{"id":53529,"date":"2026-05-08T03:17:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T09:17:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=53529"},"modified":"2026-05-07T17:35:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T23:35:16","slug":"a-review-legends-of-deseret-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2026\/05\/a-review-legends-of-deseret-album\/","title":{"rendered":"A Review: Legends of Deseret Album"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-66\" data-path-to-node=\"0\"><span data-path-to-node=\"0,2\"><span class=\"citation-185\">For the nineteenth-century Latter-day Saints, music was not merely a leisure activity; it was a spiritual and social technology used to raise the spirits of a people in an arid, isolated, and challenging landscape<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"0,4\">. <\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"0,6\"><span class=\"citation-184\">In a remarkable new recording project titled <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tantararecords.lnk.to\/q4B4Q2EM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"citation-184\">&#8220;Legends of Deseret: A Collection of Rescued Pioneer Music,&#8221;<\/span><\/a><span class=\"citation-184\"> published by Tantara Records, BYU Trumpet professor Randy Lee brings a forgotten chapter of this musical heritage to vibrant life<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"0,8\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tantararecords.lnk.to\/q4B4Q2EM\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-53530 \" src=\"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/legends-of-deseret-randy-lee.jpg\" alt=\"Album cover of Legends of Deseret: A Collection of Rescued Pioneer Music, published by Tantara Records, BYU Trumpet professor Randy Lee.\" width=\"310\" height=\"306\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-67\" data-path-to-node=\"1\"><span data-path-to-node=\"1,0\">As someone who has spent considerable time &#8220;geeking out&#8221; over the history of Latter-day Saint artistic culture, I found this album to be a fantastic project and historical resource. <\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"1,2\"><span class=\"citation-183\">Lee has done the gritty archival work that historians dream of, uncovering original 19th-century manuscripts in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP) museum and the Church History Library and bringing them to life on the stage<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"1,4\">. The result is a sonic bridge that spans nearly 175 years. And I found the music itself to be genuinely enjoyable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"2\">Rescuing the Masters: Thomas and Careless<\/h3>\n<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-68\" data-path-to-node=\"3\"><span data-path-to-node=\"3,1\"><span class=\"citation-182\">The project highlights the work of two English-born converts who served as the architectural anchors of early Utah music: <\/span><span class=\"citation-182\">Charles John &#8220;CJ&#8221; Thomas<\/span><span class=\"citation-182\"> (1832\u20131919) and <\/span><span class=\"citation-182\">George Careless<\/span><span class=\"citation-182\"> (1839\u20131932)<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"3,3\">. <\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"3,5\"><span class=\"citation-181\">Both men were classically trained in London before gathering to Utah, bringing with them a professional polish that Brigham Young was eager to utilize<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"3,7\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-69\" data-path-to-node=\"4\"><span data-path-to-node=\"4,1\"><span class=\"citation-180\">The music Lee has rescued is primarily in the style of late nineteenth-century European dance music\u2014polkas, quadrilles, and redowas\u2014reflecting the sophisticated ballroom culture these men left behind in Victorian England<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"4,3\">. Some of my favorites included:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"5\">\n<li>\n<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-70\" data-path-to-node=\"5,0,1\"><span data-path-to-node=\"5,0,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"5,0,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-179\">&#8220;The Geranium Polka&#8221; (1851):<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-179\"> One of Thomas\u2019s early London hits, this orchestral piece harkens back to elegant balls and dapper gentlemen<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"5,0,1,2\">. <\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"5,0,1,4\"><span class=\"citation-178\">Its prominent cornet role and triple-tonguing are handled masterfully by Lee and the BYU Philharmonic<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"5,0,1,6\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-71\" data-path-to-node=\"5,1,1\"><span data-path-to-node=\"5,1,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"5,1,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-177\">&#8220;Violette&#8221;:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-177\"> A charming, handwritten manuscript of Thomas&#8217; music found in the DUP museum, this piece showcases a rare instrumentation (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and cornet) that feels like an intimate glimpse into a long-lost stage production<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"5,1,1,2\">. (I also felt like this is the type of music that Walt Disney was using for nostalgia on Main Street Disneyland.)