Description

George Manwaring

George Manwaring was born March 19, 1854, in Cheshire, England. When he was nine his family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When George was seventeen his family emigrated to Utah. 

In his young years, George only had the opportunity to attend school for a “few weeks, but when he died at the age of thirty-five he was a well-educated man…. He took advantage of every opportunity to read good books, borrowing from his employer, and other books of every kind.”

As part of his course of self-education, George mastered penmanship, stenography, mathematics, and literature, but where George made his indelible mark on the ages was in music. It was said of him, “He was a music teacher of rare ability. Never having had a music lesson in his life, he was able to play piano, or organ, and to teach, all of which he did by ear. He traveled extensively over the state and in practically every ward in the state, taught the children music.”

In his adult years, George worked in the retail grocery business, but then came an opportunity where, “He was in the atmosphere he loved best.” He went to worked as a traveling salesman for Calder Music Company. While he rented a small second-story studio in Farmington where he would paint and compose songs, George traveled about Utah selling music. Speaking of his artistic hideaway, his daughter gave us this revealing glimpse, 

Early mornings would find him, head bent, walking slowly along the twisting path oblivious to the red and white apple blossoms in the surrounding orchards, his agile brain wrestling with the problem of rhyme and meter of poem and verse. Frustration often walked with him on these solitary sojourns. He felt, very keenly, at these times his lack of musical fundamentals. He had never had a music lesson in his life. But he was a gifted and talented man and the music of his poems, the depth of feeling personified in his songs, came not as a result of training, but from a reverent and grateful heart. He wrote many songs. Scarcely a Sunday passed that one or more of his compositions were not sung in church.

According to the family records, it was while George was traveling in Ephraim, Utah in 1878, that he was the guest of C.C.A. Christensen, the renowned pioneer artist. Christensen invited George into his studio and showed him his work titled, “The Vision,” a representation of Joseph Smith’s first vision. It made such an impression on George that he wrote the words and music to a hymn we sing today called, Joseph Smith’s First Prayer. George was only 24-years-old.

Then in March 1889, George was convicted and imprisoned on a charge of unlawful cohabitation, where he would serve four months in the penitentiary. He was released, June 12, 1889. Then, just 25 days later, on July 7, 1889, George died suddenly of pneumonia. He was only 35-years-old.

Gone in the “prime of life” but not forgotten. In addition to Joseph Smith’s First Prayer, we also sing these others of George’s hymns, 

• “Lord, We Ask Thee Ere We Part”
• “Sing We Now at Parting”
• “‘Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love”
• “We Meet Again in Sabbath School”

George may not have had what the world calls “education,” but verily, he knew that which was most important.

Sources:

https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/5390063?p=50371539&returnLabel=George%20Manwaring%20(KWJH-CJR)&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FKWJH-CJR

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Manwaring

Copyright Glenn Rawson 2022