Miles Murphy
Hyfrydol (Hymn 172)
In humility, our Savior,
Grant thy Spirit here, we pray,
As we bless the bread and water
In thy name this holy day.
Let me not forget, O Savior,
Thou didst bleed and die for me
When thy heart was stilled and broken
On the cross at Calvary.
Audio: Hymn #172
from LDS.org
Audio: Prelude on Hyfrydol,
Vaughan Williams
“It is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation
of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now
beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and
perfect union, and welding together of dispensations,
and keys, and powers, and glories should take place,
and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the
doonly
we this,
hearbut
in those
the things which
presentNow,
time. what
And not
never have
been
revealed
from the
foundation of the
gospel
which
we have
received?”
world, but have been kept
hid fromSmith
the wise
--Joseph
1842and
prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in
this, the dispensation of the fulness of times. Now,
what do we hear in the gospel which we have
received?”
--Joseph Smith 1842
“And being thus overcome with the Spirit, [Lehi] was carried away in a
vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God
sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of
angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.”
1 Nephi 1:8
“Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the
fire, as thou [Israel] hast heard, and live? Unto thee it was shewed, that
thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside
him. Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might
instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou
heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.”
Deuteronomy 4: 33, 35, 36
“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one
that is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8
“Elder Bruce R. McConkie referred to music as
the ‘language of the Gods.’ I am a witness to
that principle. I have been blessed on many
occasions to know of His existence and power
through the performance of, or listening to,
divinely inspired music. God’s voice is heard in
music through a form of personal revelation, or
the whisperings of the Spirit. Therein lies the
power!”
Michael Ballam
“Behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost;
yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the
Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the
tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy
One of Israel.”
2 Nephi 31:13
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, and have not charity, I am become as
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”
1st Corinthians 13:1
“And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and
the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they
loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their
souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. And
I say unto you that they are saved.
“And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye
have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt
to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye
feel so now? …
“Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he
loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to
sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of
his word which is in us, therefore have we not great
reason to rejoice?”
Alma 5: 9, 26; 26:13
“A man can get nearer to God
by music than any other
method except prayer.”
J. Reuben Clark
“The four beasts and four and twenty elders fell
down before the Lamb, having every one of them
harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are
the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song,
saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to
open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and
nation; And hast made us unto our God kings
and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
Revelation 5: 8-10
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a
sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there
was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came
to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into
heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now
go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is
come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto
us.”
Luke 2: 11-15
“The powers from which all truly
great composers like Mozart,
Schubert, Bach and Beethoven
drew their inspiration is the same
power that enabled Jesus to work
his miracles. It is the power that
created our earth and the whole
universe.”
Johannes Brahms
“I did think I did see all Heaven
before me, and the Great God
Himself.”
Georg Frideric Handel
“Music, then, is more than an art, which is
important enough in itself. It is also bright, new,
incontrovertible evidence that God lives, that the
prophets were divinely inspired, and that
[Scripture] is as relevant today as it ever was.
…The harmonic chart and history of music cannot
be accidental. They indicate the existence of a
plan.”
Albert Roustit
“The Lord was flooding the earth with light and
knowledge, not only at the Hill Cumorah, but in
science, literature, and music.”
Michael Ballam
Timeline
1700
1830
1960
Israel in Egypt (Handel)
Solomon (Handel)
Joshua (Handel)
Esther (Handel)
Samson (Handel & Saint-Saens)
St. Paul (Mendelssohn)
Elijah (Mendelssohn)
St. Matthew Passion (Bach)
St. John Passion (Bach)
The Holy City (Vaughan Williams)
Job (Vaughan Williams)
The Apostles (Elgar)
The Kingdom (Elgar)
The Resurrection (Mahler & Roussel)
The Beatitudes (Franck)
The Burning Fiery Furnace (Britten)
The Prodigal Son (Britten & Prokofiev)
The Creation (Haydn)
Christ on the Mount of Olives
(Beethoven)
Ruth (Berkeley)
The Annunciation (Branufels)
Abraham & Isaac (Britten)
The Body of Christ (Buxtehude)
The Fall of Adam (Galluppi)
King David (Honegger)
Belshazzar’s Feast (Walton)
Golgotha (Martin)
The Transfiguration (Messiaen)
St. Luke Passion (Penderecki)
Jacob’s Ladder (Schoenberg)
Moses and Aaron (Schoenberg)
Lazarus (Schubert)
The Flood (Stravinsky)
St. Mark Passion (Telemann)
The Childhood of Christ (Berlioz)
Salome (R. Strauss)
The Pilgrim’s Progress (Vaughan
Williams)
Intimations of Immortality (Finzi)
The Hymn of Jesus (Holst)
Countless Settings of the Psalms
Timeline
1700
1805
1820 1830
1960
Beethoven’s Third symphony is
“an authentic watershed work,
one that marks a turning-point in
the history of modern music.
