Remembering
Joseph: We Who Press to the Path
By
Robb Cundick
Over
the past few decades we members of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints have become well acquainted with the
term sesquicentennial. The sesquicentennial celebrations
of the First Vision; of the organization of the Church and
restoration of the Priesthood; of the arrival of the pioneers
in Utah — all have blessed us with opportunities for remembrance
and renewal. But the year 2005 turns a new page in our commemorations:
the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Prophet
Joseph Smith is our first major bicentennial celebration.
Click to Enlarge
Joseph Smith's First Vision
Collection of the Museum of History and Art
Copyright © 1993 LDS Church
Since 2003
I have had a special reason to anticipate this event: two
years ago I was privileged to help my father, former Tabernacle
Organist Robert Cundick, in the
creation of a new musical work. I promised Scot and Maurine
that I would share this experience with Meridian’s readers, and thus at long last comes this article.
At
the time, Dad was among four composers who received commissions
from Brigham Young University’s Barlow Endowment for Composition
to write new works in honor of the Prophet’s birth. The
pieces were to be performed at a commemoration concert by
the musical organizations of the College of Fine Arts. Dad’s
piece would be for the BYU Singers. Mack Wilberg
would write for the BYU Concert Choir, Murray Boren for
the BYU Wind Symphony, and Stephen Jones for the BYU Philharmonic
Orchestra. The long anticipated concert is finally at hand!
It will be held the evening of Friday, November 18 in the
de Jong Concert Hall at BYU.
One of my
life’s joys has been to be an observer and fan of my father’s
musical achievements. Among my earliest musical memories
is a performance at BYU of a piece he composed in honor
of his five children. With a movement dedicated to each
of us, this work for piano and orchestra was called “The
Full House.” The title was a delightful play on words: after
all, with three boys and two girls, Dad and Mom held both
the valued poker hand and the literal “full house” we shared
in our home on Provo’s east bench.
Since then,
there have been many wonderful compositions and concerts.
But with Dad now approaching his eightieth year, such opportunities
are winding down. So this new commission was of special
significance and I was glad to have another opportunity
to watch him at work. But as it turned out, this time I
had the chance to do more than watch!
As Dad considered
how to proceed with his new composition he felt inspired
to confine it to just three essentials: the Prophet Joseph
(represented by a baritone soloist), the present-day Church
(represented by a chorus), and the Voice of Revelation (represented
by a solo cello). The piece would be an interaction among
the three; the text being a dialog between the present-day
Church and the Prophet.
When he
shared the concept with me I asked about plans for the text.
I didn’t mean to be dropping a hint. Although in the past
I had written lyrics for a couple of his short pieces, I
had no designs to be involved in such an ambitious work;
I was merely curious.
So it came
as a great surprise when a few days later he phoned to say
he had received approval to ask me to write a text.
My first thought was that perhaps my qualifications for
such an honor might be subject to question. But I knew I
would have regrets if I didn’t give it a try, and so I told
him I would be happy to.
The only
guideline Dad gave me was that he wanted the words of the
Prophet Joseph to be taken from his actual writings, so
I began by purchasing a copy of “Personal Writings of Joseph
Smith,” compiled and edited by Dean C. Jessee.
As I soon learned, there are drawbacks to such a comprehensive
volume: it included everything Joseph had written
(either by his own hand or as dictated to a scribe) and
subjects ranged from the profound to the trivial. As a result,
some of it made for rather laborious reading. Dad is always
single-minded when he takes on a project and so I was not
surprised when, after waiting a few weeks, he became impatient
and asked me to hasten my efforts. By then I had made it
through about two thirds of the book and had highlighted
every sentence I thought might be useful.
Click to
Enlarge
The Robert
Cundicks, Junior and Senior
As I took
stock of what I had so far I noted such a variety in subject
matter as to leave me at a loss to envision the kind of
dialog Dad had in mind. Though there were many inspiring
phrases, how could I weave them together into a conversation
that would make sense? Then, as I thumbed through the book
again I was drawn to the first chapter and the very first
section I had highlighted — the Prophet’s first known personal
writing.
His subject
included the First Vision, but it was not the account from
the Pearl of Great Price that is so familiar to us; it was
penned several years earlier in 1832. I read it several
times and found it to be heartfelt and very moving. It was
not as detailed as the later version and critics have made
much of the fact that many of the details mentioned in the
Pearl of Great Price are not present. But it was clear to
me that this was meant more as summary of his experiences
over a period of years. He did not focus specifically on
the First Vision.
