The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is made up of some 360 men and women, all of whom are volunteers. There are many husband-wife combinations and many families have participated in the choir for generations. Choir members are currently limited to twenty years of participation, allowing new members to join the choir on a regular basis.
The choir was founded in August 1847, one month after the Mormon Pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. The choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to support their organization. Choir members are not paid for their participation or performances.
Although the choir has traditionally been recognized for its sound quality, the most recent director, Craig Jessop, a student of Robert Shaw, has made changes designed to improve the overall quality of the choir. Jessop's efforts to add vitality to the choir's sound include the formation of The Orchestra at Temple Square, the 2005 addition of The Bells on Temple Square (a hand bell choir), and continual refinement of the choir's tone, enunciation, and repetoire. The minimum age for participation has been reduced from 30 to 25. In addition, new choir members participate in The Temple Square Chorale training choir, a combination music theory/performance school led by associate director and composer/arranger Mack Wilberg.
Battle Cry of Freedom
Mormon Tabernacle Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
we'll ral-ly once a-gain, Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
We will fal-ly from the hill-side, we'll gath-er from the plain,
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
The U - nion for-ev-er, hur-rah, boys, hur-rah!
Down with the trai-tor, up with the star.
While we ral-ly 'round the flag, boys, ral-ly once again,
We are spring-ing to the call of our broth-ers gone before,
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
And we'll fill the vac-ant ranks with a mil-lion free-men more,
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
The U - nion for-ev-er, hur-rah, boys, hur-rah!
Down with the trai-tor, up with the star.
While we ral-ly 'round the flag, boys, ral-ly once again,
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
We wil welcome to our num-bers the loyal, true and brave,
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
And al-though they may be poor not a man shall be a slave,
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
The U - nion for-ev-er, hur-rah, boys, hur-rah!
Down with the trai-tor, up with the star.
While we ral-ly 'round the flag, boys, ral-ly once again,
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
So we're spring-ing to the call from the East and from the West,
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
And we'll hurl the Rebel crew from the land we love the best,
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's "Battle Cry of Freedom" is a patriotic song that invokes themes of unity, loyalty and freedom. The song begins by rallying around the flag and shouting the battle cry of freedom. The lyrics emphasize that the Union will last forever and that the traitors will be defeated, raising the flag up high once again. The call to arms comes from the loyalty and bravery of the million free men that have come before, who have sacrificed their lives for the greater good of the nation. The song then goes on to say that poor men will not be slaves in their ranks, conveying a message of equality and justice.
The lyrics portray a sense of unity and patriotism, highlighting the importance of coming together to fight for a common cause. It also emphasizes that freedom is not just for the wealthy, but for all men regardless of their economic standing. Overall, the "Battle Cry of Freedom" portrays a message of hope and unity, inspiring people to come together to fight for a noble cause and attain the promise of freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, we'll ral-ly 'round the flag, boys,
We will gather together to fight for our country.
we'll ral-ly once a-gain,
We will come together again.
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free-dom.
We will chant our motto of fighting for freedom.
We will fal-ly from the hill-side,
We will come down from the hills.
we'll gath-er from the plain,
We will gather from the fields.
The U - nion for-ev-er, hur-rah, boys, hur-rah!
We will fight for our Union until the end.
Down with the trai-tor, up with the star.
We will defeat the enemy and raise our flag high.
While we ral-ly 'round the flag, boys,
We will continue to gather around the flag.
Shout-ing the bat-tle cry of free - dom.
We will continue to chant our motto of fighting for freedom.
We are spring-ing to the call of our broth-ers gone before,
We are answering the call to fight for our fallen brothers.
And we'll fill the vac-ant ranks with a mil-lion free-men more,
We will recruit more free men to join our army.
We wil welcome to our num-bers the loyal, true and brave,
We will accept into our army those who are loyal, true, and brave.
And al-though they may be poor not a man shall be a slave,
No man will be made a slave, even if they are poor.
So we're spring-ing to the call from the East and from the West,
We are answering the call to fight from all corners of the country.
And we'll hurl the Rebel crew from the land we love the best,
We will drive the rebel crew out of our beloved land.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID E. SCHWARTZ, GEORGE FREDERICK ROOT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind