Gospel Principles

By Michael D. Young

Some of the greatest hymns are closely linked to passages of scripture. For example, the song “Press Forward, Saints” in the current hymnbook is based directly on a passage from 2 Nephi 31:20. In this case, the author took the message and even some of the exact wording from the scripture and created a hymn that has been sung in sacrament meeting and general conference. In fact, it was specifically written because there were not enough hymns based on passages from the Book of Mormon.

Adapting a passage of scripture, however, presents its own unique challenges. There is a delicate balancing act between maintaining the message and themes of the original scripture while still creating a text that conforms to the conventions of rhyme and meter. Every adaptation is going to look a little different, but there are several guidelines that could help you craft your gospel masterpiece.

Looking for Themes

Before you start writing, take the time to read the scripture carefully, pray, and ponder the meaning of the passage. Listen to the promptings of the Spirit and see what parts of the passage stand out the most. With this guidance, look for key phrases or words that could serve as the basis for the song’s lyrics or chorus. These phrases will help tie the song to the scripture and make it more memorable. Often, an entire song idea can grow from a single important word or phrase. For example, if you read Amos 3:7, you could take the phrase “His servants, the prophets” and write a text based on that phrase.

Using Exact Wording vs. Paraphrasing

You will want to consider how much of the scripture you want to use word-for-word and how much you want to paraphrase. Both of these methods can be successful.

Consider Handel’s timeless work Messiah. The majority of this oratorio adapts the scriptures exactly. For example, Handel builds an entire chorus on this well-known scripture: “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world” (See John 1:29). He uses all of the words exactly. Then again, many composers have created songs based on the 23rd Psalm, where they paraphrase the words but keep all of the ideas intact. A good example of this is called “Brother James’s Air.” Listen to it here.

Thinking about Perspective

If you decide to paraphrase, consider the point of view. Are you writing from a first-person perspective? This puts you in the shoes of the speaker, whether it is a prophet or another scriptural character. Some texts are written from the perspective of the Savior. This can result in personal, insightful texts, but you also need to be careful to write these respectfully. You can also write from your own perspective or as a third-person observer. Sometimes it makes sense to try your texts from different perspectives to see which you like best.

Using Repetition for Emphasis

Repetition is a powerful tool in songwriting and can be used to reinforce the key theme of the passage. Consider repeating certain phrases or words throughout the song to help drive home the message. One good example of this is the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Even the title repeats the main theme. The hymn uses the refrain “holy, holy, holy” when talking about God throughout the hymn, which ties the whole text together. Listen to this hymn here.

Considering the Audience

When writing the song, consider the intended audience. Will the song be used in a worship setting or for personal reflection? This will help guide the tone and style of the song. Is it something you see being presented in sacrament meeting, or would it fit better in a fireside or on a youth album? When in doubt, read the text to others and ask them if it is appropriate for the intended setting.

You also want to make sure the language is at the level of your audience. Sometimes scriptural language can be confusing because it uses words that are not common today. When adapting the scriptures for a younger audience, ensure that you use clear, simple language that children will understand.

Using Attributions

Whenever you paraphrase a scripture or quote from it directly, you should attribute it on your sheet music. Most of the time, it is enough to say “based on” or “inspired by” and then give the scripture reference. Looking up the reference can help the listener understand the text better and gain a deeper understanding of the original passage.

Bringing Listeners Nearer to God

President Spencer W. Kimball once said, “Some of the greatest sermons that have ever been preached were preached by the singing of a song.” (Hymns, ix.) When adapting the scriptures into songs, you are accessing a powerful delivery system that can help the doctrines of Christ reach deep into people’s hearts. Well-crafted songs have the power to inspire and change lives, and there is no better foundation for these songs than the scriptures.

He Shall Prepare a Way, an opera premiered in Provo in 2022, dramatizes the story of Lehi’s family procuring the Brass Plates and departing into the wilderness. All three performances of the new opera were met with at-capacity crowds and standing ovations.

On paper, however, the opera should not have happened at all.

The show was hosted not in a top-notch performance venue, but on a tiny stage in a church cultural hall. The funds came not from ticket sales nor grant money, but from dozens of personal donations. And the composer should not even have had the time to write it.

The story of the making of He Shall Prepare a Way teaches us 5 powerful lessons about launching creative projects in the Lord’s way.

Lesson 1: Go and do what the Lord commands—even when it seems “a hard thing”

In early 2018, CJ Madsen, a music major at BYU, was in the thick of orchestrating and directing rehearsals for a work based on 3 Nephi named One Fold, One Shepherd. His wife had just had their second child. It was then that a BYU opera professor approached CJ and said, “You know what would be cool? If you wrote an opera about Nephi getting the Brass Plates.”

Audibly, CJ responded, “Oh, yeah, cool idea!”

Inwardly, he was thinking, “AAAAAAAA!!! Composing another massive musical work is the last thing I want to think about right now.”

But God had other plans.

The idea kept weighing on CJ’s mind. A couple months later, CJ saw the Church’s film Days of Harmony, about Joseph Smith and the translation of the Book of Mormon. CJ recalls, “As I saw Joseph muster the faith to put in the time and energy to translate the Book of Mormon—in the midst of farm work, a growing family, building a home, and opposition—the Spirit rocked my soul, and I knew I needed to do this opera.”

