When I think of A cappella groups I usually think of a male group, maybe an intermingled group with a couple of girls, with a lot of low voices and noises to make the base beat. But for the A cappella group BYU Noteworthy, this is not the case. Brigham Young University’s group BYU Noteworthy consists of nine females, all of which are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The group started out in 2004 and has blossomed ever since.

The BYU Noteworthy group released a new music video in which they are singing “Be Thou My Vision,” and are accompanied by Keith Goodrich on the violin. The video was released two weeks ago and is so stunning that it has already received over 80,000 views. The reason for having some parts with the violin in the background – just for this specific hymn – is to make the hymn sound more Celtic-like.

Celtic music comes from countries such as Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, each in Europe. This Celtic theme brings about a level of ancestry into the hymn and reminds us of our ancestors who made the sacrifice to come over to America, where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could be restored to its fullest measure. The remembrance brought about from watching the music video brings about a sense of gratitude to everyone’s ancestors who sacrificed to come over here because sacrifice is the ultimate sign of love.

What surprised me most about this song is how low the women’s voices actually can go, and the ranges that they all have. It is amazing to me that such an incredible and breath-taking song can be sung and compromised of only voices, no instruments needed to make you feel the music and be drawn in.

The music video portrays the women in Celtic looking clothing and hairstyles. It also shows a countryside that looks very much like the heritage of Celtic music. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. A very sweet part of the video is when the women are pictured in the landscape placing flowers into each other’s hair. This creates a feeling of warmth and compassion, which fits well with the hymn.

The sound they gave to his hymn really makes you want to listen to it over and over again. One comment on YouTube reads as such, “This…This is ear candy! Thanks ladies for creating such a beautiful rendition of a beautiful song! I love you guys. I wish there was something like [it] in my area.” Another comment that is very adorable and shows the heritage of the song says, “Loved this. Played this at our wedding, so this song is special to us. We met in Ireland so we wanted one of the hymns played to be an Irish hymn during our ceremony.”

Hymns are prayers to the Lord, and they bring the spirit and peace to anyone who listens to them. I felt the spirit as I listened to BYU Noteworthy’s rendition of Be Thou My Vision. The lyrics are very soothing and relatable to almost all I am sure. Parts of this hymn go as such: “Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word; I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord. Thou, my great Father; thine own may I be, thou in me dwelling and I one with thee.” This hymn is truly about drawing closer to our Heavenly Father, feeling His love, and being guided by Him.