Mormon folk music
Encyclopedia
Mormon folk music was folk music
sung by Mormon pioneers in present-day Utah
from the middle 19th century through the early 20th century. A historical component of Utah music
, the popularity of Mormon folk music declined like traditional music nationally after the advent of music recording. However, uniquely Mormon
folk music had already declined before the end of the 19th century.
Mormon folk songs showcase pioneer
-era Mormon unity.
led the first company of his followers into what became Salt Lake City, Utah
, and the Great Basin
area became steadily populated by Latter-day Saints. Because cost prohibited carrying many musical instrument
s across the plains
, unaccompanied folk songs dominated early Mormon music. These songs typically had simple tunes, easy-to-recall lyrics, and broad enough appeal to be sung by contemporary Mormons. Thus, historical Latter-day Saint attitudes can be inferred from the types of songs they sang.
, courtship
, and crime
. Only unique cultural themes in some songs made Mormon folk music distinct.
Some songs recounted the difficult trip to Utah in the first place. Like many other pioneers, most Mormons came west by ox
or horse
-driven carts, and some songs were shared between Mormon and other pioneers. However, the Mormon experience is unusual, because about 1600 Mormons traveled to Utah in 1856 and 1860 by handcart, a cart with several hundred pounds of supplies pulled by the pioneers themselves. Two of the handcart companies, the Martin and Willie handcart companies
, met tragic fates, but the songs sung by handcart pioneers on their strenuous trip to Utah were remembered. In fact, members of the LDS Church still sing a modified version of the Handcart Song.
Songs often expressed the animosity Mormons had toward the federal government
. This is especially evident in songs from around 1857 contemporary to the Utah War
. An example is the Duh Dah Mormon Song. Like many folk songs, the Du Dah Mormon Song is set to a recognizable tune: Stephen Foster
's Camptown Races
.
Other Mormon folk songs exist recounting events like Utah's Black Hawk War, the Mormon perspective of the First transcontinental railroad
, and even imprisonment for polygamy, which was common for polygamist Mormons in the 1880s. These songs were sung both for entertainment and for relaying a shared cultural experience.
music early in the 20th century as were traditional songs nationwide. The popularity of distinctively Mormon folk songs had already faded, though. After Utah became a state in 1896, songs expressing fear and animosity about the federal government ceased to be relevant.
Latter-day Saints still sing a handful of folk songs such as the Handcart Song. Often this is done in remembrance of Pioneer Day, the anniversary of the first Mormon pioneers' arrival to what became Salt Lake City, Utah
. The songs therefore serve as a tie to the past.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
sung by Mormon pioneers in present-day Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
from the middle 19th century through the early 20th century. A historical component of Utah music
Music of Utah
Utah music has long been influenced culturally by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . The local music scene thrives in clubs. However, the musical history of Utah, and much of its current distinctiveness, is owed to secular artists....
, the popularity of Mormon folk music declined like traditional music nationally after the advent of music recording. However, uniquely Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
folk music had already declined before the end of the 19th century.
Mormon folk songs showcase pioneer
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
-era Mormon unity.
Role of Mormon folk music
In 1847 Brigham YoungBrigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
led the first company of his followers into what became Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, and the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
area became steadily populated by Latter-day Saints. Because cost prohibited carrying many musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s across the plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, unaccompanied folk songs dominated early Mormon music. These songs typically had simple tunes, easy-to-recall lyrics, and broad enough appeal to be sung by contemporary Mormons. Thus, historical Latter-day Saint attitudes can be inferred from the types of songs they sang.
Types of songs
Many songs sung by Mormon pioneers were the same or similar to folk songs sung elsewhere. These ballads typically had themes of loveLove
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
, courtship
Courtship
Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement...
, and crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
. Only unique cultural themes in some songs made Mormon folk music distinct.
Some songs recounted the difficult trip to Utah in the first place. Like many other pioneers, most Mormons came west by ox
Ox
An ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
or horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
-driven carts, and some songs were shared between Mormon and other pioneers. However, the Mormon experience is unusual, because about 1600 Mormons traveled to Utah in 1856 and 1860 by handcart, a cart with several hundred pounds of supplies pulled by the pioneers themselves. Two of the handcart companies, the Martin and Willie handcart companies
Mormon handcart pioneers
The Mormon handcart pioneers were participants in the migration of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Salt Lake City, Utah, who used handcarts to transport their belongings...
, met tragic fates, but the songs sung by handcart pioneers on their strenuous trip to Utah were remembered. In fact, members of the LDS Church still sing a modified version of the Handcart Song.
-
- Handcart Song (chorus)
- And some will push and some will pull
- As we go marching up the hill,
- So merrily on our way we go
- Until we reach the valley-o!
Songs often expressed the animosity Mormons had toward the federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
. This is especially evident in songs from around 1857 contemporary to the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
. An example is the Duh Dah Mormon Song. Like many folk songs, the Du Dah Mormon Song is set to a recognizable tune: Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...
's Camptown Races
Camptown Races
Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster . It was probably composed in Cincinnati in 1849, according to Richard Jackson, and published by F. D. Benteen of Baltimore, Maryland, in February 1850...
.
-
- Du Dah Mormon Song (chorus)
- Then let us be on hand
- By Brigham Young to stand,
- And if our enemies do appear,
- We'll sweep them from the land.
Other Mormon folk songs exist recounting events like Utah's Black Hawk War, the Mormon perspective of the First transcontinental railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
, and even imprisonment for polygamy, which was common for polygamist Mormons in the 1880s. These songs were sung both for entertainment and for relaying a shared cultural experience.
Demise of Mormon folk music
Traditional songs in Utah were superseded by recorded and broadcastBroadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
music early in the 20th century as were traditional songs nationwide. The popularity of distinctively Mormon folk songs had already faded, though. After Utah became a state in 1896, songs expressing fear and animosity about the federal government ceased to be relevant.
Latter-day Saints still sing a handful of folk songs such as the Handcart Song. Often this is done in remembrance of Pioneer Day, the anniversary of the first Mormon pioneers' arrival to what became Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. The songs therefore serve as a tie to the past.