The Church Music site on LDS.org (music.lds.org) contains links to all the music and music-related resources that the Church has placed online. Along with sheet music, resources include an interactive music player to play, read, or transpose hymns and children’s songs. Access learning materials on conducting music, accompanying others, teaching songs to children, adding variety to singing, and learning music symbols and terms. Site visitors can search for songs with a variety of keywords, and songs can be downloaded as MP3 files.
Visit the Church music site if you want to
- Learn parts to the hymns
- Download Church music from the Hymns, Children’s Songbook, or other Church-related music
- Prepare talks and lessons using the music
- Learn basic music skills (conducting and keyboard)
- Assist in learning your Church calling
- Listen to music while working at the computer
- Manipulate hymns (transpose to different keys, speed up and down, print sheet music)
- Sing together in Family Home Evening
- Search hymns for words, phrases to use in talks, lessons, and FHE
- Links to music in Church magazines
- Simplified hymnbook in languages (Hymns Made Easy)
- Reference organ manuals
From the News of the Church article which introduced the Church music web site in 2004: ‘The most important benefits of the new site will be spiritual. As the First Presidency teaches in the preface to our hymnal, music has the power to move us toward greater spirituality in our homes and families. Whether or not members have a background in music, the site will help them in studying doctrinal principles, conducting family home evenings, serving in Church callings, and teaching the gospel in many settings.”
I was told that a person is only allowed to sing one solo a year in Sacrament Meeting. Will you please comment on this?
I’m not aware of any guideline like that from Church headquarters. Perhaps the ward or stake has set this guideline.
How bless am I to have this website, to open any church music… to hear and to learn great music..
Dear Music Department. This is my 6th year of playing music with a live square dance band for LDS Treks. Fiddles, Gtr, Accordion, Keyboards, Banjo Etc. I have a repertory of this music,. Would the church be interested in copies of this music for other Square Dance Treks. It is easy to make a band with fairly competant musicians but they lack the sheet music of the early players. I first learned String Bass with Weldon Bastion in Spokane when I was 14. We do Polkas, 2 steps, Waltzes, Grand Marches, Music for Virginia Reel and Hoe Downs. Also Put your Little Foot, Varsouviene, Schottishe, and others. I am printing up a new set for our July 29 play at Ensign Ranch. I can send a set at no charge. This is fun music and the players will get a thrill out of it as well as the dancers. Robert M. Pritchett 79 and last dance job
Robert,
We have a trek youth conference coming up and I’d love some church music in this style, especially for the banjo. Any ideas where I could find some? Or should I just do my best with the guitar chords as suggested below?
Thanks,
Jon B.
I will be very gratful if my country sierra leone will have this priveledge to learn am now bless to have this website so that i can improve on my music carrier
First: thank you for the wonderful music website, we really enjoy this site, either individually, as a family, or as a great resource in our callings, what a blessing!!
Second: Is there an specific place about church songs translations? I would like to send some songs that I translated from english-spanish from the Children Song Book.
Thanks!
Valeria, the English Children’s Songbook has alreay been translated into Spanish. But if you have translations you’d like to submit, you can send them to the e-mail address that I just sent you in an e-mail.
I have a similar request as Valeria. I have English-Spanish translation and respective sheet music for hymns from the Hymn Book, which are not yet officially translated. I have done this to enjoy those hymns we do not normally sing because they do not appear in the Spanish Hymn book. I would like to submit them, so they can be of use to other people in the future.
Thanks.
Carmen, I have e-mailed to you the contact information for the person you can submit them to. Thanks.
Hi Larry,
I have a question that I would like to direct to the music department, to apply to work for them. Given that you have an email contact, would you know the best way to reach out to them? I would appreciate your help! I give up every time I search for a means of contact.
Much appreciate,
Bonnie
Bonnie, I’ve send you an email about this.
I am a new Music chairman in my ward and wonder how I can keep track of the music we sing each week with out going back to the same hymns often . Does any
one have a good idea without writting down each song and going over them to make sure we don’t repeat songs?
