M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Our Days Renewed as of Old
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Nauvoo
by Robb Cundick

“Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.”
“Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.”
— Lamentations 5:2, 21

Surely the first of these two verses reflects the thoughts of early church members as they left Nauvoo, and the second has been the prayer of every succeeding generation of Latter--day Saints.  Oh that we could return to beautiful Nauvoo; that the Lord would renew our days as of old!  Whether or not we trace our ancestors there, we have all shared the pain of the heartbreaking story.  The announcement of the restoration of the Nauvoo Temple fulfilled a dream we had hardly dared to dream and now, once again we have a spiritual home on the banks of the Mississippi.  As I reflect upon the Tabernacle Choir’s experiences at the dedication this past weekend, it seems that the temple has invited our longstanding wounds to be healed as we see Nauvoo with new perspective

Throughout our trip, the experiences of our ancestors were on our minds, and it felt like we were helping to complete a circle begun long ago.  The choir has always traced its beginnings to the first choirs that sang in the Salt Lake Valley – starting when the pioneers arrived in 1847.  But now that we have had the chance to look west once again from Nauvoo, we realize that our roots go back even farther – for those who reached the valley did not wait until the end of the journey to sing.  They sang around campfires all the way across the plains, and they sang in Nauvoo.  I did some research and discovered that the journal of pioneer Mary Richards tells how she attended a choir practice at Winter Quarters.  Stephen H. Goddard directed the choir, and Mary remarked that this was their first meeting since the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple.  (See: Mary Richards Journal in Maurine Carr Ward (ed.), Winter Quarters, The 1846--1848 Life Writings of Mary Haskin Parker Richards, 103).  Brother Goddard later became the second conductor of the early Mormon Tabernacle Choir so it seems likely that some of those early Tabernacle Choir members sang at the temple dedication in Nauvoo.  How fitting, then, that the choir was invited to participate in the dedication of the rebuilt temple.

The first contingent of the choir arriving at Quincy Airport.

Arriving in Illinois
Because the full Tabernacle Choir could not be accommodated in the temple, we were divided into four 80--voice choirs which would rotate, singing at ten of the thirteen sessions (local choirs sang at the others).  Brother Jessop decided the fairest way to choose the opening session choir was to base it on length of service; and with twelve years in the choir, I squeaked in.  We arrived at Quincy airport on Wednesday, the day before the dedication sessions began (others would arrive on Thursday and Friday).  With four choirs on separate schedules, the logistics were more complicated than for any previous tour.  Each choir had to be in different places at different times.  Gary Cannon was my roommate, but since he was in a different choir I rarely saw him – one or the other of us was always up and gone before the other awoke.

Seeing the Temple
Thursday was a day of much emotion.  It took about an hour to drive north to Nauvoo from our motel in Quincy; and that hour was filled with anticipation.  It reminded me of childhood excursions to Manti, Utah, where my forefathers helped to build another temple.  As Dad drove the car up the Sanpete Valley, Mom would occupy our attention by challenging my brothers and sisters and me to see who could first spot the spires of the Manti Temple.  I can still remember our excitement as someone cried, ‘there it is!” and we thrilled at the glorious sight of the sun shining upon its twin steeples.  Such was my feeling when we rounded a curve of the Mississippi and someone said, “There’s the temple!” 

Just after we arrived at the temple, I managed to capture this picture of Elder and Sister Packer.

The Temple!  Standing once again on that great bend of the Mississippi river where it has always remained in paintings and dreams.  Its majesty grew as we neared Nauvoo until, as the bus entered the streets of the old part of the city, we looked up to see it dominate the view as it had for our forefathers. 

This day was completely devoted to preparing to sing at the opening session.  The bus unloaded across the street from the temple at the Joseph Smith Academy.  We put our things in an auditorium, and then rushed outside to gaze at the temple.  After a quick lunch we donned our performance clothing, posed while Gerry Avant of the Church News took a photo on the front steps, and made our way inside the temple to the first floor assembly room for a rehearsal.

The Rehearsal
Walking into the temple felt like taking a step back into history.  We would not see most of it until later in the week, but the assembly room was more than enough to fill our hearts with rejoicing.  We wanted to memorize every detail of that glowing room, which felt so pure and holy even before its dedication.  Elder Russell M. Nelson was with us for the rehearsal, and offered a beautiful prayer in which he invoked an apostolic blessing upon us, the rest of the Tabernacle Choir, and our families at home (we were not able to have family with us on this trip).