Here were
broadly-painted descriptions of his youthful thoughts and
feelings: his concern for the state of mankind and his own
personal standing before God; the thoughts that motivated
him to eventually approach the Lord in that first momentous
prayer.
There
were lyrical — almost poetic — qualities in his observations
of the world around him. The sun, moon and stars, the creatures
of the earth, and how his perceptions made him feel about
his place in the world and about God's designs for mankind.
And there
was another reason it was particularly appropriate: Joseph
often used a scribe, but words that were written in his
own hand were set in bold type in the book. The words in
this chapter were bolded and so I knew there was no doubt
they were his own; there was no possibility of a scribe
having not quite gotten things right.
I knew at
once that these words would provide a rich source of ideas
and images upon which to base a “conversation” between the
modern-day Church and the Prophet Joseph. How do we feel
about these themes, given the insights we have gained from
him? What feelings do we have in common with those he has
expressed? What elements from the present are similar to
the world of his time? What things have changed? These were
questions I asked myself as I began to write.
As I thought
of Joseph’s legacy, naturally it was the Book of Mormon
that first came to mind. And as I considered the Book of
Mormon, I thought of Lehi’s dream of the Tree of Life, which has always been one
of my favorite parts. The mental pictures evoked by the
dream began to stimulate ideas for the text: the path with
the iron rod; the river of water and the mists of darkness;
the mocking calls from people in the great and spacious
building; the joy we feel as we partake of the precious
fruit. All these are so true to life’s actual experience.
In this
1832 narrative I saw Joseph Smith embarking upon the path
leading to the Tree of Life. When he walked to the grove
of trees to call upon the Lord he was “seeking the gate”
that leads to that path. Joseph has completed his journey.
He led the way for us, and now it is our turn to “press
to the path.”
When I completed
the text and passed it on to Dad he was very pleased. He
shared it with Dr. Ronald Staheli,
conductor of the BYU Singers, who also expressed approval.
But after considering it for several days, Ron did have
some concerns about various details. I was very grateful
for his input. His critique helped me transform the rough
draft into something much more artistically pleasing than
when it began. I am also indebted to my wife, Laurel, for
showing me that if I did not provide more background at
the beginning, our listeners might not immediately catch
on to what I was talking about.
Dr. Ronald
Staheli, Conductor of the Brigham Young University Singers
After these
refinements, Dad went right to work on the music. He didn’t
have to look far for inspiration. In the front entry of
his home hangs a linoleum cut block
print of the First Vision. It is the work of his friend,
Warren Luch. Entitled “Forces
of Light & Dark,” it won the Church’s International
Art Competition in 1990. Dad thought about how — like like
his concept for the musical work — this impressive black
and white print consists of just three simple elements;
in this case: light, darkness, and the Prophet Joseph. He
felt that he wanted his composition to portray such stark
contrasts while still remaining simple and spare.
As he worked,
he would first kneel in prayer at the piano bench, and thereafter
he could feel the musical inspiration flow. He commenced
composing during the Thanksgiving weekend of 2003. Working
intermittently, he completed the score on January 13, 2004.
It was exciting to hear him play it on the piano, but we
were in for a long wait to hear a real performance.
Last week,
Dad and I finally got that opportunity when we drove to
Provo for a rehearsal. Fellow Mormon Tabernacle Choir singer
Shane Warby will be the soloist
representing the Prophet Joseph. Julie Bevan,
principle cellist of the Orchestra at Temple Square, will
play the solo cello; so I immediately felt I was among friends.
As
we listened to words, music and performers join together
for the first time, the result was thrilling. As I told
the singers afterwards, the words began in my heart as I
prayerfully responded to the writings of the Prophet. But
Dad’s beautiful music has elevated them beyond their humble
beginnings. And the pure, sublime voices of the BYU Singers
with sensitive direction from Dr. Staheli brought them back to my heart with a spiritual impact
that had been multiplied exponentially.
Click to Enlarge
Brigham Young University Singers
I
share the text below, but to read it is only a beginning.
One must listen to those beautiful young voices sing Dad’s
heavenly music in order to feel its true impact.
I am eagerly
awaiting the performances not only our piece, but those
of Brothers Wilberg, Boren, and Jones. There will also be listening opportunities
for those who cannot attend the concert; it will be videotaped
for later broadcast on BYU Television, KBYU Television,
and KBYU-FM. Below is the broadcast schedule, however as
these dates near, you should double check the programming
schedules at http://byubroadcasting.org
as I am told there is a slight chance the dates and/or times
will change:
