Wilberg's "Requiem" has some of the elements of traditional works, but it doesn't have the hell fire and damnation, the "Dies Irae," of some of those earlier works. "Mine is more in the tradition of Brahms and Faure," he says, "composers who preferred to offer comfort."

He takes text from the Bible for other sections, and he also uses a mixture of Latin and English, which is also something popularized by 20th-century composers. It makes it more accessible, he says. "Latin is beautiful and has become something of an international language, but there is also something about singing in your native language that has meaning."

The CD also features several other Wilberg choral compositions. "They are in a similar vein. The main issue is to bring comfort. In this day and age, we need all the comfort we can get," he says.

He has similar hopes for the "Called to Serve" collection. "Even missionaries get discouraged at times," he notes. "We wanted to share with them feelings of hope, of pressing forward. We wanted to lift their spirits."

The genesis of this collection was a bit different, says Scott Barrick, executive director of the choir. "Our partners at Deseret Book came to us and said they thought it would be nice to have a project focused on missionary work. Of course, our first focus is the LDS market. There are so many missionaries out there. But there are missionaries of other faiths, as well. Anyone who shares our love of God and our joy in his gospel may be touched by these songs."

What many people don't realize, Wilberg says, is that a lot of the hymns in the LDS songbook are not of LDS origin. Songs such as "Called to Serve," "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go" and "How Firm a Foundation" have all been adopted into the LDS faith.

This CD, the 14th released on the Tabernacle Choir label since it was created in March 2003, is actually a compilation album containing a number of previously recorded songs that fit the theme. But there are four newly recorded Mack Wilberg arrangements, as well.

Wilberg has always been known for his arrangements. He particularly loves arranging American folk hymns because "the material is so good," he says. But doing an arrangement is a complex process that involves a lot of intangibles. "A lot depends on who and what you are arranging for," he says. "All you need is one good idea. When I teach classes I tell them that two ideas are often one too many."

Those ideas seem to have been born and bred into Wilberg, who grew up in mining towns of eastern Utah. "I was playing the piano by ear when I was 4. In those days, every home had a piano, and I just started playing it."