Like pioneers, 'Saga has a musical history

Any way you look at it, the story of the Mormon pioneers is one of the great epics of the American West. Over the years it has been looked at in many ways: Words have been written, songs have been sung, dances have been danced.

A new project sponsored by the Sons and Daughters of Utah Pioneers brings all these elements together in one heartfelt package featuring music by Robert Cundick, poetry by Edward L. Hart and dance choreographed by Virginia Tanner and Christine Ollerton.

The combined one-disc CD/DVD had its beginnings long before either of those technologies were available. Back in the early 1960s, Cundick had set the words of "To Utah" by Hart into a choral arrangement and had also composed "Woman the Pioneer" for a modern dance Tanner was doing for the Seattle World's Fair. But both works have been little-heard-of since then.

Last fall, Cundick's wife, Charlotte, was finishing a term as president of the Canyon Rim Company of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and she challenged her husband to make an equal contribution to the Sons of Utah Pioneers in honor of his own pioneer heritage.

"It was kind of a dare," he says with a laugh. But Cundick, organist emeritus with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as well as a composer and former music professor at Brigham Young University, began seriously thinking about it. He remembered his two works from 40 years ago and began to explore possibilities. He asked Roger Miller, senior musicologist at the University of Utah School of Music, to write commentary for an accompanying booklet. Lloyd Carr, musician-owner of Carr Printing, and audio-visual specialist Glen Glancy and others were brought on board. Both DUP and SUP organizations pledged support, and the project became a reality.

Putting it all together has been a labor of love and donation by all involved, says Cundick. All proceeds from "The Mormon Pioneer Saga," which sells for $24.95, will go to future production costs, so it will be a self-perpetuating enterprise. (Distributed by BYU Creative Works, it is available at Deseret Book and other retail outlets.)

"It is our gift to the memory of the pioneers," says Cundick. "It is through memory that their story stays alive."

Looking at the pioneer story through artistic eyes is a good way to understand what it means to people — both the participants and those who share its legacy, says Miller.

"The experience of any individual or group is so small compared to the overall experience. Some were burdened with all kinds of difficulties; some found an adventure, a lark."