Other Online Resources
Hymns Research Guide
Brigham Young University Harold B. Lee Library’s Latter-day Saint Music Subject Guide
The BYU library’s subject guide for Latter-day Saint music contains a bevy of resources that include information about hymn arrangements, links to hymn databases, historical essays on the hymns, non-English hymn resources, and much more. It also houses a Latter-day Saint hymn arrangement database. It is currently curated by Myrna Layton, BYU’s performing arts librarian.
Of special interest to this research guide is the BYU library’s specific subject guides on hymns, old hymnals, and the Lost Hymns Project.
BYU’s Latter-day Saint music subject guide also has several helpful lists for researchers:
- Alphabetical hymn cross-reference between English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese
- Hymns not found in English but that appear in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German
- Kurt Kammeyer’s Latter-day Saint Hymn Database and a guide to the database
- Latter-day Saint Hymn Cross Reference by Page Number—A list of corresponding hymns in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German
- Music in the Children’s Friend from 1902 to 1970
From the website: “The following lists are hymns found in the current editions of LDS foreign language hymnals, but which cannot be found in the 1985 English hymnal.”
“History of Hymns,” Latter-day Saints Channel Podcast
From the website: “History of Hymns investigates the inception and evolution of the hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The episodes include the history and progression of both the music and the text and feature interesting stories surrounding the creators and others involved in the development of a hymn. Also included are stories surrounding the performance or inclusion of the hymn in a variety of settings.”
From the website: “Do you search for hymns and worship music for worship services? Are you researching a particular hymn? Looking for an arrangement or media file? If so, Hymnary.org is for you. Hymnary.org is an online hymn and worship music database for worship leaders, hymnologists, and amateur hymn lovers alike. At Hymnary.org you can search or browse hymns by title, tune, meter, key, scripture reference, and more.”
The Church History Library has provided Hymnary.org with an up-to-date count of the number of hymnals currently in the Church History Library archives.
A Mormon Bibliography: 1830–1930, edited by Chad J. Flake and Larry W. Draper
BYU has digitized Flake and Draper’s comprehensive bibliography, which contains information on all known Latter-day Saint hymnals before 1930.
Official Music Page for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church’s official music page provides lay members and researchers resources regarding hymns, such as a music library, as well as music the Church produces in other venues.
SingPraises.net is a massive database that seeks to collect hymns of the Church (and other related faiths) in one location. It is maintained by Samuel Bradshaw and is the most comprehensive database of hymns of the Church.
The Tabernacle Choir Blog—History of Hymns: The Complete Collection
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has compiled a list of all of their hymn history blog posts into one convenient webpage.
Church History Library Collections
To find collections in the Church History Catalog relating to music and hymns of the Church, perform a search for CR 108. To see the Church History Library’s vast collection of hymnals in all languages, perform a search for M285.2.
Below is a list of useful collections in the catalog relating to hymns:
The General Music Committee: a brief history, 1920–1995 (M285 G326 1995)
This document contains a brief history of the General Music Committee since its inception in 1920. It includes the process the committee used to determine how to create new hymnbooks.
Concerning music in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints / prepared by the General Music Committee. (M285 G3265c 1965)
This manual was created to outline the duties and responsibilities of stake and ward musicians. It contains suggestions to systematize the work of conductors and organists.
Karen L. Davidson interview: Salt Lake City, Utah, 1985 October 17 (OH 738)
Davidson served on the music committee during the creation of the 1985 hymnal. This collection includes her comments on her involvement in the preparation of the Latter-day Saint hymnal.
Bonnie J. Lauper Goodliffe interview: Salt Lake City, Utah, 1985 November (OH 743)
Lauper Goodliffe served on the music committee during the creation of the 1985 hymnal. She gives details about the work of the committee that produced the new Latter-day Saint hymnal.
Michael F. Moody interview: Salt Lake City, Utah, 2000 June 6 (OH 2325)
Discussion of Moody’s service as chairman of Church’s General Music Committee, focusing on his service from 1985 to 2000.
Collections about Non-English Hymns
Mormon Non-English Scriptures, Hymnals, & Periodicals, 1830–1986: a descriptive bibliography (M201 J17m 1994)
This bibliography contains a large collection of non-English hymnals up to 1986.
Hymn translation, circa 1912 (Danish) (LR 9332 29)
Contains hymn lyrics in Danish.
Mirielle H. Leuzinger interview: Zurich, Switzerland, 1991 September 29 (OH 1045)
Includes a discussion about the creation of a German choir book and hymnbook.
Andrei A. Lokshin interview: Moscow, Russia, 1995 May 16 (OH 1271)
Includes a discussion of his help in translating the hymns into Russian.
Vadim G. Malishkevich interview: Kiev, Ukraine, 1995 May 7 (OH 1255)
Includes a discussion of his help in translating the hymns in Ukrainian.
Robert A. Rees interview: Kaunas, Lithuania, 1996 May 28 (OH 1512)
Includes a discussion of Ruth Rees’s work to compile Latter-day Saint hymns translated into Lithuanian.
Daniela Kita interview: Tirana, Albania, 1996 May 9 (OH 1463)
Includes a discussion of Daniela’s work translating hymns into Albanian.
Anahit M. Sargsian interviews: Sandy, Utah, 1997 June–July (OH 1664)
Includes a discussion about Anahit’s work translating hymns into Armenian.
Salmesangen Jesus Kristi Kirke af Sidste Dages Hellige, 1850–2018: Historie og Opslagsværk / Jørn Holm Bendtsen. (M285 B459sDAN 2018)
Explores the history of hymns published in Denmark from 1850 to 2018.
John A. Dahl history of German hymnbooks, 1998 (MS 15475)
Brief history of the development of the Latter-day Saint German hymnbook.
El evangelio y los himnos / Humberto Meza Méndez. (M285 M617SPAm 2012)
A series of essays written in Spanish about the hymns of the Church with biographies about the people who produced them.
わが娘 聰子へ 天父からのメッセージ / Misawo Kishino. (M270.07 Y21kJPN 2013)
Biography picture book about Sister Toshiko Yanagita, who translated English hymns into Japanese.
Joseph T. and Annie W. Wilkinson papers, circa 1905, 1938–1939 (MS 22810)
Contains Joseph T. Wilkinson's handwritten Tahitian songbook from his mission in Tahiti from 1905 to 1908.