“For my soul delighted in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.” —D&C 25:12
Latter-day Saints havelong dominated the classical Billboard charts. But this week, Latter-day Saints have claimed three of the top 10 spots on multiple Billboard charts.
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On the New Age Albums chart, The Piano Guys' album Limitlessonly recently fell from the no. 1 spot to the no. 2 spot after ranking on the Billboard chart for an incredible 42 weeks. Just below The Piano Guys (which consists of Latter-day Saints Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson, Paul Anderson, and Al van der Beek) is Paul Cardall, claiming the no. 3 spot with his new album, Peaceful Piano. And in the no. 4 spot is Camille Nelson, sister to The Piano Guys' Steven Sharp Nelson, and her album Sacred Lullabies.
While it is unusual for siblings to appear in the top five on a Billboard chart, what makes the Nelson siblings remarkable is that their albums appear in the top ten of three Billboard charts.
On the Classical Crossover Albums Billboard chart, The Piano Guys and Camille Nelson appear alongside Andrea Bocelli and Gérald Caussé, the presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Gérald Caussé and Nicolas Giusti's album of hymns and inspirational music, Joyful, reached no. 1 on the Classical Crossover Albums and Classical Albums Billboard chart and has been in the top 10 on both for 17 weeks. Currently, Joyful sits at no. 5 on the Classical Crossover Albums chart and no. 9 on the Classical Albums chart.
The Piano Guys' Limitless also peaked at no. 1 on both the Classical Crossover Albums and Classical Albums charts and currently holds at the no. 2 spot in each while Camille Nelson's recently released Sacred Lullabies has climbed to the no. 4 spot on the Classical Crossover Albums chart and the no. 8 spot on the Classical Albums chart.
When it comes to uplifting music, there's no doubt Latter-day Saints are dominating the industry. And there is no doubt faith plays an important part in their success and understanding of the power of music. As President Russell M. Nelson shared in a 2008 fireside for young adults:
"Remember, music has power to provide spiritual nourishment. It has healing power. It has power to facilitate worship; it allows us to contemplate the Atonement and the Restoration of the gospel with its saving principles and exalting ordinances. Music provides power for us to express prayerful thoughts and bear testimony of sacred truths."
Elder Bruce R. McConkie also bore testimony of this truth when he said:
“Music is given of God to further His purposes. Sweet melodies mellow the souls of men and help prepare them for the gospel. After men receive the truth, songs of praise to Deity help to sanctify and cleanse their souls.”