Song of the Righteous: Music in the Lives of the Latter-Day Prophets

by Darwin Wolford

Beyond the scriptures and prayer, no single influence is more apparent upon the lives of the Latter-day Prophets than that of music. Song of the Righteous illuminates that influence and documents it in such a way as to lead us into a sense of strength and comfort that righteous music uniquely provides. Many accounts are known, such as Heber J. Grants's superb efforts to learn to sing and memorize the hymns. Most of the stories in Song of the Righteous have never been published, many have never been known, such as the conversion of Mary Ann Weston by Wilford Woodruff simply singing a hymn. Song of the Righteous gives you a clear understanding of the remarkable gift of music God has given us to assist us in our mortal journey, crystallized in the lives of moder prophets. Song of the Righteous contains examples of the five uses of our hyms suggested by Elder Dallin H. Oaks in October 1994 General Conference- "missionary teaching, in gospel classes, in quorum meetings, in home evenings, and in home teaching visits" - from the lives of men who successfully spent mortality refining their skills of daily living.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

355 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2012

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My good friend, Darwin Wolford, was kind enough to give me a copy of this book. I have been perusing it during this semester while teaching a course on the Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The main message of the book is that music has been a powerful influence in the lives of these prophets, seers, and revelators. It has comforted, guided, and influenced their own ability to receive divine revelation and it can do the same for us. To be completely transparent, I did not read the book word-for-word. But the parts I did read closely were well written. It is very well-researched and would be a great read for anyone interested in better understanding and teaching the power music can have in our spiritual lives. I highly recommend this book.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about the prophets' connection to music, mostly the biographical information. There were parts that were enlightening, others that were boring, and some that felt like a stretch. The last half of the book felt more engaging. I enjoyed learning things about my neighbor that wrote the book.

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for nearly twenty years. I remember buying it as a teenager. Standing there in Deseret Book it seemed to jump out at me from the shelf. And then it say on my bookshelf all this time, traveling with me to college, moving from place to place through marriage and four babies. I often saw it and thought I should read it, but never did. Then, during General Conference last month the Spirit whispered that now was the time. I can't believe such a great book has been at my fingertips all this time! Despite all the typos and mistakes in both the text and the endnotes (see my comments as I was reading), this book was super inspirational and uplifting. If it had had the benefit of a great editor, I would have given it five stars. While the musical aspect of the lives of the prophets is somewhat contrived at times, the biographies are excellent. With all the mistakes I caught (mostly inconsistent dates), not to mention all the inaccuracies I didn't catch, I cannot recommend this book as the best source for research; however, I got to see the prophets in a more human and personal light. Sometimes they seem so far removed. It is obvious Wolford has a deep love for these men. Sometimes he interjects conjecture, but he's not an academic historian. He is an enthusiastic musician and LDS Church member who wants to share passion for the songs of Zion in a creative way. I am grateful for his research into so many talks and scriptures in a time before digitized Conference Reports. I can't imagine how long it must have taken. So, thank you Brother Wolford. I feel blessed to have read this book.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some interesting parts on music in the lives of prophets, but what carried this book were the stories of the actually lives of the prophets...full of amazing faith and sacrafice. The music connection seemed to be stretching too much.