LDS Witness
Remarkable Inspiration / Ideas

Crawford Gates — Divine Guidance in Musical Composition

Published October 25, 2026 at 5:33 PM

1920s
Various
Crawford Gates

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Crawford Gates, a prolific Latter-day Saint composer, attributed his success and the inspiration for his nearly 900 musical works to divine assistance. He maintained a consistent practice of kneeling in private prayer before beginning any new musical piece to ask the Lord to bless his work, viewing his creative output as a result of these blessings.

In Their Own Words

“I never start a piece without kneeling down in private to ask the Lord to bless my work. — Crawford Gates, as quoted in Utah Stories”

Sources & References

Utah Stories, 'Crawford Gates – Prolific Composer' (https://utahstories.com/2015/12/crawford-gates-prolific-composer) (research confidence: high)

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Filed under

Remarkable Inspiration / Ideas1920sUSA

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Similar miracle types and stories from the 1920s.

Adele Cannon Howells — Commissioning of the Arnold Friberg Book of Mormon Paintings(1951)
Ferdinand F. Hintze — Divine Guidance Regarding a Colony in the Near East(1889)
Marion D. Hanks — Spiritual Discernment in Stake President Callings(1970s)
Cyrus E. Dallin — Spiritual Impact of the Angel Moroni Statue(1893)
Heber J. Grant, John Henry Smith, unnamed friend, unnamed daughterHeber J. Grant's Answered Prayer and Prompting regarding a child with diphtheria(1920s)
Bishop Isaac P. Thunnel's Guided Return to the Tabernacle Pulpit(1925)

Questions about this account

Who was involved in this account?
The account involves Crawford Gates. Each person named here also has a witness page collecting the other accounts involving them.
When did this account take place?
The account is set in the 1920s.
Where did this account take place?
It took place in Various.
What kind of miracle is this?
It is filed as a Remarkable Inspiration / Ideas account reported in USA.
Where does this account come from?
Utah Stories, 'Crawford Gates – Prolific Composer' ( (research confidence: high). The full source citation appears in the Sources section below, with links to the original where available.

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