{"id":46288,"date":"2024-01-04T09:12:25","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T16:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=46288"},"modified":"2024-01-04T10:26:56","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T17:26:56","slug":"hymnbook-watch-january-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2024\/01\/hymnbook-watch-january-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Hymnbook Watch: January 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;re getting closer to the new hymnbook\/songbook being released. I talked about some updates <a href=\"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2023\/08\/hymnal-watch-august-2023\/\">last August<\/a>, but there has been some other information that has come out since then.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org\/article\/sacred-hymnbook-to-help-unite-uplift-latter-day-saints-of-all-ages-worldwide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">big announcement<\/a> came in late September, right around general conference time. The key points from that article gave insight into what we can expect:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The new songbook will merge the hymnbook and children&#8217;s songbook into one volume of &#8220;450 to 500 hymns and children\u2019s songs&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Some new songs are planned to be released digitally in small digital batches starting in the first half of 2024&#8221;\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;These will include well-loved music of the Church composed after 1985 (such as \u201cFaith in Every Footstep\u201d), music borrowed from other faiths, and some of the 17,000 new songs submitted by members of the Church.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints currently plans to release \u201cHymns\u2014for Home and Church\u201d in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French by the end of 2026, with other languages to follow.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are some interesting updates. We will see some of the new music begin to arrive within the next six months and will see a finalized product in about two years.<\/p>\n<p>The merging of the children&#8217;s songbook and the hymnal into one volume is probably the most startling revelation in that news piece. And, to be honest, I love that idea. I love many of the Primary songs and I&#8217;ve wished that it was easier to use some of the children&#8217;s songs during sacrament meeting. While I know some people will feel like it&#8217;s some sort of &#8220;infantilizing&#8221; of our meetings, I think it can have some good benefits. At the same time, I also don&#8217;t expect the wiggle time music to be featured in sacrament meeting.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_45410\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45410\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-45410\" src=\"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Latter-day-Saint-Hymnbook-and-songbook-800x454.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Latter-day-Saint-Hymnbook-and-songbook-800x454.jpg 800w, https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Latter-day-Saint-Hymnbook-and-songbook-360x204.jpg 360w, https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Latter-day-Saint-Hymnbook-and-songbook-260x148.jpg 260w, https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Latter-day-Saint-Hymnbook-and-songbook-160x91.jpg 160w, https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Latter-day-Saint-Hymnbook-and-songbook.jpg 1201w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-45410\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Latter-day Saint hymnals and songbooks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another interesting update came a few weeks after the announcement. In November, the Church held their annual music festival. Early announcements about the program indicated that it would include &#8220;new hymnbook selections.&#8221; The <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org\/event\/church-music-festival-from-temple-square\">page for the event<\/a> now only says that the program highlights &#8220;new sacred Church music in various languages and styles and focusing on hymns and children\u2019s songs.&#8221; So it&#8217;s not entirely clear whether all music in the program will be included in the new hymnbook. But there were several songs included in the program that are not in the current English hymnbook:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amazing Grace<\/li>\n<li>Come, Thou Fount<\/li>\n<li>I&#8217;m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me<\/li>\n<li>Poor Wayfarin&#8217; Stranger<\/li>\n<li>This Little Light of Mine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Again, the change in wording makes me hesitate to say that all five songs will be in the forthcoming hymnal. But I suspect most of them will be.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>List of Possible Inclusions<\/h2>\n<p>At this point, between current and past announcements, the following songs have been mentioned as possible inclusions in the new hymnal:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Amazing Grace<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This one was mentioned in 2019 as one of the most-requested songs to add to the hymnal and was also performed in the November music festival. It was last included in our hymnal in the 1841 Nauvoo hymnbook compiled by Emma Smith. But it seems likely that this one will be in the new songbook.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Amazing Grace | The Tabernacle Choir\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/C2arm5ydeJc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Come, Thou Fount<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This one was mentioned in 2019 as the most highly requested song for the hymnal and was also performed in November. I think we can say with 99% certainty that this one will be in there. Also, if you want to dive deeper into this one, I did share a post about \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/archive.timesandseasons.org\/2019\/03\/come-thou-fount-of-every-blessing-throughout-the-restoration\/\">Come, Thou Fount<\/a>\u201d a while ago.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing | The Tabernacle Choir\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rfu-MgXTDcM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Faith in Every Footstep<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This one was originally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/music\/text\/other\/faith-in-every-footstep-ensign?lang=eng\">published for use in 1997<\/a> as part of the 150-year celebration of the Latter-day Saints arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. It was mentioned in the September announcement as being one of the popular songs written since 1985 that will be included in the digital releases this year. It was then performed by the Tabernacle Choir during the most recent general conference. This hymn, alongside \u201cCome, Thou Fount,\u201d is one that I\u2019ve heard reports that some wards have pasted the music into their hymn books in the pews and sung in sacrament meetings occasionally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Faith in Every Footstep | October 2023 General Conference\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BxlTUT4D1Dk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If the Savior Stood Beside Me<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This one was mentioned in 2019 as a highly-requested song to include in the new collection, so there is a good chance\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/zelophehadsdaughters.com\/2019\/05\/28\/two-songs-i-hope-dont-make-it-into-the-childrens-songbook\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ziff\u2019s hopes to the contrary<\/a>\u2014that it will be included.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"If the Savior Stood Beside Me\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3djC9_40fmU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>I&#8217;m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>I was not acquainted with this song before the November concert, but I liked it. It was also used last year in a Friend to Friend event. It\u2019s an exciting indication that Church leaders have finally moved on from being opposed to including African-American spirituals in our worship services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Musical Number: I\u2019m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kpj1irDZb_k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Poor Wayfarin&#8217; Stranger<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This one was performed in the November festival. It was previously included in the Latter-day Saint songbook <em>MIA: Let\u2019s Sing!<\/em>,<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a> and the Mack Wilberg arrangement was featured in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1xVw6PsSinI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration film<\/a> that used to show in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It originated as an American folk song sung in the Southern Mountains (with possible Irish roots) and gained greater visibility when Burl Ives sang it on his radio program in the 1940s.<a href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\"><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wayfaring Stranger | The Tabernacle Choir &amp; The Piano Guys\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LtgKoJ5hoZw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>This Little Light of Mine<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This was another selection from the November concert. This is actually one that I was hoping (and suggested) to have included in the children\u2019s songbook. It\u2019s a fun African-American song originally written for children that I came to love during my time in the local Presbyterian church\u2019s music ministry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"This Little Light of Mine | The Tabernacle Choir\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EK3VEPsfWo4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It will be interesting to see what we get with the full compilation, but for now, I\u2019m excited to see what they release with the digital music this year.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Footnotes:<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a> <em>MIA Let\u2019s Sing <\/em>(Salt Lake City: The General Board of the Mutual Improvement Association of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1962), 11.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\"><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/a> Richard Chase, <em>American Folk Tales and Songs<\/em> (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1956, 1971), 162\u2013163.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you to @HymnalWatch on X for pointing out the previous performance of &#8220;I&#8217;m Going to Live so God Can Use Me.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;re getting closer to the new hymnbook\/songbook being released. I talked about some updates last August, but there has been some other information that has come out since then.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10397,"featured_media":45410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2909],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hymns"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Latter-day-Saint-Hymnbook-and-songbook.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46288"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46291,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46288\/revisions\/46291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}