Nothing prepares one for the
scope, the almost bewildering
originality and the technical
certainty manifest in this
symphony.”
New Grove Dictionary
“Whenever a creator creates, it is
something that has never been done
before…We are launched into a daring
enterprise of fearful commitment. The
creative moment is entirely one’s own,
or it is not creative; one must find
oneself in a new and unprecedented
situation and all alone, with nothing to
sustain one but faith”
Hugh Nibley, “But what kind of work,” in Approaching
Zion, p.278
“Ah, how could I possibly have referred to the weakening of
a sense which ought to be more perfectly developed in me
than in other people… For me there can me no relaxation
in human society, refined conversations and mutual
confidences. I must be entirely alone…Such [has] brought
me close to despair, and I came near to ending my own life
– only my art held me back, as it seemed to me impossible
to leave this world until I have produced everything I feel it
has been granted to me to achieve… Patience – that must
be my guide, as I am determined…Oh God, you look down
on my inner soul, and know that it is filled with love of
humanity and the desire to do good…Urge your children to
follow the path of virtue, as that alone can bring happiness
– money cannot. I speak from experience, as virtue alone
has sustained me in my misery, and it was thanks to virtue,
together with my art, that I did not end my life by committing
suicide. Farewell, and love one another…Come when you
will, death, I will meet you resolutely.”
Ludwig van Beethoven
Restoration Truths taught in the Ode
1. Time for change; refreshment. ‘None of the sects of
religionists are right’
2. The Gospel promises not freedom pain or trial, but
true joy. JOY=GOSPEL
3. The Gospel has the power to unite all men
4. Ideals of friendship & marriage. Circle invokes temple
imagery
5. All are invited to the celestial banquet; all will receive
a degree of glory
6. Encouragement to stay the course, pressing forward,
‘on, on to the victory’. “Can we not go on in so great a
cause?”
7. The embrace is a powerful symbol of atonement.
“This is eternal life, that they might know thee.” Seek,
and ye shall find Him.
German original
O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern lasst uns angenehmere
anstimmen und freudenvollere.
English translation
Oh friends, not these notes!
Rather let us sing more
cheerful and more joyful ones.
Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder,
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.
Joy, bright spark of divinity,
Daughter of Elysium,
Fire-inspired we tread
Thy sanctuary.
Thy magic power re-unites
All that custom has divided,
All men become brothers
Under the sway of thy gentle wings.
Wem der große Wurf gelungen,
Eines Freundes Freund zu sein;
Wer ein holdes Weib errungen,
Mische seinen Jubel ein!
Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele
Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!
Und wer's nie gekonnt, der stehle
Weinend sich aus diesem Bund!
Whoever has created
An abiding friendship,
Or has won
A true and loving wife,
All who can call at least one soul theirs,
Join in our song of praise;
But any who cannot must creep tearfully
Away from our circle.
Freude trinken alle Wesen
An den Brüsten der Natur;
Alle Guten, alle Bösen
Folgen ihrer Rosenspur.
Küsse gab sie uns und Reben,
Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod;
Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben,
Und der Cherub steht vor Gott.
All creatures drink of joy
At nature's breast.
Just and unjust
Alike taste of her gift;
She gave us kisses and the fruit of the vine,
A tried friend to the end.
Even the worm can feel contentment,
And the cherub stands before God!
“We must remember that an artist
interprets society and that he translates
through his personality the tendencies of
his time. It is the period which creates
the artist and not the artist which creates
the period. The artistic genius belongs to
those ultra sensitive beings whose
intuition grasps the underlying ideas and
directions which the majority of human
beings do not perceive.”
Albert Roustit, “Prophecy in Music”
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils.”
1 Timothy 4:1
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the
truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
2 Timothy 4:3,4
“The final aim of [my] music is for the glorification
of God.”
J.S. Bach
“I thank my God for the bliss of knowing Him as
the key to true happiness.”
W.A. Mozart
“I have no friends, I must live alone. But well I
know that God is nearer to me than to other
artists. I associate with Him without fear. I have
always recognized and understood him and
have no fear for my music. Those who
understand it must be freed by it from all the
miseries of the world.”
Ludwig van Beethoven 1807
Enter their [Saints consumed in Christ] homes,
and the pictures on their walls, the books on their
shelves, the music in the air, their words and acts
reveal them as Christians.
Ezra Taft Benson, “Born of God”
“The powerful force of good music belongs in the
life of every Latter-day Saint”
Handbook for Church Music 1981
If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good
report or praiseworthy, we seek after these
things.
13th Article of Faith
(Joseph Smith after Paul)
Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A
voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of
truth out of the earth; a voice of gladness for the living and the
dead; glad tidings of great joy
Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and
not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let
your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break
forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal
praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world
was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their
prison; for the prisoners shall go free.
Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and
all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King!
And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let
the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye
solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning
stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And
let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And
again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven,
proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and
immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!
D&C 128:19-23