030: "Hymns of Ebenezer Beesley"

Ebenezer Beesley had tremendous musical talent his whole life and put it to great use. He traveled from England to Utah with his wife in 1859 and eventually joined the Salt Lake Theater Orchestra as a violinist in 1863. He was then appointed by President John Taylor to help publish the Latter Day Saints’ Psalmody, the first Church hymnbook to include music with lyrics. His prowess and abilities eventually led him to become the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 1880. Some of his composed hymns include the often-sung “High on the Mountain Top” and “Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words.”