Welcome

I arrange hymns on the piano in my spare time. These songs are completely free and are here for you. The only thing I get out of doing this is the hope that other people will enjoy it. As I am LDS (aka mormon), a number of my arrangements are specific to my faith. However, I also have a number of arrangements of other traditional hymns that are common among most Christian denominations. If you like what you find here, please share this website with your friends. Also, please leave comments. It's the only way I know if you enjoy it or not.

DOWNLOAD MY HYMN ARRANGEMENTS BELOW FOR FREE

Joseph Smith Medley



Download Music Now (.mp3)

Download Sheet Music Now (.pdf)

In this arrangement, I chose these three hymns to depict three distinct and defining times of Joseph Smith's life: "Joseph Smith's First Prayer", "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief", and "Praise to the Man".

"Joseph Smith's First Prayer" was written in 1878 by English LDS convert George Manwaring (1854-1889). Manwaring wrote this hymn after seeing a painting depicting the first vision that was deeply moving to him. The text of this hymn is set to the music "Divinity" by American composer Sylvanus Billings Pond (1792-1871), who died prior to the text's composition. The version of "Divinity" used in LDS hymnbooks is actually an adaptation by A.C. Smith (1840-1909), with some slight variation from the original music of "Divinity". (1) The full text and music in SATB format for this hymn can be found here.

"A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" was a favorite hymn of Joseph Smith's and was sung to him by a friend just moments prior to his murder at the hands of a mob (see martyrdom for details). It was written in 1826 by James Montgomery (1771-1854). It was originally written as a poem titled "The Stranger" and was not intended to be set to music. Sometime after this, a devout English Methodist Preacher named George Coles (1792-1858) set Montgomery's words to music, creating the hymn "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief". (2) The full text and music in SATB format for this hymn can be found here.

"Praise to the Man" transitions to the time beyond Joseph's death. It was written in 1844 by LDS convert W.W. Phelps (1792-1872). Phelps wrote this hymn in honor of Joseph Smith shortly after his martyrdom. Notably, for a time Phelps left the LDS church and declared himself an enemy to the Prophet Joseph Smith. In 1840, Phelps returned to the LDS Church. In asking Joseph Smith if he could forgive him, Joseph replied "Come on, dear brother, since the war is past. Friends at first, are again friends at last". (3) The music of this hymn is from a popular Scottish folk song. The full text and music in SATB format for this hymn can be found here.



83 comments:

  1. This is my faviorite! I have a cd from my mission with it and 3 other songs of yours. im excited i can get more now. I am going to add a Link to your site on mine this week

    ReplyDelete
  2. http://taylorsculpture.com/Links.aspx
    if you want to see the link i added for you on my page

    ReplyDelete
  3. i love playing your arrangements!!! If you have a more in music form i would love to play more. Or if you have them in book form i would love to buy the book!! you are a and amazing!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks! I'm sorry I don't have more of my arrangements written out, but it is something I am working on.(Slowly though, it unfortunately takes a long time for me.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi - we don't know you, but my husband and I are friends with the Gwilliams here in Baltimore. They told us about your music last night so we decided to check it out. We must say that you are very talented and we loved listening to all your songs. Thanks for putting them on your blog for all of us to enjoy. We're looking forward to your CD to come out in the future :). Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I just keep saying this AWESOME song! We love all of them!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is my favorite. I'm sitting here listening to your arrangements while trying to work on a talk for stake conference. I've listened to this Joseph Smith Medley so many times now. Its beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  8. My sister in law and I are singing words to this arrangement in sacrament meeting next week and it gives me goosebumps listening to it. I hope people can feel it as powerfully as I have. Thank you for sharing your talents.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I absolutely love this arrangement. I am planning on playing it during sacrament meeting soon. Please continue writing music and please continue to post the sheet music! You have a beautiful gift, and God bless you for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow! great job. I've been trying to find a good arrangement to learn and this one is amazing!

    Oh! and thanks for making them free! =D

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the song! When I first heard your music i though "wow, those are awesome arrangments! but i don't know if i can get the sheet music to learn them..." Then i found your blog which has all of your music! Thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Absolutely beautiful, thanks for making this available! So inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This arrangement is amazing. I wish I could play just a beautiful. What a wonderful spirit comes from this music. Very well done!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is really cool to have such a pretty hymn arrangements for free. Thanks so much! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. A young woman played this medley in Church on Sunday and it was stunning. I didn't even know she played the piano! I asked what arrangement she used and she said it was something she got off the internet. I went searching and found your site. I am now sharing it with everyone I know who plays the piano.
    What talent! Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  16. You are so amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your talent and for bringing the spirit into you music. I can't wait for more of your sheet music to become available. Thanks again for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  17. ahhh!! this is absolutely fantastic. i'm so excited to try it out. thanks for sharing your amazing talent with us all!

