Emma Smith - Hymns and Hymnals

Hymns and Hymnals

In June 1832 a selection of six hymns was published in the first issue of The Evening and the Morning Star, an early church periodical.

The first church hymnal came off the press in 1836 (and maybe late 1835) at Kirtland, Ohio. It was titled A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for the Church of the Latter Day Saints and contained 90 hymn texts (no music). More than half of the texts were borrowed from other Protestant traditions, but often changed slightly to reinforce the theology of the early church. For example, Hymn 15, changes Isaac Watts' Joy to the World from a song about Christmas to a song about the return of Christ (See Joy to the world! the Lord will come!) Most of these changes as well as a large number of the original songs included in the hymnal are attributed to William Wines Phelps.

Emma also compiled a second hymnal by the same title, which was published in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1841. This contained 304 hymn texts.

When her son Joseph III became president/prophet of what would be later known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, she was again asked to compile a hymnal. Latter Day Saints' Selection of Hymns was published in 1861 by what was then called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.