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-72\" data-path-to-node=\"5,2,1\"><span data-path-to-node=\"5,2,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"5,2,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-176\">&#8220;La Mandolina&#8221;, Spanish Dance:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-176\"> A catchy fandango in three that Thomas likely arranged from a popular tune of the day, featuring delightful compositional embellishments<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"5,2,1,2\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"6\">The Capstone March and Temple Square<\/h3>\n<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-73\" data-path-to-node=\"7\"><span data-path-to-node=\"7,1\"><span class=\"citation-175\">The album&#8217;s undisputed historical highlight is <\/span><span class=\"citation-175\">&#8220;The Capstone March&#8221; (1892)<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"7,3\">. <\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"7,5\"><span class=\"citation-174\">Dedicated to the First Presidency by C.J. Thomas, this march was performed by John Held\u2019s Military Band during the legendary Salt Lake Temple capstone ceremony before an audience of some 40,000 people<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"7,7\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-74\" data-path-to-node=\"8\"><span data-path-to-node=\"8,1\"><span class=\"citation-173\">Intriguingly, the score was reportedly deposited inside the temple capstone itself\u2014the very ball upon which the Angel Moroni stands<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"8,3\">. <\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"8,5\"><span class=\"citation-172\">When the capstone was opened in 2020 for renovations, many artifacts were found damaged; fortunately, Lee was able to utilize a surviving score from the Thomas collection in the DUP to record this version with the BYU Wind Symphony<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"8,7\">. With the Salt Lake City Temple&#8217;s open house approaching this next year, this track feels especially significant as a tangible connection to the building&#8217;s original dedication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"9\">A Note on &#8220;Faith in Every Footstep&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-75\" data-path-to-node=\"10\"><span data-path-to-node=\"10,1\"><span class=\"citation-171\">From a strictly historical perspective, I question the inclusion of <\/span><span class=\"citation-171\">&#8220;With Faith in Every Footstep.&#8221;<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"10,5\"><span class=\"citation-170\"> K. Newell Dayley wrote this piece in 1997 for the sesquicentennial celebration of the Saints&#8217; arrival in the Salt Lake Valley<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"10,7\">. <\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"10,9\"><span class=\"citation-169\">While it is a modern anachronism on an album otherwise dedicated to &#8220;rescued&#8221; 19th-century works, the 2025 arrangement is a lovely tribute to the legacy of the composers featured elsewhere on the disc<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"10,11\">. Latter-day Saints will enjoy this performance of a hymn that was recently added to their hymnal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"11\">Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p id=\"p-rc_882b430c24064f36-76\" data-path-to-node=\"12\"><span data-path-to-node=\"12,0\">Lee\u2019s project is a masterclass in how to combine academic research with artistic performance. (Frankly, I am jealous and would love to be able to do a project like this.) <\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"12,2\"><span class=\"citation-168\">By recording these works with BYU ensembles, he has ensured that this music is no longer just a series of &#8220;silent&#8221; notes in a museum box<\/span><\/span><span data-path-to-node=\"12,4\">. It is a joyful, toe-tapping reminder that the pioneers were a people of profound culture and skill. For anyone interested in the lived experience of early Utah, <a href=\"https:\/\/tantararecords.lnk.to\/q4B4Q2EM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i data-path-to-node=\"12,4\" data-index-in-node=\"163\">Legends of Deseret<\/i><\/a> is an essential listen.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the nineteenth-century Latter-day Saints, music was not merely a leisure activity; it was a spiritual and social technology used to raise the spirits of a people in an arid, isolated, and challenging landscape. In a remarkable new recording project titled &#8220;Legends of Deseret: A Collection of Rescued Pioneer Music,&#8221; published by Tantara Records, BYU Trumpet professor Randy Lee brings a forgotten chapter of this musical heritage to vibrant life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10397,"featured_media":53530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-music-and-poetry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/legends-of-deseret-randy-lee.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53529","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=53529"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53535,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53529\/revisions\/53535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}