History of Hymns investigates the inception and evolution of the hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The episodes include the history and progression of both the music and the text and feature interesting stories surrounding the creators and others involved in the development of a hymn. Also included are stories surrounding the performance or inclusion of the hymn in a variety of settings.
The history behind "Lord, I Would Follow Thee": "What emerged was a twelve-measure hymn unlike any other hymn in form or substance. The singer or listener will notice that the melody of the first two measures is simple reversed in order to create the melody for measures nine and ten, the restatement of the opening idea. This enables an expression of desire in the first instance, to become a commitment as it is repeated. The harmony supports the melody in a simple and uncluttered manner. Refinement of the music was accomplished a couple of days later and submitted before the deadline. The only question remaining was 'Who wrote that inspirational lyric?' When the answer finally came, I was delighted, but not surprised. Susan's lyrics had been similarly inspirational for other projects we had shared."
Listen to the hymn"Lord, I Would Follow Thee"
