers often sung songs on their strenuous trip to Utah in order to keep their spirits up, and such music played a large role in pioneer community life. [5] : 68, 109 Many of the songs that became popular during the journey to Utah reflect the belief held by the pioneers that they were the Lord's chosen people, and that this calling came with a responsibility to act accordingly [4] : 7
The songs sung by Mormon pioneers were similar to folk songs sung elsewhere. Folk music at the time typically had themes of love, courtship, and crime, along with the courage, lighthearted nature, and hopefulness of the pioneers. [7] : 7 Also conveyed in the music is the pioneers' love for their newfound mountain home, which allowed them to build a community safe from persecution. [4] : 4–5 [5] : 120 Members of the LDS Church today still sing a modified version of the "Handcart Song, set to the tune "The King of the Cannibal Islands." [8]
"Handcart Song" (chorus)
And some will push and some will pull
As we go marching up the hill,
So merrily on our way we go
Until we reach the valley-o!
The hardships of the pioneers continued upon their arrival in the West, and their first few years in the Great Basin were marked by crop failure, economic hardships, health challenges, fear and animosity towards the federal government, and the push for statehood. [1] : xv Many folk songs from this time reflect the continued struggle of the pioneers in Utah. [7] : 23 Other songs convey church teachings and values, such as prayer, familial love, Christian faith and brotherhood, the preaching of the gospel to others, revelation from God, and the joy of worship. [7] : 35 [4] : 8
Other Mormon folk songs recount historical events such as Utah's Black Hawk War, the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, [4] : 92–93 the Mormon Battalion, [4] : 35–36 the miracle of the gulls, [4] : 76–77 and even imprisonment for polygamy, which was fairly common for polygamist Mormons in the 1880s. These songs were sung both for entertainment and for relaying a shared cultural experience. Songs were also used as a means of storytelling and historical preservation, and many Mormon folk songs provide a surprisingly accurate account of historical events. [7] : iv [4] : 22
A few songs expressed the animosity of Mormons toward the United States federal government. [7] : 23 Utah had been denied statehood until 1896 on the basis of the political unity found amongst the people of the territory and of the continued practice of polygamy. [4] : 105 Many Utah residents at the time harbored negative feelings towards "Uncle Sam," a sentiment is especially evident in songs from around 1857 contemporary to the Utah War. An example is the "Doo Dah Mormon Song, set to the recognizable tune of Stephen Foster's "Camptown Races". [1] : xvii [4] : 84–86
"Doo Dah Mormon Song" (chorus)
Then let us be on hand
By Brigham Young to stand,
And if our enemies do appear,
We'll sweep them from the land.
Traditional songs in Utah were superseded by recorded and broadcast music early in the 20th century, following the trend of traditional music nationwide. However, the popularity of distinctively Mormon folk songs had already faded by this point. After Utah became a state in 1896 many Mormon folk songs—especially those expressing fear and animosity about the federal government—ceased to be prominent. [1] : xx
Latter-day Saints today still sing a handful of folk songs, such as the "Handcart Song". Often this is done in remembrance of Pioneer Day, the anniversary of the first Mormon pioneers' arrival in Utah, and such songs serve as a tie to the past. [4] : 15–16 In 1982, Brigham Young University established the Folk Music Ensemble, which was still performing as of 2021. [9] [10]
During the folk boom of the 1950s-70s, a number of artists made recordings of Mormon folk songs. Perhaps the best known of these was Rosalie Sorrels, who devoted an entire LP to the subject. [11] The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has also performed various Mormon folk songs, including a 2009 album of "American folk hymns and spirituals." [12] [13] Several Utah-based folk groups, including the Three D's, [14] the Deseret String Band, [15] the Beehive Band, [16] and Otter Creek [17] have performed traditional Mormon folk songs as part of their repertoire.
The Mormon Trail is the 1,300-mile (2,100 km) long route from Illinois to Utah on which Mormon pioneers traveled from 1846–47. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails System, known as the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail.
