Utah pioneer music was a sophisticated and cosmopolitan blend of European tradition and local ingenuity that went far beyond simple folk tunes or choral hymns. While early settlers are often associated with rustic campfire songs, archival discoveries demonstrate a thriving culture of brass bands, theatrical orchestras, and virtuosic instrumental performances. From the recovery of a lost march once thought to be buried in the Salt Lake Temple capstone to the complex arrangements used in the Salt Lake Theatre, these scores demonstrate the high technical standards maintained in Latter-day Saint settlements. In this interview, BYU trumpet professor Randy Lee explains how he is reviving these forgotten 19th-century manuscripts through his Legends of Deseret project.
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Legends of Deseret
— The album Legends of Deseret originated from the discovery of rare 19th-century manuscripts in Utah archives, expanding on existing scholarship by reconstructing and recording music from the sophisticated, previously unpublished instrumental and brass band traditions of early Latter-day Saint pioneers.
What led to the creation of the album Legends of Deseret?
The album grew out of my earlier recording project, Echoes of Zion, which explored the music traditions of early Latter-day Saint communities. While researching that project, I became fascinated by the role that musicians and various ensembles, including brass bands, orchestras, and other ensembles, played in pioneer society, but at the time, very few original manuscripts were known to survive.
While visiting Utah from Florida, I began searching archival collections and discovered a remarkable body of original nineteenth-century music at the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum and the Church History Library. These sources included manuscripts and performance parts connected to the Salt Lake Theatre Orchestra or early Utah brass traditions. Legends of Deseret was created to bring this rediscovered music back to life through transcription, editing, and modern performance.
During this process, I was hired by BYU as their trumpet professor, and I applied for and received a generous Eliza R. Snow Grant that enabled me to record the album and a series of videos for this project. I was also very fortunate that I was able to coordinate with my wonderful new colleagues to record with the BYU Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestra, Wind Symphony, Brassworks and friends, and smaller faculty ensembles. It took all of 2025 to record and edit the music, but I think it was worth the effort.
How does your work in Legends of Deseret complement the work of other music historians?
It seems much of the scholarship on early Latter-day Saint musical culture—such as the work of music historian Michael Hicks—has focused on hymnody, choral traditions, and the broader cultural development of music in Utah. When I first ventured into this area, I actually consulted with Michael Hicks, as I had no knowledge of this world other than that I knew the Nauvoo Brass Band existed. The question that led me down this path was, “What happened once they went out west?”
I think my work complements that scholarship by focusing on what I could record—instrumental repertoire, particularly the cornet and brass band traditions that were central to nineteenth-century musical life in the Mountain West. By locating, reconstructing, and recording previously unpublished works by composers such as C. J. Thomas and George Careless, this project expands the available primary sources and provides performers and scholars with new material that deepens our understanding of pioneer musical culture.
Utah Pioneer Music
— Driven by European converts and local ingenuity, Utah’s 19th-century music scene was a surprisingly sophisticated mix of orchestral dance pieces, brass bands, and complex theatrical scores—highlighted by the remarkable reconstruction of the “lost” 1892 Salt Lake Temple Capstone March.
What was the music scene like in Utah Territory in the nineteenth century?
Despite the geographic isolation of early Utah settlements, the musical culture was surprisingly vibrant and sophisticated. Because it was difficult to obtain music from the eastern United States before the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, many musicians composed and arranged their own works locally.
The musical culture was surprisingly vibrant and sophisticated.
Brass bands, orchestras, choirs, and dance ensembles were common in pioneer communities, and music played an important role in civic celebrations, religious services, theatrical productions, and social gatherings. Professional musicians who had converted to the Latter-day Saint faith emigrated from Europe and helped establish a strong musical foundation in the territory. As a result, Utah developed an active and surprisingly cosmopolitan musical life on the American frontier.
What are some of the pieces of Utah pioneer-era music you recorded, and why are they significant?
The recording includes a wide range of rediscovered works connected to the Salt Lake Theatre Orchestra and other pioneer ensembles. These include orchestral dance pieces by C. J. Thomas, such as The Geranium Polka and The Victoria Redowa, brass band works such as Schottische de Venise and The Bridal Wreath Quadrilles, and theatrical music associated with early productions in Salt Lake City. I also reconstructed works from incomplete archival sources, such as The Saints’ National Anthem, which survives only as a single cornet part.
Each of these works offers insight into the musical life of early Utah and demonstrates the technical sophistication of the musicians who lived and worked there.
Can you tell us about the discovery of the Capstone March for the Salt Lake Temple? Why was such a significant piece of music lost to time?
