Item Detail
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18200
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2
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4
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English
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The Little Gardner Hymnal, 1844 : A Study of Its Origin and Contribution to the LDS Musical Canon
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BYU Studies
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2005
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44
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no.3
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136-160
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Crandall presents a study of two men, Jesse Carter Little and George Bryant Gardner, and the hymnal they produced in 1844. It was the first LDS hymnal to include musical notation, and is entitled "A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the use of the Latter-day Saints." Little joined the LDS Church in 1839 in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He had no apparent musical background so it is likely that he probably provided the financial backing for the hymnal. Although Gardner was raised in a poor family, there was a great deal of music in his home. In 1841, he moved with his wife to Peterborough where they also joined the Church. The number of printed copies of the hymnal is unknown, although Cranall has identified at least eleven. The purpose of its publication was probably to meet the immediate needs of the members in the area. Both of the men were firm believers in the LDS faith, and they created the hymnal to uplift those immediately around them. Although the Little and Gardner hymnal may not have been widely-used, it demonstrates the enthusiasm the early Saints had for music as a form of worship. Crandall feels that Little and Gardner ought to be commended for their work in bringing this spirit of music to their small community.