We had prepared three separate sets of music for the temple – this would provide variety for President Hinckley and General Authorities attending multiple sessions.  All three conductors (Craig Jessop, Mack Wilberg, and Barlow Bradford) took turns leading different sessions.  Each conductor led a particular set of pieces but wasn’t always paired with the same choir, so all of the choirs needed to memorize all of the music.  Thursday afternoon was the only opportunity any of the choirs would have to rehearse inside the temple, and since each conductor wanted to check balances between choir and accompaniment, we rehearsed all eleven numbers.  By the time Brothers Wilberg and Bradford finished, we were tiring, but Brother Jessop wasn’t about to let us relax.  He was conducting the first session and so things intensified when he stepped before us.  We all felt such great responsibility to do our part to make this uniquely special, sacred historical occasion the very best it could be.

Three of the hymns for the opening session, “Come, Come Ye Saints,” “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief,” and “Praise to the Man,” had been set in reverent new arrangements by Mack Wilberg.  They were so beautiful and appropriate for the temple, but also included soft unison sections that would quickly expose faulty pitch, failure to stay together, or mistakes in remembering the words.  We needed to be on our toes, and Brother Jessop worked us very hard, demanding our highest efforts.

We were given a break before the session, and we walked over to the Hotel Nauvoo for our nicest meal of the trip.  Too bad I was too nervous to enjoy it very much!  On my return I made a complete circuit of the temple, wanting to relish the sight from every angle.

The Opening Dedicatory Session
The gifts of the Spirit described in the scriptures are many and varied, and so it is with some hesitation that I describe my experience in the dedication service.  Mine is but one perception in a sea of millions; for I hope most of the members of the church were able to attend the dedication either in person or via broadcast.  Choir member David Bowers, in a prayer following the afternoon rehearsal in the temple, spoke of a spiritually charged feeling in the room, and that feeling had multiplied by the time we returned.  A testimony borne by tenor Mark Olsen drew attention to what I felt to be its source.  [Mark was to sing the solo for “Joseph, the Seer,” a special request from President Hinckley. Brother Jessop asked him to share his feelings before we went in.]  He spoke of remembering our ancestors; how we were standing upon the shoulders of so many that had sacrificed so much.  Brother Jessop followed with a beautiful prayer in which he asked that angels attend us as we sang.

As we took our places I had the feeling that everything in the room was spiritually connected.  This feeling remained throughout the service, and I thought about how to describe it.  The best I can come up with is that the space seemed filled with a tangible substance; like still water, only much lighter and purer, and crystal clear.  It seemed to wrap me like a warm blanket.  Singing in that atmosphere felt transcendent; I hope that we were able to give voice to the unity and joy in that room – to translate in sound what we felt in spirit and thereby make the experience more complete.  It felt like that was what happened, and even more so when all joined in singing, “The Spirit of God” at the end of the “Hosanna Anthem”.

I was standing right behind Mark Olsen as he sang “Joseph, the Seer”.  Didn’t he sing beautifully?  His voice was so strong and clear.  Afterwards I asked him about his feelings and he told me what a great responsibility he had felt to do justice to a piece so beloved by President Hinckley.  To sing in this dedication was the greatest privilege he’d ever had, and he worked hard so he would be ready and the Spirit could magnify his efforts.  When the time came, the Spirit enveloped him like a warm blanket (exactly the words that came to me as I thought to describe our experience).  He felt completely at one with Brother Jessop and with those who have passed to the other side of the veil.  Mark has soloed with the choir many times and I have never heard him sing better.

To walk out of the temple with that sacred spiritual feeling; to see the smiles of those standing outside; to look to the west and see an orange sun fading into the haze over the Mississippi River; and then to turn around and look up at the steeple of the temple is a sequence of events I’ll never forget.  I remember remarking, “I still can’t believe it’s back!”  In the days that followed I heard repeated comments about of the wonderful spiritual feelings the other choirs experienced in their sessions.  My choir sang a second session on Friday afternoon, again feeling great warmth and gratitude.  But this time I couldn’t linger outside the temple; we hurried to board busses for Quincy where the whole choir would be together to sing a benefit concert that evening.

Walking in Quincy, I saw this sign and wondered if things might have been
different had the Saints seen such a warning on their way to Missouri!

The Quincy Concert
Everyone who is up to snuff on their church history will remember Quincy, the Mississippi River town that offered refuge to the Saints fleeing Missouri in 1839.  If Friday night was any indication, Quincyans haven’t changed much in 163 years; we were received with friendship and graciousness.  The concert was held in the beautifully restored Morrison Theater, which is the auditorium of a former high school (built in the 1930’s – it’s now a junior high).  It seated 1700 people and – even at $45.00 a ticket – was completely sold out.  For the first time ever, it was air--conditioned.  A temporary system had been set up in trucks outside, and the air pumped in through large, flexible ducts.  For once I didn’t feel badly about high ticket prices (which unfortunately seem to be a necessity on our tours); this time all of the proceeds went to the Quincy Area Community Foundation as a gift of thanks for the kindness of their ancestors those many years ago.