One of the most remarkable rediscoveries for me was C. J. Thomas’s Capstone March, composed for the 1892 capstone ceremony of the Salt Lake Temple. The Salt Lake Herald describes the performance of the march:
[John] Held’s band then rendered the Capstone march in very excellent style. This march is an original composition by Prof C. J. Thomas and is very creditable.
Salt Lake Herald, April 7, 1892.
Tens of thousands of people attended the ceremony, and the original score was believed to have been placed inside the temple’s capstone (the ball that Moroni stands on), along with other historical artifacts.
When the capstone was opened during the 2020 renovation of the temple, the materials inside had been severely damaged, and no score was identified. Fortunately, a surviving manuscript score exists in the Thomas collection at the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum, which allowed the work to be reconstructed and recorded for this project.
Bryant Smith should be given credit for the discovery during his work on his 2012 dissertation, Mormon Brass Bands, which also has a lot of great information on the pioneer music scene and includes a transcription of the march for modern Wind Band that he graciously supplied me with. I didn’t know about his work until I found it along with other music I could record. We recorded the march with the BYU Wind Symphony under the direction of Shawn Smith.
This is all fascinating because a dissertation by William Purdy in 1949 titled, The Life and Works of Charles John Thomas, catalogued the C. J. Thomas music that was in the DUP and indicated that this piece was missing. How did it get there if it is supposed to be lost or damaged in the capstone? I really don’t know, but I’m glad we have it.
How did it get there if it is supposed to be lost or damaged in the capstone?
Thomas’ Capstone March is the third and only surviving temple Capstone March in existence. William Pitt, leader of the Nauvoo Brass Band, wrote and performed one for the Nauvoo Temple capstone ceremony. Domenico Ballo, Italian convert, clarinetist, and former bandmaster at West Point, also wrote one for the Salt Lake Temple, but due to over forty years passing before the temple was completed, a new march by Thomas was composed.
Early pioneer music is often associated with simple folk tunes or choral hymns. How does the discovery of complex scores for the Salt Lake Theatre Orchestra change our understanding of “Pioneer Culture”?
The discovery of these scores reveals that musical life in pioneer Utah was far more sophisticated than the popular stereotype suggests. The Salt Lake Theatre Orchestra performed operatic excerpts, orchestral dance music, theatrical scores, and virtuosic cornet solos. These works required skilled musicians and demonstrate that early Utah communities maintained connections to European musical traditions. Rather than a purely rustic or folk culture (which also existed), the evidence suggests that the pioneers intentionally cultivated a rich artistic environment that included both sacred and secular music.
George Careless and C. J. Thomas
— English-born musicians George Careless and C. J. Thomas utilized their elite London training to professionalize Utah’s early music scene, institutionalizing high standards for the Tabernacle Choir and Salt Lake Theatre while integrating European classical traditions into the heart of pioneer culture.
Who was George Careless?
George Careless was an English-born violinist, composer, and conductor who immigrated to Utah in the 1860s after studying at the Royal Academy of Music and performing in London. He became one of the most influential musicians in early Utah and was appointed to lead both the Salt Lake Theatre Orchestra and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He also has nine hymns in the current 1985 green hymnal, including #1 – The Morning Breaks.
What was Careless’s role and impact on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and other music institutions in Utah?
Careless was tasked with establishing high musical standards for the choir and orchestra and helping lay a foundation for serious musical culture in Utah. Brigham Young charged him,
Brother George, I have a mission for you. I want you to be chief musician of the Church. I want you to take the Tabernacle Choir and the Theatre Orchestra and lay a foundation for good music in Utah.
Putnum, “George Edward Percy Careless: His Contributions to the Musical Culture of Utah and the Significance of His Life and Works”, p. 14.
Under his leadership, the choir and theatre orchestra developed a strong repertoire that included major sacred works such as Handel’s Messiah (first complete performance in 1875). His work helped institutionalize musical training and performance standards that influenced the development of Utah’s musical life for generations.
Who was C. J. Thomas?
Charles John Thomas was a horn player, composer, and conductor who emigrated to Utah from England in 1861 after joining the Church a decade earlier.
Before immigrating, he had performed with major musical organisations in London and around England. He also participated in large-scale Bach and Handel performances at the Crystal Palace.
After arriving in Salt Lake City, he became the founding director of the Salt Lake Theatre Orchestra and later served as conductor of the Tabernacle Choir. Later in life, Thomas served as a sort of Tabernacle custodian, giving tours, led the Salt Lake Temple Choir, and did the temple work for many of the famous composers.
What was the impact of Thomas and Careless on Latter-day Saint hymnody?