    ReplyDelete
  18. i love your music. im learning piano and my bishop wants me to play something, and i would like to use one of your arragements.

    ReplyDelete
  19. i learned this piece (thanks for making the sheet music available) I just recently played it in sacrament meeting. Everyone loved it! Lots of people asked who the arrangment was by.

    Just thought you would appreciate knowing that your music is being played where you cannot hear and being enjoyed by many people you don't even know.

    PS. I've been waiting anxiously for the "we thank thee...for a prophet" piece. hopefully you'll get some time to make the sheet music available for that piece.

    ReplyDelete
  20. AMAZING!!! you are truely a talented person!!! thanks SOO much!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. This is an amazing arrangement. I can actually hear my talented young women and a couple of young men, singing with this in my mind. imagine SATB along with this!

    ReplyDelete
  22. This is a moving, amazing arrangement. In my mind I can hear our Young Woman and Young Men singing with it it SATB. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  23. My daughter is on a Mission in NY and has been asking me for music. This will definatly fit the bill!
    Thanks, Nan Phillips

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is an amazing arrangement! Thanks for sharing your talent with everyone. I have tears in my eyes because your music has touched my heart! Thank-you again!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I would love for my 14 year old daughter to play your arraignment of Come Come Ye Saints. Any chance the sheet music is in your future plans?

    Thanks for the Joy.

    PS: Would you mind if I make a cd to give to a members of my ward?
    How would you like the label to read?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Richard:

    I do hope to write out the sheet music for "Come Come ye Saints" someday... but I honestly don't know when that will be. I'm hopeful I can get it done before next June / July.

    Also, please feel free to share my music with others. Whenever I label CD's, I just label it "Hymn Arrangements by Spencer Mangum".

    ReplyDelete
  27. Love this! A girl in my ward played this today in sacrament and I just had to download the mp3. It's wonderful. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I have been looking for a song to play in Seminary. We are studying D&C and I was as excited as I am on Christmas that I found the Joseph Smith Melody. The first time I listened to it and got goosebumps and I could feel the Spirit so strongly. Thank you so much for taking the time to create these beautiful arrangements. I hope to buy your book/cd in the future! :-) May God bless you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Wow! I love these arrangements. What a gift you have for composing these. Thank you for sharing it. My daughter has been in piano lessons for 8 years and is always hesitant to play in sacrament but loves your arrangements. Thank you for the spirit that her practicing them in the home brings. Audrey

    ReplyDelete
  30. I am so loving your Joseph Smith Medley. Thank you so much for sharing your talent. I am the choir director for my ward and am currently looking for this song for SATB. Do you by any chance have the words in there? I am not a good music reader but can feel and hear the music. This is just right but how do I transfer it to a choir for sacrament meeting? Thanks for sharing your talents again and I look forward to hearing from you.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I love this song! I love them all actually! My internet is really slow where I am at right now, but I still downloaded ALL of these songs. I love them all! I am preparing to serve a mission in the next couple months and these are definitly coming with me....

    ReplyDelete
  32. Absolutely in love! We're going to add words and sing it as a Seminary Choir in Sacrament meeting! Thank you SO MUCH, your work is beautiful and amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I played this in church today in honor of Joseph Smith's martyrdom anniversary tomorrow. It is a beautiful arrangement and I had multiples comments on the wonderful spirit it brought. Thank you so much for arranging it!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Oops! That was supposed to say "multiple comments". I also played this arrangement for my piano teacher (that I took lessons from forever ago). She said she is very picky about arrangements, but she loved it! Thanks again for your tremendous talent!

    ReplyDelete
  35. this is an awesome piece. i was able to play it in sacrament meeting and i got a lot of compliments on it

    ReplyDelete
  36. This is BEAUTIFUL! Thank you so much for the link. I can't wait to learn it!!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Thank you for offering your music here for all of us to enjoy. I'll definitely be coming back for more! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I've been looking for music like this - thank you! I love listening to it and playing it. Many thanks for many hours of listening enjoyment :)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thank you for taking the time to make your music available. I love it all.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I'd like to leave a big THANK YOU for writing this music. I'm 17 and I've played the piano for 10 years. This has been one of my very favorite songs! I had the opportunity to play this in sacrament a few weeks ago. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Afterwards, I was even asked to come to a different ward and play it. I have loved learning this song, and can't wait to learn more.

