The Utah Chamber Orchestra and Salt Lake Choral Artists Terence Kern Conducting Joseph Smith, Jr. (photographic reproduction of an 1843 daguerreotype) Joseph Smith the Mormon Poet Let your hearts rejoice and be glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the mountains shout for joy, And ye valleys cry aloud; And ye seas and ye dry lands Tell the wonders of your king! And ye rivers and brooks And rills flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees Of the field praise the Lord! And ye solid rocks weep for joy! Let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, Let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations Declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice That we hear from heaven, Proclaiming in our ears glory and salvation; And honor, and immortality, and eternal life; Kingdoms, principalities, and powers! Joseph Smith (adapted) Most people’s judgment regarding Joseph Smith tends to be pro or con with nothing in between. He was guided by heaven or deluded by hell—either an inspired prophet or a deceiving impostor. Today there are those who have taken a different approach. A few have carefully examined his work and in the doing have discovered a creative man with an imagination that was highly innovative and a philosophy of life that was extraordinarily original. Joseph Smith is perhaps the first to view the fundamentals of existence as pluralistic. He went beyond the traditional theistic views of his time and considered the possibility that existence isn’t one thing but many. Central to his mature philosophy is the revolutionary doctrine concerning the increate “intelligence,” the self-existent “spirit” or “mind” of man that constitutes the essence of the individual person. Using this doctrine as a starting point one can reach a conclusion regarding the absoluteness of individuality—that each individual person experiences existence as something separate and distinct and that a person’s “world” or existence is unique to the person who experiences it. Joseph Smith, in addition to his work as a philosopher, is a gifted and passionate poet. The text for the finale of Symphony No. 1 is taken from a letter written in 1842 to the “Saints” while he was hiding from officials sent from the state of Missouri to arrest him. Its inherent vigor and energy are readily apparent and one is captivated by the pluralistic “Kingdoms, principalities, and powers!” Instrumentation: 2222, 22, timpani, and strings. (1982)
Symphony No. 1 for Orchestra & Chorus “Let the Mountains Shout for Joy”
Allegro moderato, 7:13 2. Andante moderato, 10:02 3. Tempo di valzer moderato, 4:26 4. Lento, Allegro, 10:18
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