Son of Melba and Weldon Bastian, he was born on October 22, 1936, the eldest of seven siblings. He was raised in the Spokane, Washington, area and graduated from West Valley High School in Dishman, Washington, in 1954. Early on, he showed an aptitude and passion for music. His father was anxious for him to take up the violin, but Larry was fixated on the trumpet and he harangued his parents until he was given a chance to take lessons. He never looked back.

He quickly developed a proficiency beyond his years and, through his youth and young adulthood, the trumpet took him places he never dreamed he would go. His skill and performance quality led him to frequently play with professionals much older than himself. As a young man, by stroke of luck and because he never went anywhere without his trumpet, he got to sub in with the Stan Kenton Band during their Salt Lake City tour.

Larry’s lifelong fandom for Brigham Young University began with his attendance there, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory in 1965 under the mentorship of his friend, Crawford Gates. While there, he enjoyed directing the Y’s Men, a dance band that performed at student dances and other school functions. In the BYU Symphonic Orchestra, Larry met fellow musician, Diane Roskelley. The two were married in the Logan Utah Temple on September 14, 1962.

After college, Larry pivoted his creative and professional focus to music composition and orchestration. He became a prolific composer, dedicating most of his career to writing music for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His compositions include music for several of the Church’s “Homefront” television commercials in the early 1970s, including “Julie through the Glass.” He also wrote music for temple visitors centers in Salt Lake City and Japan.

He enjoyed working on other projects for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a composer, arranger, and orchestrator, including the 1978 musical “Because of Elizabeth,” short films “The Last Leaf,” “Easter Dream,” and “Mr. Kruger’s Christmas,” and the Happy Hymns album. He cherished the opportunity to write for and record with the Mormon Youth Chorus and The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and to compose for and lead the Nauvoo Brass Band. Some of his children were particular fans of some of his secular work, including his role in arranging and recording the Lolliwinks album and the score of the Swan Princess film. Larry leaves a legacy of music and the creative arts that has blossomed with his children and grandchildren and will likely continue for many generations.

When not working with music, Larry was an avid nature enthusiast, often found perfecting his nature photography and enjoying camping trips to Canyonlands with friends, siblings, and sons. His frequent travels to Los Angeles for professional studio recordings inspired a tradition of special one-on-one trips with his children to Disneyland once they turned eight.

A lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Larry served in numerous capacities, including as a full-time missionary in the Western States Mission and as the Youth Music Committee Chairman during the early 1970s. As part of his assignment, he compiled the works submitted by composers from all over the world for the Church Music Festival in 1972 including his own composition, “Keep the Wagons A-Rollin’.”

When I Hear the Scriptures

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Tune

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