    ReplyDelete
  42. This is absolutely beautiful! I can't wait to learn it! Thank you for sharing your talents with us!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Amazing! Both your talent and generosity are overwhelming. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  44. I just found you from Pinterest.

    I hope you are richly blessed, ten fold, for sharing your amazing talents with all of us.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Thank you for writing this music. I played it as a special musical number in my church just last week and got lots of comments on how great the music sounded. The best part was that I was able to touch one of my priest advisors in a way he only felt on his mission. Thank you for writing music with such a powerful spirit in it!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Thank you so much for taking your time to share your talents with the rest of us! Can I make a request for "Because I Have Been Given Much" and "Come thou Fount"...they would be great to have with the upcoming Thanksgiving season. Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Thank you so much for sharing your talent. You play beautifully. I found your site through pinterest and I'll be sharing it myself.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Just found you site! Thank you so much for the beautiful music:)

    ReplyDelete
  49. Just found your site through Pinterest. You are amazing! Thank you for sharing your talent :)

    ReplyDelete
  50. Beautiful! I love this one! I just started following you, cannot wait to hear more!

    ReplyDelete
  51. Spencer, I randomly came across this via Pinterest. Nathan and I are in heaven listening to your music again. We have such fond memories of you playing in the Bronx. So talented!

    ReplyDelete
  52. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  53. These are beautifully arranged songs. Thank you! I have been practicing these to play in church.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Amazing talent! These are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Amazing talent! These are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Thank you for sharing your talents! I love listening and am excited to try some of these arrangements myself.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Beautiful! I'm sharing this site with the talented piano players in my ward hoping to hear some of these in sacrament! :)

    ReplyDelete
  58. This is an amazing song, I asked one of my friends to play it at a Helaman's camp (a camp that prepares young men for their missions).

    ReplyDelete
  59. My husband is playing this in Sacrament meeting this Sunday. I have loved listening to it the past few months as he prepares. Thank you for giving us this beautiful music in our home.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Thank you Thank you Thank you! I can't even tell you how long I have been looking for music like this!

    ReplyDelete
  61. Thank you so much. This is almost exactly what I heard in my head when I was playing these songs. All I can say is this is truly a blessing. Thank you so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Well put together, thank you. 3 of my favorite hymns in one :)

    ReplyDelete
  63. I love your Joseph Smith medley and have enjoyed practicing it for a year now. Thank you for sharing your incredible talents!

    ReplyDelete
  64. I heard this played in a sacrament meeting when I was out of town visiting. It brought tears to my eyes. I love this medley. I am going to ask someone to play it in my own ward.

    ReplyDelete
  65. This arrangement has been my go to piano piece in sacrament meetings. I have played it in student wards in college, and in family wards now that I am married. It is absolutely perfect to play, and easy to connect with. Thank you for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
  66. Thank you so much. I love all of your music.

    ReplyDelete
  67. I love this arrangement- thank you so much for sharing it so it can touch many more people who hear it.

    ReplyDelete
  68. My 15-year-old son played this song at sacrament meeting in 2 wards the Sunday before Joseph Smith's death anniversary. I read your introduction to the song on the pulpit before he played. Thank you for helping us bring the Spirit to our meeting.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Is this beautiful medley available as a choir SATB piece?

    ReplyDelete
  70. Thaks for your music. I use it in our familysearch video.

    ReplyDelete
  71. I love this arrangement so much! Seriously, the spirit is ridiculously strong. Thanks for making it easy to find the music I need!

    ReplyDelete
  72. I love the Joseph Smith Medley. I think that this is what I'm going to try and tackle in response to President Nelson's challenge to make this next G.C. special

    ReplyDelete
  73. I truly love your music and arrangments. i wish i could play!! thanks for sharing your talents. super generous and kind.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Thank you for sharing your music with us for free. Wondering what permissions come with it? I feel like if I perform this song I should have permission, or pay a royalty or something?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kelli! As long as you aren't using it for commercial use, you have my complete permission to use / perform my arrangements. There are no royalties or fees. Enjoy!

      Delete
  75. Great Job Spencer!! Thank you for sharing your arrangements and taking the (sometimes tedious) time to write it all down so others can enjoy playing them!! Keep up the great work!

    ReplyDelete