Historical Overview
In July 1830, Joseph Smith, considered a prophet by LDS Church members, received a revelation from God for his wife, Emma, wherein she was directed to make a collection of hymns for the Church of Jesus Christ:
And it shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church. For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.
Due to persecutions and the constant uprooting of the church in those early days, Emma Smith was not able to fulfill this assignment for several years. However, in the mean time, other followers continued to write, arrange, and collect hymns.
The first hymns of the LDS Church were published by William Wines Phelps in June, 1832 in Independence, Missouri. These appeared as text only (no music) in The Evening and the Morning Star, the church’s semimonthly newspaper. Many of these lyrics were written by Phelps, while others were borrowed from various Protestant sources. The first of these hymns published by Phelps was “What fair one is this”.
On July 20, 1833 a mob destroyed the church’s printing office in Independence, Missouri and the publication of the Star was moved to Kirtland, Ohio – the headquarters of the church at that time. In December, 1834, The Evening and the Morning Star was replaced by a new publication: The Messenger and Advocate. Phelps continued to write and collect hymn texts, with assistance from Frederick G. Williams and others.
Read more about this topic: The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints Hymns
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“We can imagine a society in which no one could survive as a social being because it does not correspond to biologically determined perceptions and human social needs. For historical reasons, existing societies might have such properties, leading to various forms of pathology.”
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