Reid Neibaur Nibley (5 January 192325 February 2008) was an American

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and music educator. He wrote the words and music to the

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

"I Know My Father Lives". Nibley was born to Alexander Nibley and his wife Agnes Sloan. He was the younger brother of

Hugh Nibley Hugh Winder Nibley (March 27, 1910 – February 24, 2005) was an American scholar and an apologist of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who was a professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) for nearly 50 years. He was a ...

. He had another brother, Richard Nibley, who was also a music educator. Nibley's ancestry was

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and

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish. Nibley was raised mainly in the Los Angeles area, where he was friends with

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

, also a youth at the time. They would jointly write the music and scripts of roadshow productions of area youth groups of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."Today in the Bloggernacle", June 8, 2012
/ref> Nibley became involved in music while still a child. He made his debut with the Glendale Symphony Orchestra at age eleven, and performed as a soloist with the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

at age 17. He was the principal pianist for the

Utah Symphony Orchestra The Utah Symphony is an American orchestra based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The orchestra's principal venue is Abravanel Hall. In addition to its Salt Lake City subscription concerts, the orchestra travels around the Intermountain West serving c ...

for ten years. Among Nibley's later instructors were Leroy J. Robertson and Gyorgy Sandor. Nibley was a professor at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

, the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

The University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

and

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU). At BYU, Nibley also held the position of pianist-in-residence. Among Nibley's students at BYU was

Kevin Kenner Kevin Kenner (born May 19, 1963 in Coronado, California) is an American concert pianist. Biography At the age of 17, Kenner was a finalist at the X International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Ten years later, in 1990 he returned to Warsaw ...

. Nibley married Marjorie McBride in 1947 and they had six children: Stephen, Breta, Richard, Garn, Virginia, and Jonathan. Marjorie died in 2000. In 2001, Nibley married Nona Gallacher. Nibley's hymn "I Know My Father Lives" is in both the

Primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

Children's Songbook The ''Children's Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' is the official songbook for children in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was first published in English in 1989. These songs are for the ...

'' and the 1985 hymnal of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. In 1998, a CD of some of Nibley's works, ''Quiet Classics: Piano Meditations'', was released. Nibley also wrote at least one sonata.

References

"Obituary: Reid Neibauer Nibley"
''

Deseret Morning News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'', 2008-02-28, p. B07 * ''

Church News The ''Church News'' (or ''LDS Church News'') is a weekly tabloid-sized supplement to the ''Deseret News'' and the ''MormonTimes'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is ...

'', September 15, 2001 {{DEFAULTSORT:Nibley, Reid N. 1923 births 2008 deaths American male composers American Latter Day Saint hymnwriters American people of Scottish descent Brigham Young University faculty Michigan State University faculty University of Utah faculty American music educators Piano pedagogues University of Michigan faculty American people of English descent 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American composers American male pianists 20th-century American male musicians