Both composers contributed arrangements and musical leadership that shaped the development of sacred music within Latter-day Saint communities. As stated earlier, Careless has nine hymns in our green hymnal. Thomas also wrote some hymns, but they are not in our current hymnals.
Beyond hymnody itself, they helped establish a broader musical culture that integrated sacred and high culture traditions, including orchestral performances, theatrical productions, and instrumental music associated with church events and civic celebrations.
Thomas and Careless were both English-born musicians. How did their European training clash or harmonize with the rugged conditions of nineteenth-century Utah?
Their European training actually became an enormous asset in the developing frontier society. While the conditions in Utah were rugged and resources were limited, these musicians brought professional training, compositional skills, and knowledge of European repertoire. Because importing music from the eastern United States was difficult, their ability to compose, arrange, and organize ensembles locally allowed them to build a thriving musical culture in the territory. They also taught music lessons, as well as many others, elevating singing and basic musical skills for those early pioneers. One of Thomas’ students was Heber J. Grant.
One clash was when George Careless took over as director of the Theatre Orchestra from CJ Thomas. At the time, the orchestra was entirely volunteer and lacked the skill set and discipline to perform the music to Careless’ satisfaction. Careless sent word to Brigham Young to see about paying the musicians in the orchestra, as dedication, attendance, and “no pay, no play” sentiments were rising. The compromise was to reduce the orchestra to seven paid professionals with a list of rules which, if broken, resulted in fines.
Recording Process
— Modernizing these nineteenth-century scores required complex “musical archaeology,” as Randy Lee transcribed and orchestrated original manuscripts written for obsolete instruments to authentically revive works that were previously unpublished and unheard for over a century.
As a trumpet professor, what were the technical challenges of interpreting these nineteenth-century scores? Did you have to make “translations” for modern instruments?
Many of the manuscripts were written for instruments that are no longer in common use, such as ophicleide, saxhorns, saxtuba, and brass instruments pitched in unusual keys (cornets in A-flat, trumpets in D-flat, horns in G-flat). Preparing the music for modern performance required transcription, editorial reconstruction, and orchestration so that the parts could be played on modern instruments while preserving the original musical intent. In some cases, only a single surviving part existed, so additional musical material had to be reconstructed to create a complete score.
In your previous work, Echoes of Zion, you focused on tributes. How does Legends of Deseret differ now that you are working with original manuscripts?
Echoes of Zion was primarily a tribute project that recorded the same or similar melodies in period-appropriate settings. Although there was no use of original manuscripts in that recording, every attempt was made to record the same melodies that were performed and heard, just in a modern but period-informed setting.
In contrast, Legends of Deseret is based directly on original manuscripts discovered in archival collections. This project, therefore, represents a deeper level of historical research, involving the recovery, transcription, and recording of previously unpublished works that were actually composed and performed in early Utah (and London before being brought over).
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About the Scholar
Randy Lee is an Associate Professor of Trumpet at Brigham Young University and a versatile professional performer whose career spans orchestral, commercial, and historical music. His academic research focuses on the technical reconstruction of nineteenth-century brass traditions and the “musical archaeology” required to bring archival manuscripts back to life. Through his Legends of Deseret project and the album Echoes of Zion, Lee has spearheaded the restoration of scores originally composed for the Salt Lake Theatre Orchestra. His expertise is supported by a Doctor of Musical Arts from Arizona State University and a performance history that includes the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Orchestra at Temple Square. He was also an Associate Professor of trumpet at the University of Florida before his time at BYU. By combining his rigorous training with primary source research, Lee offers a sophisticated perspective on the instrumental complexity and cultural legacy of Utah pioneer music.
Further Reading
Explore more From the Desk articles about Latter-day Saint music:
- The Bells at Temple Square: The Tabernacle Choir’s World-Class Handbell Ensemble
- Jenny Oaks Baker and the Sound of Music
- How Did Tracy Y. Cannon Shape Latter-day Saint Hymnbooks?
- What Happened to the Nauvoo Bell?
- Emma Smith’s Role in Shaping the ‘Elect Lady’ Revelation (D&C 25)
Utah Pioneer Music
Read what top scholars and publishers say about music in nineteenth-century Utah:
- Legends of Deseret: A Collection of Rescued Pioneer Music (Tantara Records)
- Pioneer Music Brought to Life by BYU Professor and School of Music Ensembles (BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications)
- Mormonism and Music (Legacy)
- Pioneer Bands and Orchestras of Salt Lake City (BYU Theses and Dissertations [PDF])
- The Lehi Brass Band (Utah Historical Quarterly)