Lesson 2: If God tells you His timing, follow it

Over the next year, CJ intermittently wrote a third of the opera. Then in July 2019, he and his wife felt strongly impressed that he needed to finish the remaining 14 songs by the first day of school—in 4 weeks. Through many early-morning composing sessions, he did it.

With the score completed, CJ assembled a cast of 40 singers to perform a concert reading (singing only, without acting or props). Some numbers were only rehearsed once or twice before the performance, a remarkable feat considering the opera is packed with sudden key changes, non-Western scales, and 7/4 time signatures.

The cast performed to a full BYU recital hall in October 2019. The concert reading test-ran the opera and gathered invaluable feedback for refining the score and libretto.

Six months later, Covid-19 shut down every performance venue for 2020 and 2021. Had CJ ignored God’s timing and delayed the composition process, the pandemic would have set the opera back by several years. 

Lesson 3: Harness the power of personal connections

By the summer of 2021, CJ had revised the opera and was ready to finally put on a fully staged production. To do so, he would need to assemble a cast of 26 highly skilled opera singers, 14 chorus members, and 26 orchestra players, in addition to a team of techies, ushers, seamstresses, and videographers. All would need to be experts in their role and willing to give dozens of hours of volunteer time.

CJ gathered his team purely on the power of personal connections.

“If you’ve done anything with music at BYU, then you know CJ,” a close friend explains. “In his eight years at BYU, he has accompanied, sung in, or directed every choir at BYU. He’s accompanied dozens of instrumental recitals and opera rehearsals. But more than that, he knows your name. He remembers who you are. And he’s always excited to see you, even if you were just somebody in that one class that one semester.”

When it came time to assemble the cast, CJ sent dozens of personal emails, inviting friends and connections to fill specific parts. His team included BYU students, alumni, friends, family, ward members, friends-of-friends, and even a couple strangers that he met on BYU campus and invited on the spot to join him.

Lesson 4: Share your vision and invite people to support you

As CJ and his wife, Samm, faced the daunting goal of producing a staged opera, they decided they needed to fundraise all the money needed before production started.

How would they raise the money? Rather than grants or an online Kickstarter campaign, CJ turned to his strength in piano performance. He planned a series of 20 piano concerts in the homes of friends and acquaintances, where he would take requests, play classical and pop favorites, share some of his opera, and ask for donations. The home concerts would serve the added purpose of raising awareness and excitement for the opera. And because each host would invite their circle of friends and neighbors to attend, CJ could reach people he never would have reached otherwise.

The home concert series faced initial setbacks, but word began to spread. Donations began to come in, and miracles continued. CJ recounts: “One woman, not even a member of the Church, asked to meet with Samm and me privately after a home concert. She explained she had received a large inheritance and wanted to give us $7,000 dollars.”

Between this and hundreds of other donations, CJ eventually fundraised over $30,000 for the opera.

Lesson 5: God will prepare miracles to overcome setbacks

“The title He Shall Prepare a Way is perfect for this opera,” CJ’s wife, Samm, reflects. “Whenever we would face an obstacle, we would just take a step back and say, ‘God will prepare a way.’ And He would.”

Below are just two of the many obstacles and corresponding miracles in the production process:

• Orchestrating the opera: CJ’s only available time to orchestrate the 2-hour work was in the early mornings of fall 2021. But with three kids in their two-bedroom student apartment, a sleeping family member occupied almost every room in the apartment. “Most of my writing came at 4 am, in our bathroom,” CJ recalls. “Most of the time I never touched the piano as I orchestrated. I count it as another miracle that I was able to make any of that orchestration work without piano help.”
• Finding a venue: “We scoured Utah Valley looking for ideal locations,” CJ recalls. Every place they contacted was either not available or too expensive. They started looking into church buildings but had trouble getting permission to take over a cultural hall for several weeks. “The thought came to do it at OUR meetinghouse. At first, we laughed. Our meetinghouse? It was half the size of normal church stages, there was hardly any lighting, and there wasn’t any backstage. How in the world could we do that? But the Spirit insisted.” Thanks to CJ’s (you guessed it!) personal connections with stake leadership, he procured the needed permission, and the building ended up meeting their needs in many unexpected ways.

After miracle after miracle, the opera premiered on April 7–9, 2022. Because all the expenses had been covered by fundraising, the opera was made available for free. Tickets for all three nights “sold” out, with dozens of people waiting in standby lines to get in. 

After the opera each night, the projected subtitles displayed a three-word phrase: Soli Deo Gloria. This was an expression used by composers such as Bach and Handel to signify that a work was produced for the sake of praising God: “Glory to God Alone.”

Conclusion: God will prepare a way to do what He commands

During the writing, revision, orchestration, and production of He Shall Prepare a Way, CJ and Samm Madsen learned the same principle that Lehi and his family learned 2623 years ago:

The Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

When we are willing to do what the Lord commands—even when it is hard—and we are willing to do it in His timing, then He will give us the relationships, the support, and the miracles to overcome every setback to make it happen.

He will prepare a way!