It boggles my mind that this reached the charts in the age of rock and roll. It belongs next to "Amazing Grace" in the history of music, I suppose. It was a bit too martial and triumphant for my taste - I shut it off at the 2:30 mark, just before the rousing finish.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, now called The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, has been in existence since 1847. It has performed in the Music & the Spoken Word radio broadcast weekly since 1929 and has sung at the inaugurations of six presidents.
"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" was written by Julia Ward Howe, an anti-slavery activist, during the American Civil War. In 1953, singer Marian Anderson performed it before a live television audience of 60 million people. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's version of the song reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award in 1960 for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus.
Created March 18, 2026.