Mormon music
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This article deals with music's role in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints outside of the context of worship; for hymns, see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hymns or for the hymnal Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1985 book)
Music has had a long history in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from the days in Kirtland, Nauvoo, and the settlement of the West, to the present day. In the early days of the Church, stripped-down Mormon folk music, which could be sung without accompaniment due to the lack of instruments in Utah, was popular. In the 19th Century, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was created and began touring, while musicians began writing devotional and praise music with a Mormon influence, paralleling the success of Christian Contemporary Music. Several organizations have existed and do exist to promote these artists, such as Deseret Book and the now-defunct Faith Centered Music Association. Starting in the late 21st Century and to the present day, Mormons have been increasingly involved in modern popular music in America and elsewhere in the World.
Mormon folk music
Mormon folk music constituted some of the earliest white/euroamerican music in the boundaries of modern Utah. These songs, simple and easy to remember, were usually sung without accompaniment because of the scarcity of musical instruments in territorial Utah. Although they often employed the same tunes as folk music elsewhere, Mormon folk is distinctively Utahn. The songs often include unique pioneer-era Mormon culture references such as crossing the plains, Mormon ecclesiastical leaders, and LDS religious convictions.
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Since 1847, the Latter-day Saint influence in Utah music is manifest in the state’s most famous musical institution: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Named after the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, the 300+ member choir is world-famous. The LDS Church supports the choir both for prestige and as a proselytizing tool for spreading familiarity of the church. The choir performs at least weekly at the Tabernacle for a radio program called "Music and the Spoken Word" which is the longest-running national radio program in the US. The Mormon Tabernacle choir has released innumerable albums since it first recorded in 1910.
LDS-Themed Popular Music
Beginning in the 1960s, gospel music gained some success, and Mormons played an integral role in the development of Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) into the 1970s. Since then, Michael McLean [1] from Heber, Utah and Kenneth Cope [2] in Salt Lake City have become relatively popular among mostly-older Latter-day Saints for their religiously-charged easy listening music. Music for LDS worship services is generally traditional with minimal accompaniment with piano or organ, so these musicians perform in venues other than in LDS worship services.
Especially For Youth Album
Each year various artist from LDS Music are featured on an annual album called Especially for Youth EFY, that is produced for a summer youth camp sponsored by Brigham Young University [3]. Several producers bid for the album on a 2-year cycle. The producer for the album is usually decided by EFY executive J.D. Hucks, a senior administrator for CES Youth & Family Programs.
From 1998–Present the EFY album producer roll has been bouncing back and forth between the production duo Tyler Castleton & Staci Peters and their competitor Jim Funk & Barry Gibbons[4], making it difficult for independent artist and producers to participate with the album production.
The EFY album has received criticism over the last decade for being "out of touch"[5] with its targeted audience of youth ages 14–18.
Faith Centered Music Association
Every year, the Faith Centered Music Association rewards excellence in music with the Pearl Awards, which are given in a number of different categories.[6]
Over the last few years the FCMA which is run by senior management at Deseret Book has been viewed as a way to "pat themselves on the back." Many if not all projects that are nominated and receive awards, are published by Deseret Book.
In 2010, the FCMA decided to take an indefinite hiatus from workshops and the Pearl Awards. In a letter to the general public, the FCMA stated that it had grown too large of an organization and tried to accommodate too many recommendations and criticisms to continue.[1]
In Mainstream Popular Music
There are numerous artists who are LDS that do not write devotional or praise-style music, including Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker of Low, Donny Osmond, and Brandon Flowers. There have been efforts to expand the umbrella of "Mormon Music" to encompass all Latter-day Saints who write or perform music, reflecting an increasing frustration with institutions like Deseret Book that confine their musical offerings to a very narrow view of what Mormon Music is.[2] In particular, the blog Linescratchers has interviewed and compiled a list of many artists who fit this description.[3]