William Clayson was a Latter-day Saint hymnwriter who wrote the music of "The Day Dawn is Breaking"; "Nearer, Dear Savior, to Thee"; "O Thou Rock of Our Salvation"; "The Iron Rod" and "Oh, What Songs of the Heart

Oh, What Songs of the Heart

"Oh, What Songs of the Heart" is a Mormon hymn, the text of which was written by Joseph L. Townsend, a Latter-day Saint poet who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. The music was written by Latter-day Saint musician William Clayson...

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Clayson was born in England. He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1855. In 1859 he served as branch president in Irchester

Irchester

Irchester is a civil parish and village in the county of Northamptonshire, England. It is about 2 miles south-east of the town of Wellingborough and 2 miles south-west of Rushden, and equidistant from London, south, and Birmingham, to the north-west...

. In 1861 he emigrated to Utah, settling in Payson, Utah

Payson, Utah

Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,716 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Rick Moore, who in the 2009 election was the first write-in candidate ever to defeat an incumbent mayor in...

. He married Susan Moulton in Utah who he had become engaged to before leaving England. He was associated with the LDS Sunday School in Payson, and all his hymn tunes were written as accompaniments to words by Joseph L. Townsend

Joseph L. Townsend

Joseph L. Townsend was a writer of many Latter-day Saint hymns.Townsend was born in Canton, Bradford County, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Ohio, Kansas and Missouri. Townsend studied at the University of Missouri. He came to Salt Lake City in 1872 to try and improve his health. While there he...

, who was also associated with the Sunday School in Payson.

Sources

• J. Spencer Cornwall
  J. Spencer Cornwall
  Joseph Spencer Cornwall was a conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the mid-20th century.Cornwall was born at Mill Creek, Utah Territory....
  
  . Stories of Our Mormon Hymns. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1975. p. 73.