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New Hymnbook / Children’s Songbook update

Apr 15, 2019

Here’s the latest information I have on the new Hymnbook and Children’s Songbook that are currently in the works for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

First, here are links to the FAQs for both the Annual Submission and the Hymnbook / Children’s Songbook Submission.

You will find places where the FAQs are unclear or contradict each other, so be patient. This project is a huge undertaking.

I’ve tried to de-conflict or clarify some of those places here–with considerable help from the lovely-and-talented-but-overworked-so-I’m-not-including-her-email-address Church Music Manager. 😉

Comments and Suggestions:

The project has received thousands of comments and suggestions, with more anticipated.

Input from members is still welcome. Use this form for suggestions or comments. (If you’re worried about “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” don’t be. “In Our Lovely Deseret” may not fare so well.)

The comment/suggestion form fields are small, but there’s a handle on the lower right to make them larger. You may want to use an offline text editor, then copy/paste your comments. Just in case.

Submitting Original Works

Original works may be submitted here through July 1, 2019.  You will need to sign in using your LDS Account login.

You may submit up to five compositions in each of four categories: Hymns; Hymn Texts; Children’s Songs; and Children’s Song Texts, for a total of 20 submissions. Yeah, you read that right. (This is one area where the FAQs conflict, but yes, the submission tool is set up to accept a total of 5 in each of the four categories.) HOWEVER…

For original Hymns or Children’s Songs that include both text and music, you do NOT need to submit the text and music separately. They will automatically be considered both together and separately.

For submission that are music only (without text), use the “Hymns” or “Children’s Songs” categories as appropriate.

 Hymnbook/Children’s Songbook submissions replace the Hymn, Hymn Text, and Children’s Song categories in the Annual Music Submission for both 2019 and 2020.

There will inevitably be more worthy submissions than can be included in the books. Any submissions not selected for inclusion will be eligible for the Annual Submission in future years.

With one exception, submissions that have been recognized in past years do NOT need to be resubmitted for consideration. (This is misstated in one of the FAQs.) The exception is those that were awarded “special recognition.”

Miscellaneous…

The books are expected to take several years to complete. (Any statement beginning “When the new books come out later this year…” will provoke amused laughter.)

Many works that are not included in the printed books will be available in the digital library. (For example, since the printed books will be used world-wide in many languages, national anthems will not be included in the printed book, but may be made available in the digital library.)

Before you ask, no, I’m not on the committee. If I were, I wouldn’t have time for this. 🙂

 

Again, here are the FAQs for both the Annual Submission and the Hymnbook / Children’s Songbook Submission.

Specific questions that aren’t covered in the FAQs can be sent here:

Hymnbook and Children’s Songbook Submission: newmusic@churchofjesuschrist.org
Annual Church Music Submission: musicsubmission@churchofjesuschrist.org

They get rather a lot of questions so…

…need I say it?

…dare I ask it?

…will it do any good?

Check the FAQs first!

One final thing: Due to technical difficulties, the deadline for this year’s Annual Music Submission has been extended to April 24. If you have music you intended to submit but thought you missed the deadline, you’ve been granted a reprieve. 🙂

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Handy info…