Set up a spreadsheet in Google Sheets. In our Ward, every part of the program is listed including:
The date
The Bishopric member who is conducting
The Organist
The Chorister
The Theme of the meeting
The Opening Hymn
The Sacrament Hymn
Youth Speaker
Speaker
Special Music
Speaker
Closing Hymn
(Prayers are not listed)
With this system, anyone who has anything to do with Sacrament meeting can refer to that Google Sheet to see up to date information regarding the meeting. It’s great for the music people to check in advance to practice music. It’s great for the bulletin editor. He/She doesn’t have to make a dozen phone calls to put the bulletin together. Our Chorister is the one who outlines the music. It’s been easy to do Sacrament hymns because we just sing them consecutively from the hymn book week to week. It’s a great process! We have kept past years sheets and can easily refer to them. Even Stake and Ward Conferences and High Council speakers are noted in advance.
In Relief Society, may the teacher request a particular hymn or select a ‘special musical number’ to support her lesson?
Patsy Larson, first read the music section of the Priesthood manual of instruction. Then ask the Bishop or his music counselor to give you a theme for each week. Go the the back of the hymn book and look at the topics relating to the theme. Pray for the spirit to select the most appropriate hymn. Write them down on a monthly basis ahead of time (6weeks?) for the bishop to approve. Use this as a guide to limit not eliminate repetition.
Aside of our Holy Scriptures, I really love our hymns. Every time i have problems, challenges or even the moment of happiness and success it really helps me a lot. It gives me strength, comfort, hope and strong faith that the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father really lives and they love us so much. I am so grateful for our sacred Hymns that really touch our very heart to come Unto Him.
Larry, I never did get that e-mail contact for the church’s music department. Could you resend it please. Thank you very much!
A senior Primary child, during Singing Time, asked a question concerning “The Eighth Article of Faith” song by Vanya Y. Watkins. He wanted to know why Sister Watkins chose to write this Article of Faith song in a minor key. I was hoping that she might answer his question, or someone who has insight about her work.
Thank you!
Who and how can I contact either the music department or primary about getting some lyrics from the primary girls program back in the 60’s? I am hoping the church has archived the songs for the Gaynotes, Firelights, and Merrihands. I don’t need them for anything except to satisfy my wondering how they went. I found a blog that someone gave the history of primary and bandlos and someone left a comment about the girls songs but couldn’t remember them. I almost remember all of them except for a few spots and it is driving me crazy. Please help so I can stop wondering about it.
Thank you
Terri Potts
Hello, I was looking for the names of the girls groups back in primary in the 60’s and found your comment. My mom was the director of that little girls choir. I thought she made it up but it looks as if it were a church wide program. I do have a little note book that she had typed out the words to the music for us. If your interested I can send you images of the songs.
Terri,
I checked the 1951 The Children Sing, and didn’t find it there. I’d suggest you check with the Church History Library. See contact information at http://churchhistorylibrary.lds.org/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=1&dstmp=1355771019524&vid=CHL_PUBLIC&fromLogin=true&fromLogin=true
@Terri S Potts
Have you succeeded in finding the words to the full song yet? My mother recently wanted to find them, but as you’ve learned… they aren’t available online! Wondered if you had any more luck then we have had.
Thanks!
I am looking for sheet music for the banjo; primary songs, hymns, pioneer tunes. Do you know where I might find some?
Thanks!
Don,
The music at http://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/english/pdf/callings/music/hymns-made-easy/Hymns_000_HymnsMadeEasy_eng.pdf?lang=eng
has guitar chords. Does that work for the banjo?
