Church History

Cover image via Gospel Media Library.

Our ward’s Primary program was the Sunday before last. It reminded me of my favorite Primary song when I was Primary age—”In Our Lovely Deseret.” It is hymn 307 in our current hymnal. Eliza R. Snow wrote the text and George F. Root the music. Here’s the chorus:

Hark! Hark! Hark! ’tis children’s music—
Children’s voices, oh, how sweet (oh, how sweet),
When in innocence and love, like the angels up above,
They with happy hearts and cheerful faces meet (faces meet).

What I love about this song, besides the marching tempo and clever words, is the echo we sang at the end of lines two and four (in parenthesis above). In my adult memory, I can’t remember ever singing “In Our Lovely Deseret” in sacrament meeting, likely because it can get a little rowdy.

The first meeting of the Primary Association was August 25, 1878 in Farmington, Utah. Aurelia Spencer Rogers, a 44-year-old mother of 12, voiced concern about the boys in her neighborhood. “She felt strongly that something should be done about the behavior of the neighborhood boys who ran freely through the town day and night. She felt many of these children were not being taught basic principles and values and therefore would not be prepared in either knowledge or behavior to carry the gospel forward or even to be good parents or citizens” (https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/content/a-history-of-the-primary-organization?lang=eng).

Aurelia discussed her concerns with Eliza R. Snow, who was the Relief Society General President. Sister Snow spoke to President John Taylor, the prophet, and received his approval to organize the children. Sister Rogers then received the call from her bishop, John W. Hess.

Sister Rogers worked for weeks to spread the news. On the appointed day, 115 boys and 100 girls came. Sister Rogers had no visual aids, no published curriculum, and no assigned classes. What she did have was a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ, a loving and deep concern for children, and a love for music. The historical record says that she taught the children to participate “to speak little pieces, sing songs, to bear testimonies, hoping to counteract the evil influences on the street” (Conrad A. Harward, A History of the Growth and Development of the Primary Association of the LDS Church from 1878-1928,” BYU Masters Thesis, 1976, 40).

Music was an integral part of the meetings. Soon Sister Rogers formed a Primary chorus and a band with flutes, drums, piccolo, and a triangle that performed for the community. President Eliza R. Snow prepared a hymnbook for the children with 121 hymns or songs, of which she wrote nineteen. Like the first hymnal for the Church that Emma Smith compiled, there was no music, just the lyrics. The book was titled “Tune Book for the Primary Associations of the Children of Zion.”

In 2003, the Church Museum celebrated 125 years of Primary with an exhibit—”Primary Makes Me Happy.” As part of the display, visitors were given opportunity to vote for their three favorite Primary songs. The final results were:

1. I Am a Child of God
2. I Love to See the Temple
3. A Child’s Prayer
4. We’ll Bring the Word His Truth
5. Book of Mormon Stories
6. Popcorn Popping
7. I Belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
8. Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam
9. Love One Another
10. Latter-day Prophets

I read current favorite lists online, and “I Am a Child of God” is number one on every list.

If there were a “favorite” lists compiled during the first twenty years of Primary, number one would likely have been “In Our Lovely Deseret. The song was like a youth theme at a time when the Word of Wisdom was not yet thoroughly established as a Church practice. I remember singing it often in Primary and Mutual. The Word of Wisdom verse admonishes:

That the children may live long and be beautiful and strong,

Tea and coffee and tobacco they despise (they despise),

Drink no liquor, and they eat but a very little meat;

They are seeking to be great and good and wise (good and wise).

Another clear favorite did not emerge again until 1957 when “I Am a Child of God” was first sung. A little of the backstory. The Primary General Board was planning a global Primary program to be held in the Tabernacle on Temple Square. Naomi W. Randall who was a member of the Primary board was asked to write a song and Mildred T. Pettit was to compose the music. The women did not know each other.

Sister Randall shared how the inspiration came: “That evening, I got down on my knees and prayed aloud, pleading that our Heavenly Father would let me know the right words. Around 2:00 a.m. I awakened and began to think again about the song. Words came to my mind . . . I immediately got up and began to write the words down as they had come to me. Three verses and a chorus were soon formed. I gratefully surveyed the work—drank of the message of the words—and returned to my bedroom, where I knelt before my Father in Heaven to say, ‘Thank you!’

