Comments on: “The Mountains Shout”: Evan Stephens and the Recording of Mormon Hymns

By: BHodges

BHodges — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:20:44 +0000

Great post, Ardis, You did all the legwork.

http://www.faithpromotingrumor.com/2011/05/mormons-in-the-national-jukebox/

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:28:42 +0000

That would make a fascinating presentation, Maurine. Sometimes our Relief Society music leader has us do fun things, like sing familiar words to familiar tunes, but not the tunes that we usually associate with a particular text. Or she’ll bring in some hymn that was submitted for the last hymnbook that is really, really nice but which didn’t fit for some reason. I’m going to suggest your idea to her.

By: Maurine

Maurine — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:14:21 +0000

Personally, I like “O My Father” set to the tune of “Gentle Annie,” which is the tune that Brigham Young liked so much. I have had this sung in sacrament meeting along with some of the other tune arrangements that were popular at some time or other.

By: Ardis Parshall

Ardis Parshall — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:18:00 +0000

Justin, thanks for the link — the whole article was interesting to me. Also, I had planned a post about the 1909 pamphlet; this article referred to another one in the same BYU Studies issue specifically about that pamphlet, so now I need to decide whether to run mine.

By: Justin

Justin — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:18:47 +0000

Re the use of the McGranahan melody, Michael Hicks' article for BYU Studies on the musical settings of "O My Father" suggests that Stephens became unhappy with the use of the tune and even argued that the Victor recording of it would constitute a copyright violation (p. 51).

By: Bored in Vernal

Bored in Vernal — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 01:48:26 +0000

I could pick out every word, we sang that hymn with one of my ward choirs. It sounded more “Protestant” somehow than our rendition. I think it has something to do with the tenor voice that comes through loud and clear on their recording, but alas, not in our ward choir.

Thank you for this tribute to Evan Stephens–we need more like him in Church music!

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:45:12 +0000

Kaimi, the McGranahan melody was first performed as a solo at the 1893 dedication of the Salt Lake Temple, by Tabernacle Choir member Robert Easton. I don’t know when it became general among Church members — I do know that when the poem was published as a missionary tract in 1909, McGranahan didn’t even merit a mention, although the tract included McG’s sheet music “as sung by Robert Easton.” The cover of the tract has portraits of Eliza Snow, Robert Easton, and John Hafen (who illustrated it). Poor robbed McGranahan!

Thanks, Mark. I should have thought to include the words, because of course that *would* make the recordings more intelligible. And my ward may be especially draggy because it seems to take eons to get through.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:22:58 +0000

Ardis,

The recording of Let the Mountains Shout is too scratchy for my tired old ears. But I’ve seen the hymn, set to the same music as is recorded here. It may be in the Choirbook.

Aha, it is. Music and words by Evan Stephens.

Let the mountains shout for joy!
Let the valleys sing,
Let the valleys sing,
and the hills rejoice,
the hills rejoice,
Let them all break forth into song;
Let them shout and sing,
and be glad before the Lord
Let them shout, let them sing,
and be glad before the Lord.

fine

For the wilderness has blossomed, blossomed like a rose
and the barren desert is a fruitful field;
joy and gladness now are found there
in thanksgiving and the voice of melody, thansgiving and the voice of melody
thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
Let the mountains shout for joy!
Let the mountains shout for joy!

da capo al fine

With the words before one, picking the words from the recording becomes easier.

I would differ with one of your comments Ardis: The Oh My Father, is, in my opinion, a little down tempo. And, one wonders what they thought when they sang: “Father, Mother may I meet you in your royal courts on high” (although since only two verses were recorded, maybe they didn’t learn the “In the heav’ns are parents single . . .” verse, and they just figured E R Snow was being sentimental about meeting mom and dad again).

By: Kaimi

Kaimi — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:59:58 +0000

Beautiful, Ardis.

I’m quite surprised at the tune for O My Father. I didn’t know that the McGranahan melody was in use at that time.

It’s not the melody used in the 1927 hymnal (or the 1948). The 1927 uses an absolutely gorgeous melody written by — Evan Stephens.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:08:35 +0000

Huh. I’m thinkin’ it would be a lot of fun to hear the Choir do a concert of that sentimental music they did so much of a hundred years ago.

Mark, can you make out the words on the recordings I linked to, or are there too many little pitchers with big ears where you are? (Personally, if I hear one more cell phone go off in the library today, I’m going to play these scratchy old recordings as loud as my computer will play.)