The Little and Gardner Hymnal, 1844: A Study of Its Origin and Contribution to the LDS Musical Canon

Authors

Marilyn J. Crandall

Keywords

Mormon studies, hymnal, LDS musical canon

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to research the hymnal A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Use of the Latter-day Saints, the first LDS hymnal that included musical notation along with the text. Published in 1844 by Blake and Bailey of Bellows Falls, Vermont (now part of Rockingham, Vermont), it was compiled by Jesse Carter Little and George Bryant Gardner, both of whom were living in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and both of whom converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To date, I have been unable to find a single contemporaneous reference to the hymnal. The hymnal simply exists (fig. 1). Neither Gardner nor any of his descendants ever mention it, and there is no reference to it in any of Little’s papers, although many of his papers were destroyed by fire in the 1990s.

Recommended Citation

Crandall, Marilyn J. (2005) "The Little and Gardner Hymnal, 1844: A Study of Its Origin and Contribution to the LDS Musical Canon," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 44: Iss. 3, Article 8.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol44/iss3/8