Larry
I CAN NO LONGER FIGURE OUT THE CHURCH’S WEBSITE (LDS.ORG). IT USED TO BE SO EASY TO LEARN PARTS LISTEN TO SEVERAL PARTS OR EVEN SEE HOW A SONG SOUNDED IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE ONE PART. (WE HAVE A VERY SMALL CHOIR). BUT NOW I JUST CANT NAVIGATE IT! I CANT FIND THE OLD INTERACTIVE MUSIC. THE CHURCH’S WEBSITE SAYS CANT BE FOUND. HELP! I’M SUPPOSE TO SING THE ALTO PART OF O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM AND I NEED TO NOT EMBARRASS MYSELF.
Debra,
Sorry you are having problems finding the music player.
Go to music.lds.org, then click “Music Player” at the bottom right.
Larry
I would like to ask if it’s possible to get permission to use the image on this blog (the green one with ‘Church Music’) as the Facebook profile picture for a page I’m trying to create for my stake music calling. Thank you for any information you can offer.
Rebecca,
I’ve emailed you information about your question.
Larry
Hymn #249 “Called to Serve” in the English hymn book has only two verses however it the Spanish hymn book there are four. Can these extra verses in English be obtained?
Dennis, the approved version of the hymn only has 2 verses, as it appears in English and other languages. The Spanish was an exception, so the extra verses won’t be added to the English.
We attend a small branch with an organ that has pre-set hymns. Just push a button and the organist play perfectly! However, it has only a fraction of the hymns available. The stake music chairperson does not know if there is an update available. It would be fabulous if we could expand our selections.
Thank you.
Laura
Hi! In this article it says you can go to the church music site for help transposing songs. I didn’t see anything like that on the site. Is that resource still available? I’m the pianist and my congregation can’t hit an E above middle C at 9am. I’d like to transpose the Easter hymns to the key of A instead of playing them in C. If there’s something online that can do it quickly, I’d love it. Otherwise, I’ll see if I have time to write out the melody line and chords. Thanks!
You can transpose music using the interactive music player at https://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/the-morning-breaks?lang=eng
Find the hymn you want, and then in the black bar at the top of the sheet music, you can change the key.
Where can I get the music and lyrics to “heavenly Father (Ave Maria)?
Is there still an online way to transpose Church music to different key? Used to be able to, I believe. We need “I’m Trying To Be Like Jesus” a half step lower so the children don’t need to screech on the chorus high notes. Please advise where this tool may now be hidden so I can get this done as soon as possible.
Just go to https://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns?lang=eng and choose a hymn. In the black bar across the top of the hymn, you can select a different key.
Or https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook?lang=eng for the Children’s Songbook
I have a very arcane question about interpretation of the hymnbook and I’m hoping you all can help. This seems to have turned into a general thread for music questions, so I hope you don’t mind!
There are three hymns in which the lower voices sing a portion of each verse at a different rhythm, offset from the higher voices, and it is not part of a chorus in which the words are the same on every verse. These are 59/332 Come, O Thou King of Kings; 158 Before Thee, Lord, I Bow My Head; and 201 Joy to the World.
In two of these (158 and 201), it is obvious (and traditional) that the lower voices sing the same words as the higher voices in each verse. But in the other (59/332) it is awkward to do that in the fourth verse where it is necessary to clip one of the words — you have to sing “the heathen nay, the heathen nations bow the knee”. This makes me think that, just maybe, in that hymn the writer intended something different.
So what do people do? Do you sing “the heathen nay, the heathen nations bow the knee” even though it sounds odd?
Like I said, an arcane question of no consequence, but one that bugs me every time we sing Come, O Thou King of Kings!
Thanks for your thoughts!
Just called as ward music chairman and wanted to peruse some sheet music to be used for the groups in our ward but I can’t get any sheet music options to bring anything up on my computer. I particularly want the ‘Peace in Christ’ sheet music. I just filled our some comments pertaining to this in the Feedback section. The submit button will not work but the “Nevermind” button works right away! What am I doing wrong??
Annette, the Peace in Christ sheet music is at https://www.lds.org/youth/bc/youth/theme/2018/music/Peace-in-Christ-eng.pdf?lang=eng