“The song was very well received… by President Spencer W. Kimball, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It was Elder Kimball, as he was known at the time, who famously requested that Randall change the phrase ‘Teach me all that I must know’ to ‘Teach me all that I must do.’ Randall was happy to make the edit, and later, when he was President of the Church, President Kimball was fond of saying, ‘Naomi Randall wrote most of the words, but I wrote one’” (https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/articles/i-am-a-child-of-god.html).

In the October 2023 General Conference four of nineteen songs sung are in the “Children’s Songbook”: “I Feel My Savior’s Love” (page 74); “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus” (page 78); “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus” (page 57); “Teach Me to Walk in the Light” (page 177 [also number 304 in the Hymnal).

Like everyone, I have favorite hymns. On one occasion, Richard and I were with two other couples. Someone made the suggestion that we sing each other’s favorite hymns. When it was my turn to choose, I said, “How Wondrous and Great.” One of the men said, “How could that be anyone’s favorite hymn?” I said, “I like the message and the alto part.”

In writing this article, I went to a blog wherein every hymn is evaluated 1-5, [5 being the highest] and every hymn is given a rank, one to 338. “How Wondrous and Great” was evaluated as a 2 and ranked 273, but I still love its message and harmony. However, judging by others responses to my favorite hymn, I think I need to be prepared for the possibility that it won’t make the cut for the next hymn book, but I do feel power in these words. (Incidentally, “In our Lovely Deseret” received a 1 rating and ranked 332 out of 338.)

1. How wondrous and great
   Thy works, God of praise!
   How just, King of Saints,
   And true are thy ways!
   Oh, who shall not fear thee
   And honor thy name?
   Thou only art holy,
   Thou only supreme.
2. To nations long dark
   Thy light shall be shown.
   Their worship and vows
   Shall come to thy throne.
   Thy truth and thy judgments
   Shall spread all abroad,
   Till earth’s ev’ry people
   Confess thee their God

(Text: Henry U. Onderdonk, 1789-1858; Music: Attr. to Johann Michael Haydn, 1737-1806).

Songwriter Sally DeFord asked those who come to her internet site to vote for their favorite hymns. Here are the recent results of general hymns and a second top-ten list of sacrament hymns. (By the way, Sister DeFord gives her wonderful music away for free.)

1. How Great Thou Art
2. The Spirit of God
3. Because I Have Been Give Much
4. Be Still My Soul
5. Lord, I Would Follow Thee
6. Where Can I Turn for Peace?
7. A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief
8. Press Forward, Saints
9. How Firm a Foundation
10. I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Favorite sacrament songs:

1.    I Stand All Amazed (received about 30% of the votes)
2.    As Now We Take the Sacrament
3.    In Humility, Our Savior
4.    There Is a Green Hill Far Away
5.    Reverently and Meekly Now
6.    How Great the Wisdom and the Love
7.    With Humble Heart
8.    Jesus, Once of Humble Birth
9.    We’ll Sing All Hail to Jesus’ Name
10. O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown

(https://defordmusic.com/the-results-are-in-favorite-lds-hymns/).

From a blog, I found a list of characteristics hymns “should” include. Hymns should be a form of worship, be doctrinally accurate, make you feel something, be interesting and instructive, be easy to understand, be applicable to a diverse, global church, be interrelated in tone and meter, be appropriate for Sacrament Meeting, and hymns should rhyme. (https://rileyashimself.blogspot.com/2018/11/hymnrank-part-v.html),

In the hymn analysis referred to above by Riley on his blog, he put the hymns in order 1-338, according to their merits, of course, according to his criteria. His top eleven hymns are:

11. Nearer My God to Thee
12. How Firm a Foundation
13. Silent Night
14. Redeemer of Israel
15. Be Still My Soul
16. Abide with Me (166)
17. Jesus the Very Thought of Thee
18. He is Risen
19. God Be with You ‘til We Meet Again
20. All Creatures of our God and King
21. How Great thou Art

A few years ago, my mother, two sisters, and I were singing favorite hymns. After we had sung several, we started to sing, “Come, Come ye Saints.” From another part of the house, my brother-in-law came into the room. His eyes filled with tears as he thanked us for singing his favorite hymn and bringing a powerful Spirit into the home.

In this season of Primary programs, we feel the Spirit as we listen to the children’s talks, testimonies, and songs that reinforce the principles of the gospel they are learning. Beautiful children and inspiring words set to sacred music are a combination we adults look forward to every year. Primary makes us happy.