Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1985 book)

Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official hymnal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Published in English in 1985, and later in many other languages, it is used throughout the LDS Church. This article refers to the English version. The book was published on the 150th anniversary of the publication of the first Latter-day Saint hymnbook, compiled by Emma Smith in 1835. Previous hymnbooks used by the church include The Manchester Hymnal (1840), The Psalmody (1889), Songs of Zion (1908), Hymns (1927), and Hymns (1948).

On June 18, 2018, the church announced that updated versions of the hymnbook and the Children's Songbook would be created, by soliciting feedback for a one-year period concluding in July 2019. This culminated in having unified versions of the books in languages used by congregations worldwide, with the same numbering system.^[1]

The book contains a table of contents, followed by a preface with a message from the church's First Presidency, which encourages church members to use the hymn book at meetings and in their homes to invite the spirit and to teach doctrine.

The hymn section is divided into thematic groups:

Following the hymns, a section titled "Using the Hymnbook" gives helpful information for choristers and accompanists.

Finally, the hymns are listed in multiple indexes according to the authors' and composers' names, hymn titles, tune names, meters, scriptures referenced, etc.

Most of the hymns are arranged in traditional SATB format with treble and bass clefs. The suggested tempo range (in beats per minute) is given, along with an indication of the appropriate mood for the song such as "joyfully," "reflectively," "with vigor," etc. Beneath the hymn are listed the author and composer and their years of birth and death (if applicable), copyright information, and scriptural references.

The book is laid out so that hymns occupying two pages in the book always start on the left. Thus, a page turn is never required in the middle of a hymn.

A few of the hymns have the same text, and even the same title, but are set to different hymn tunes.

The church has released recordings of the hymns in CD sets. One set is instrumental only and is sometimes used as accompaniment in church meetings. In the other set, the hymns are sung by a quartet with piano or organ accompaniment.

Many popular singers and instrumentalists, including the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Orchestra at Temple Square and Saints Unified Voices have also recorded arrangements of LDS hymns.

Many of the hymns have been translated and published in editions designed for use by non-Anglophones. Currently, Latter-day Saint hymnbooks for non-English speaking regions of the world are compiled by beginning with a core group of approximately 100 hymns mandated for all the church's hymnbooks, then a regional committee is given the opportunity to select 50 hymns from a list of suggestions and 50 additional hymns that are deemed to be important to their culture groups.^[10] Some of these editions include hymns not found in the English version, such as traditional Christmas carols and patriotic music of the countries where they are used.^[11] For example, in the Spanish translation, three hymns originally written by Latter-day Saints in Spanish are included ( “¿Por qué somos?” by Edmund W. Richardson, “Despedida” or “Placentero nos es trabajar” by Andrés C. González, and “La voz, ya, del eterno” or “¡La Proclamación!” by José V. Estrada G.), along with others taken from earlier hymnals or other sources.^[12]

The hymn book has been published in several languages, including:

• Hymns of the Saints, the Community of Christ (former RLDS) hymnal.
• Hymns—for Home and Church, the upcoming successor to the 1985 hymnal.
• Hymns in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Latter Day Saint poetry
• List of English-language hymnals by denomination

• Hymns at churchofjesuschrist.org (includes index, text, music, and free audio downloads for most hymns in 1985 book; some excluded for copyright reasons)