Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NEW YORK #&8212; A rare hymnal containing the first printed music used in services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is set for auction at Christie’s this week.
“A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for the Use of the Latter Day Saints” was the first LDS hymnal with printed music, including the earliest musical setting of the popular hymn “The Spirit of God” according to Christie’s. It contains music for 48 hymns in total.
The first-edition hymnal, printed in 1844, is estimated to be worth between $30,000 and $50,000, its listing reads. It is currently owned by an anonymous New England collector, but will be sold Dec. 6 at Christie’s in Rockefeller Plaza. Only one other copy has appeared at auction since 1975, the auction house said.
The book is bound in brown sheep and marbled paper boards with its title gilded on the spine. Though it has some slight wear, it is a “fine, clean copy,” according to Christie’s.
Christie’s said the hymnal was likely used in a Mormon settlement in Peterborough, N.H. It was compiled by Jesse C. Little and george Bryant Gardner.