This recently installed monument next to the Mississippi river
commemorates the welcome the Saints received there.

President Hinckley made an appearance to officially present the proceeds to a committee including the Mayor of Quincy, though he teased that he hadn’t brought a check (the money was already in the bank).  He quickly won over the audience with his characteristic warmth and humor; even after a full day of dedication sessions, he appeared fresh and sharp.

But do you know what was the very best thing about that concert?  Singing with the whole choir again!  Those 80--voice “sub--choirs” were fine, but not the same.  We had really missed each other, and the joy of our reunion flowed through our voices.  The choir was in top form; the audience seemed to love every minute of it.  We could tell that most of them were not members of the church because few were singing along at the conclusion when invited to join us for “God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again”.  Afterwards I heard several in the choir say things such as, “The people of Quincy are so friendly.  I’ve found it wherever I’ve gone in the city!”

Choir members listen to details about Joseph and Hyrums' martyrdom outside the Carthage Jail.

A Heritage in Nauvoo
Depending on our various schedules there were opportunities to see significant historical sites.  I believe everyone got a chance for an excursion to Carthage, where the tour guides surely listened to more renditions of “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief” in the upper room of Carthage Jail than they’d ever heard in a single day.  We all had some time to wander the immaculately restored buildings of old Nauvoo, maintained by our church and by the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS), with whom we share much spiritual heritage.  One of the choirs even had time to go to Springfield to see sights connected with Abraham Lincoln. 

My youngest brother David and his family were in Nauvoo to pick up their missionary son Dustin.  They took my brother Tom and wife Betsy (both members of the choir) for a ride to the site of Yelrom, a settlement founded by our ancestor Isaac Morley who joined the church in Kirtland.  Yelrom was burned by a mob, and Brother Morley and another ancestor, Frederick Walter Cox, lived for a short time in Nauvoo before heading west. (They later helped found Manti, Utah which I mentioned earlier on).  I was sorry to have missed connecting with Tom and Dave.  Another ancestor, Burr Frost, was a blacksmith who travelled with the original 1847 pioneer company.  We went to the land and records office in Nauvoo and looked up the location of the plot where he had lived as a tenant. 

Choir member Cindy Doxey's ancestor ran this shoe shop. (Cindy's inside -
sorry I didn't get a shot of you coming out, Cindy!).

I am sure much of the choir can relate such stories.  When I visited the restored George C. Riser shoe shop in old Nauvoo, choir member Cindy Doxey was just coming out, thrilled to have seen where her ancestor lived and worked.  I walked up the street to the Browning Gun Shop and there stood choir member Mike Browning, who showed me a picture of his grandfather standing in front of the shop on the way home from his mission.  When, at the Quincy concert, Lloyd Newell asked all choir members who stemmed from ancestors who had lived in the Nauvoo/Quincy vicinity to stand – about 85% of the choir rose to their feet!

A historical sight: the choir tapes Music and the Spoken Word in front of the Nauvoo Temple.

Music and the Spoken Word
I was glad there was one more event in which the whole Tabernacle Choir could participate – the taping of “Music and the Spoken Word” in front of the temple on Saturday evening.  The day had been extremely hot and humid.  We started at around 7 p.m. and for a while the sun was in our faces and the heat nearly insufferable, but fortunately things got better as the sun went down.  A large crowd had gathered (I estimated perhaps two or three thousand).  I hope they weren’t disappointed, because the only effective way to work things in the open air is to have us sing to a prerecorded track.  But surely, more than anything else, the thing that made waiting around in uncomfortable weather worthwhile was the historical sight: the Mormon Tabernacle Choir arrayed in front of the Nauvoo Temple; a sight that no one but Gordon B. Hinckley ever dreamed of seeing just a few years ago.  The awe of that sight was reflected in the eyes of our conductors, who could not refrain from turning their eyes upwards to the temple as we performed.

My final sight of the temple. How glad we are that this time we can go back!

Then, afterwards, the perfect climax for the choir: we were divided into small groups and given a tour of the entire temple.  I can only say that pictures cannot do it justice.  As we walked through each sacred room, we saw everywhere the loving attention to detail that makes this a temple of temples.  And surely it should be, for this temple does indeed renew our days as of old, paying homage to the sacrifices of those who have gone before, and especially to the Prophet Joseph Smith, who gave his life for his testimony of the gospel revealed to him by our Savior Jesus Christ.  Though the bus drivers were anxious for us to hurry back, we did not want to leave, but kept turning around for one last look – again, as our forefathers must have done.  But this time we know that we can come back; this time we leave with happy thoughts and fond memories.  No longer need the wounds of the past remain open.  The sacred temple at Nauvoo stands once again, a spiritual home renewed!

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