Music

The LDS hymnbook contains 341 hymns, most of them known and cherished by members of the Church. So why would we want another hymn?

This is analogous to the general conferences of the Church. One might think that everything good and wonderful that can be said has already been said from the conference pulpit. But the Church continues to hold general conferences.

The very existence of conference illustrates our continuing need for instruction and edification. Equally pertinent, however, conference confirms wonderfully that there is no end to setting forth gospel truths in fresh and inspiring ways. Likewise, there will be no end to creating sacred new music that is pertinent to the times and edifies the Latter-day Saints.

I wrote the words to a hymn, “When Christ Returns” – a hymn that was meant to be especially relevant to our latter-day times. Its text describes the important events and doctrines pertaining to Christ’s second coming and subsequent millennial reign.

Courtesy of Jackman Music Corporation, Orem Utah ( www.jackmanmusic.com ).

The hymn’s special relevance to our times lies in the fact that the fundamental perspective of many Church members has changed discernibly in recent years. We have progressed from looking back on the Church’s pioneer beginnings and the development of its worldwide foundation, to looking forward to the Lord’s coming, to the preparations necessary for it, and upon the rapid onset of the latter-day conditions that will precipitate it.

The hymn text thus reads:

Why did I feel to create a new millennial hymn? It’s because we find ourselves in latter-day times and circumstances that make the events and purposes of Christ’s coming and the work of the millennium increasingly poignant and relevant.

The escalating circumstances of the latter days and Christ’s eventual coming are increasingly on the minds of many Latter-day Saints. We have a growing sense, as we warn the nations, gather in the scattered remnants of Israel, and invite all men to come unto Christ, that we are preparing for the Lord’s second coming.

The conclusion of the prior thousand year period in the year 2000, and mankind’s entry into the 7th thousand years of earth mortality were significant – and sobering – to many. No one knows when Christ will return; His second coming may be many many years off. But rapidly changing world conditions that reflect prophecy are turning Latter-day Saints’ minds to that culminating mortal event more than before. It thus seemed fitting for there to be a hymn that specifically addresses the prophesied millennial events and purposes.

The Hymn’s Unusual Origin

In September of 1995, our second son, Scott, married a wonderful English girl, Helen Moreton, in the London Temple . At the church wedding (in England , a civil ceremony must by law precede the temple sealing), a famous English anthem, ” Jerusalem ,” was grandly played and resoundingly sung. As Americans, we had not known this remarkable hymn – one that the English often sing with great emotion instead of their national anthem.

The Moretons gave us the music before the wedding and asked us to become familiar with it. That it was of great interest – and surprise – to us, is to say the least. The text – the unusual poem by William Blake (written ca. 1820) – which for many decades could be recited by any English schoolchild, reads as follows:

The phrase “chariot of fire” was the basis for the title of the 1981 movie, Chariots of Fire . The anthem’s melody was used as the movie’s theme song.

Jesus in England?

Jesus’ feet walking in ancient times on England ‘s mountains green?

The holy Lamb of God on England ‘s pastures seen?

The countenance divine upon its clouded hills?

Briefly stated, much has been written about the enduring legends in southwestern England that say that Jesus was the nephew of Joseph of Arimathea. According to legends, Joseph of Arimathea became Jesus’ guardian after the early death of Joseph, the husband of Jesus’ mother, Mary.

The stories continued that this Joseph of Arimathea, whom Roman history acknowledges to have held the license for the tin export trade from the mines of Cornwall in southwestern England , took the boy Jesus with him on business to England on several occasions. (See Whence Came They? by Vaughn E. Hansen, pages, 92-93, published by Cedar Fort, Inc., copyright 1993.)

A prominent historian wrote: “You can neither create nor destroy a legend.” I personally choose neither to believe nor to disbelieve legendary history of this kind, but the legends are nevertheless the source of this beautiful piece of music.

The LDS Hymn Text

Back to Scott and Helen’s wedding. I was much moved by the rousing singing of the “Jerusalem” anthem at the conclusion of their civil marriage ceremony, and I began to feel that such great hymn music deserved a Latter-day Saint text – a millennial text!

It required many months of effort – and of support and encouragement from my friend Michael Moody, then chairman of the Church General Music Committee – to complete the text to my satisfaction. (I’m not a poet. But my dear wife, Sandy , is, and she, in the end, helped with several instances of rhyming and musical phrasing.)

My original intent had thus been to use the magnificent Sir Edward Elgar musical setting of the ” Jerusalem ” anthem. But Craig Jessop, conductor of the Tabernacle Choir and a former British missionary, wisely advised that the Jerusalem anthem is of such unique significance to the people of England that I ought not to apply my text to that melody. It was good counsel.

Finding a Composer

So I had to find other music – or create new music. Being a resolute do-it-yourselfer, I first tried to compose a worthy melody for the text. I’d sit at the piano plunking out tunes. But in time I had to concede that it wasn’t in me. (I’ve secretly wished to have have been a Beethoven.) So what to do?

We’re blessed today with many fine musicians, arrangers, and composers in the Church. Ralph B. (Chip) Woodward is one of them. Getting to know Chip is also an interesting story.

The Dutch Connection

As a missionary in The Hague , Holland , in 1962, my companion and I rang at the door of Mevrouw (Mrs.) Juul Jacobs. She, and other members of her extended family, joined the Church. Today, her daughter Margaret works for Church Translation in Salt Lake City .

When my family and I returned in 1985 from presiding over the mission in The Netherlands and Belgium , we learned that Margaret had become the manager of Chip Woodward’s excellent Salt Lake Children’s Choir. Our children got into the Choir, Sandy did volunteer work for it, and we became good friends with Chip, its outstanding founder and conductor.

After again consulting with Michael Moody, I asked Chip, who composes and arranges for his children’s choir, to compose the music for the Millennium Hymn. (Millennium Hymn is my original title for the piece; the publisher subsequently gave it its principal title, When Christ Returns). Chip is very modest, and he wouldn’t at first be persuaded to compose the music. But after reading the hymn text he went home and set right to work on it. The result was wonderful. His arrangement of the melody for choir and piano was completed in the fall of 2006.

Finding a Publisher

I had included the Millennium Hymn’s text at the beginning of the book I recently wrote, Mine Elect Hear My Voice: The Gathering of Israel. That helped in introducing the hymn and giving it a measure of legitimacy.

One doesn’t do better in having LDS print-music published than for Jackman Music Corporation in Orem , Utah , to do so. Chip Woodward was acquainted with Jerry Jackman, its very committed and spiritually sensitive president. Chip took a copy of my book and of the “Millennium Hymn” to Jerry by way of introduction. Several months later, having come from my Church assignment in Moscow to Salt Lake for general conference, I met with Jerry, who, after learning of the hymn’s origin and purpose, agreed to publish it. The hymn, in sheet music form, is now being distributed by Jackman Music.

Looking Back

Did I succeed in composing music for the hymn text? No, but I enlisted Chip. Did I know the right publisher? No, but Chip did. What I had was a vision of the project, a lot of perseverance, a heavy dose of good fortune, and the generous assistance of good people. With all of that, the desire for a new millennial hymn that was spawned in 1995 bore fruit in 2007.

I would be pleased if “When Christ Returns, Millennium Hymn,” is enjoyed and appreciated by some or many Latter-day Saints. The hymn resonates deeply within me with regard to the marvelous prophecies and doctrines concerning Christ’s return and his promised millennial dispensation of peace and progress.