Pioneer Day is an official holiday celebrated on July 24 in the American state of Utah, with some celebrations taking place in regions of surrounding states originally settled by Mormon pioneers. It commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, where the Latter-day Saints settled after being forced from Nauvoo, Illinois, and other locations in the eastern United States. Parades, fireworks, rodeos, and other festivities help commemorate the event. Similar to July 4, many local and all state-run government offices and many businesses are closed on Pioneer Day.
Music has had a long history in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from the days in Kirtland, Nauvoo, and the settlement of the West, to the present day. In the early days of the Church, stripped-down Latter-Day Saint folk music, which could be sung without accompaniment due to the lack of instruments in Utah, was popular. In the 19th century, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was created and began touring, while musicians began writing devotional and praise music with a Latter-Day Saint influence, paralleling the success of Christian Contemporary Music. Several organizations have existed and do exist to promote these artists, such as Deseret Book and the now-defunct Faith-centered Music Association. Starting in the late 20th century and to the present day, Latter-Day Saints have been increasingly involved in modern popular music in America and elsewhere in the World.
Hymns are an important part of the history and worship of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Merrill Boyd Jenson is an American composer and arranger who has composed film scores for over thirty films including Emma Smith: My Story, Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration, The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd, Legacy, Harry's War, and Windwalker. Many of the films Jenson composed music for were directed by Academy Award-winning director Kieth Merrill. Jenson has also composed several concert productions including a symphony that premiered at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he has composed music for many television commercials including the acclaimed Homefront ads, music for three outdoor pageants, and several albums. Jenson lives in Provo, Utah with his wife Betsy Lee Jenson.
Rosalie Sorrels was an American folk singer-songwriter. She began her public career as a singer and collector of traditional folksongs in the late 1950s. During the early 1960s she left her husband and began traveling and performing at music festivals and clubs throughout the United States. She and her five children traveled across the country as she worked to support her family and establish herself as a performer. Along the way she made many lifelong friends among the folk and beat scene. Her career of social activism, storytelling, teaching, learning, songwriting, collecting folk songs, performing, and recording spanned six decades.
Evan Stephens was a Latter-day Saint composer and hymn writer. He was also the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for 26 years (1890–1916).
"Come, Come, Ye Saints" is one of the best-known Latter-day Saint hymns. The lyrics were written in 1846 by Mormon poet William Clayton. The hymn has been called the anthem of the nineteenth-century Mormon pioneers and "the landmark Mormon anthem."
Emily Hill Woodmansee was an English-born American Mormon poet and hymnwriter. Although only one of her hymns "As Sisters In Zion" is included in the 1985 LDS English language edition of the LDS Church's hymnbook, previous LDS Church hymnbooks have included more of her works.
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Ebenezer Beesley was a Latter-day Saint hymn writer and composer. The music for twelve of the hymns in the 1985 English-language hymnal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were written by him.
Cyrus Hubbard Wheelock was an early missionary and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He wrote the words to the Latter-day Saint hymn "Ye Elders of Israel".
John Parry Sr. was an early Welsh convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was the first musical conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Susan Evans McCloud is an American novelist, author, poet, hymnwriter, and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
John Daniel Thompson McAllister was a 19th-century regional leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Joseph John Daynes was the first organist at the Salt Lake Tabernacle and for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Daynes was born in Norwich, England, to John Daynes and Eliza Miller. The Daynes family later joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and then immigrated to Utah Territory in 1862.
Robert Milton Cundick Sr. was a Latter-day Saint composer. Cundick's interest in music started at a young age, and he studied under Mormon Tabernacle organist Alexander Schreiner and later under Leroy J. Robertson. He also served for many years as an organist at the Salt Lake Tabernacle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This included accompanying the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and playing organ solos on the weekly broadcast, Music & the Spoken Word. Cundick served in World War II and enrolled at the University of Utah where he received his BFA, MFA, and PhD. He joined the music faculty at Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1957 but his work there was interrupted due to various callings by LDS Church leaders. After his retirement, Cundick continued to contribute to music in the LDS Church. In his personal life, he married his organ student Charlotte Clark while he was a student at the University of Utah. He died in 2016 at the age of 89.
The Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters is a museum and visitors' center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in the Florence neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. The museum interprets the story of the Mormon Trail along with the history of a temporary Mormon settlement known as Winter Quarters, which was located in the Florence area between 1846–1848.
