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Ebenezer Beesley (14 December 1840 – 21 March 1906) was a
/ref> They first lived in
In 1880, Beesley became the director of the
Ebenezer Beesley (14 December 1840 – 21 March 1906) was a Latter-day Saint
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded b ...
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'' d ...
writer and composer. The music for twelve of the hymns in the 1985 English-language
English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...
hymnal
A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). They are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Christia ...
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 Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church) were written by him.
Beesley was born in Bicester
Bicester ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire, England, north-west of Oxford. The town is a notable tourist attraction due to the Bicester Village shopping centre. The historical town centre †...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
, England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.Cornwall, J. Spencer. ''Stories of Our Mormon Hymns''. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1975) pp. 106–107.''Biography of Ebenezer Beesley 1840-'' (British Mormon Historical Society, http://www.mormonhistory.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=112&Itemid=88 ) His parents joined the LDS Church when he was quite young and he was baptized
Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...
a member of the church on 22 September 1849.
In 1859, Beesley, a cobbler, emigrated to Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...
in the George Rowley Handcart Company with his family, including first wife Sarah Hancock Beesley.''Beesley, Sarah Hancock, Reminiscences'', (Handcart Stories, 28-34, Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847-1868)/ref> They first lived in
Tooele, Utah
Tooele ( ) is a city in Tooele County in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 35,742 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Tooele County. Located approximately 40 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City, Tooele is known for Tooele Arm ...
, but later they moved to Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
. In the 19th Ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
in Salt Lake City, Beesley served as both choir director and music director for Sunday School
]
A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes.
Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
. He studied under George Careless. In 1863, Beesley joined the Salt Lake Theatre Orchestra, where he played the violin
The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
.
In 1869 he married Anne Frewin Buckeridge in a polygamist marriage and had six children with her. He became the father of 16 children in total between the years 1860 and 1883.
Beesley was a contributor to the ''Juvenile Instructor
''The Juvenile Instructor'' was a magazine for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It began publication in 1866 as a private publication, but by the late 1860s served as the de facto publication of the LDS Chu ...
'' magazine. He also was one of the men appointed by John Taylor
John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of:
Academics
*John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487
* John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar
*John Taylor (English publisher) ...
to oversee the publication of the 1860 (and later the 1883) ''Latter-day Saints' Psalmody'', which was the first LDS Church hymnbook to include music.
In 1880, Beesley became the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for o ...
. In September of that year, Beesley led the choir's first excursion outside of Salt Lake City on a trip to American Fork, Utah
American Fork is a city in north-central Utah County, Utah, United States, at the foot of Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Range, north from Utah Lake. The city is southeast of Salt Lake City and is part of the Provo–Orem metropolitan area, Pr ...
where they performed with the local choir for a large group of citizens.Cornwall, J. Spencer. ''A Century of Singing: The Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1958) p. 57 Beesley served as the choir director until 1889.
After serving with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Beesley taught music in Tooele, and then for a time in Lehi, Utah
Lehi ( ) is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. The population was 75,907 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, up from 47,407 in 2010, and it is the center of population of Utah. The rapid growth in Lehi is due, in part, to t ...
. He then moved back to Salt Lake City where he died.
In the 1985 LDS Church hymnal the music for the following hymns was composed by Beesley:
* 5 "High on the Mountain Top"
* 16 "What Glorious Scenes Mine Eyes Behold"
* 32 "The Happy Day at Last Has Come"
* 76 "God of Our Fathers, We Come unto Thee"
* 77 "Great Is the Lord"
* 156 "Sing We Now at Parting"
* 177 "Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love" (tune name Hancock)
* 185 "Reverently and Meekly Now"
* 232 "Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words"
* 280 "Welcome, Welcome, Sabbath Morning"
* 282 "We Meet Again in Sabbath School"
See also
* Ebenezer Beesley HouseReferences
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beesley, Ebenezer 1840 births 1906 deaths 19th-century English male musicians 19th-century English musicians British male conductors (music) English conductors (music) English emigrants to the United States English hymnwriters English Latter Day Saint hymnwriters English Latter Day Saints Mormon pioneers Musicians from Salt Lake City People from Bicester People from Lehi, Utah People from Tooele, Utah Tabernacle Choir music directors