{"id":225,"date":"2023-12-27T09:25:25","date_gmt":"2023-12-27T16:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/?p=225"},"modified":"2025-07-08T12:21:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T18:21:15","slug":"voices-from-the-hills-the-tabernacle-choirs-welsh-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2023\/12\/voices-from-the-hills-the-tabernacle-choirs-welsh-roots\/","title":{"rendered":"Voices from the Hills: The Tabernacle Choir’s Welsh Roots \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
Some weeks ago, I had the opportunity to experience the 2023 Christmas Concert by the <\/span>Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square<\/span><\/a>, the world-famous singing group\u2019s annual holiday celebration. The grand stage was adorned with old-world Christmas decor, creating an ambiance that harkened back to Christmases long past. The centerpiece of the evening featured Broadway star <\/span>Michael Maliakel<\/span><\/a>, whose deep, resonant voice filled the elegant concert hall. Accompanying him was the talented <\/span>Lesley Nicol<\/span><\/a>, known for her role in \u201cDownton Abbey,\u201d who brought a touch of theatrical charm and a warm, light-hearted wit to the stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
-Copyright LDS Church<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Wales is traditionally referred to as \u201cThe Land of Song.\u201d <\/span>When the pioneers first entered the Salt Lake Valley, Church leader <\/span>Brigham Young<\/span> <\/a>appointed John Parry, a talented former Welsh Anglican preacher, as the choir\u2019s first director. Well-known in North Wales as a poet and scholar of literature, John also had a reputation for a fine voice and played harp, piano and flute.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
The arid and remote Salt Lake Valley was thousands of miles from the nearest music store. As printed music was unavailable, the singers had to memorize the words of the songs, and many of the early Welsh members spoke little or no English. Despite these difficulties, the group continued to gain success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Following one performance, a spectator asked John Parry where his choir had learned to sing and who their teacher had been. He responded that \u201cThe hills of Wales were the schoolhouse, and the Spirit of God was the teacher.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
There are many notable LDS hymns that have Welsh origins, including \u201cGuide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah,\u201d known in Welsh as \u201c<\/span>Cwm Rhondda<\/span><\/i>.\u201d Penned by the Welsh composer <\/span>John Hughes<\/span><\/a> in 1907, the hymn has since become a favorite piece in many Christian denominations, including the LDS Church. The hymn\u2019s stirring melody and its plea for divine protection and guidance deeply resonate with the LDS belief in personal revelation or continuous guidance from God. \u201cGuide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah\u201d is often sung in LDS congregations during special events and conferences as not only a plea for spiritual guidance, but as a connection to the rich heritage of Welsh hymnody.<\/span><\/p>\n
Copyright ChatGPT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n*
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*The influence of the Welsh musical heritage is especially heard in the hymnody of most early American churches. Welsh tunes were often adapted to English-language hymns, infusing them with a distinctive melodic character that resonated with American congregations. Notable examples include hymns like \u201c<\/span>Hyfrydol<\/span><\/i>,\u201d composed by Rowland Hugh Prichard, which has been used for several popular hymns such as \u201cCome, Thou Long Expected Jesus\u201d and \u201cLove Divine, All Loves Excelling.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
My own ancestors made their way to the Salt Lake Valley accompanying the ill-fated <\/span>Martin Handcart Company<\/span><\/a>. Because the company left later in the year, it became stranded on the snowy Wyoming plains with little food, shelter or clothing for weeks. One of my direct ancestors, 12 year old Nicholas Gourley, was found by rescuers in a grove eating bark off the trees with her little brother George who had lost several of his toes to frostbite. Although they were from Scotland, I like to believe the songs coming from their Welsh cousins along the trail encouraged them forward as they left bloody footprints in the snow on the way to their new homeland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
*
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-Copyright Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
**
Perhaps one such Welsh cousin in the Martin Company that gave encouragement to Nicholas and George was Thomas Davis Giles, a blind man who played the harp. He suffered greatly crossing the plains, and when trapped in the deadly Wyoming snows with the rest of the company, he lost his baby daughter and then his wife. But what was remarkable about Thomas was his ability to lift people\u2019s spirits. Despite his unthinkable loss, and despite his blindness, he would play the harp to console others who had lost loved ones on the trail. His loving harp music was imbued with the Welsh spirit of love and endurance and became a small beacon of hope for the starving handcart pioneers struggling to reach the Salt Lake Valley in that cold November of 1856.<\/span><\/p>\n
**
Today, the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square incorporates many traditions into its music, but the spirit of Wales still permeates the ensemble\u2019s DNA. And as a recent concert attendee and someone with Welsh ancestry myself, I echo the sentiment that this choir\u2019s schoolhouse was the hills of Wales, and its teacher still is the Spirit of God. And if one listens ever so carefully, they may hear the soft pluck of Thomas\u2019 harp encouraging them through their own life\u2019s challenges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
**
*Some weeks ago, I had the opportunity to experience the 2023 Christmas Concert by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, the world-famous singing group\u2019s annual holiday celebration. The grand stage was adorned with old-world Christmas decor, creating an ambiance that harkened back to Christmases long past. The centerpiece of the evening featured Broadway star Michael […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5408,"featured_media":237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[78,75,56,72,212],"class_list":["post-225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christmas-concert","tag-christmas-choirs","tag-mormon-tabernacle-choir","tag-seasonal-holidays","tag-tabernal-choir-at-temple-square","tag-the-tabernacle-choir"],"yoast_head":"\nVoices from the Hills: The Tabernacle Choir's Welsh Roots \u00a0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The choir, originally a small group of volunteer singers mainly from Wales, quickly evolved into a distinguished vocal ensemble.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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