The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (formerly the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) is a 360-member volunteer chorus affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and based in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Wikipedia) It was founded on August 22, 1847, and has performed in the historic Salt Lake Tabernacle ever since, building a repertoire that spans worship, classical, and gospel music. (Wikipedia) Its weekly broadcast, Music & the Spoken Word, has aired continuously since July 15, 1929, making it one of the longest-running radio programs in the world. (Wikipedia) Over its history, the choir has earned honors such as the National Medal of Arts, a Grammy Award, multiple Peabody and Emmy Awards, and has toured extensively across the globe. (Wikipedia)

Short History of “How Great Thou Art”

“How Great Thou Art” began as a Swedish poem titled “O Store Gud”, written in 1885 by Carl Boberg. (Wikipedia) The familiar English version is a loose translation by British missionary Stuart K. Hine from 1949, which introduced the repeated refrain “How Great Thou Art.” (Wikipedia)

The hymn gained widespread popularity when George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows introduced it at Billy Graham’s crusades in the 1950s. (Wikipedia) It has since been voted the British public’s favorite hymn by BBC’s Songs of Praise and ranked second (after “Amazing Grace”) in surveys by Christianity Today in 2001 and by Songs of Praise in 2019. (Wikipedia)