"High on the Mountain Top" is an 1850s

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 ''hy ...

written by

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 by J ...

hymn writers Joel H. Johnson and

Ebenezer Beesley Ebenezer Beesley (14 December 1840 – 21 March 1906) was a Latter-day Saint hymn writer and composer. The music for twelve of the hymns in the 1985 English-language hymnal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) were writ ...

. Originally named "Deseret", it is hymn number 5 in the current LDS Church hymnal. The lyrics to the hymn were written by Johnson in 1853, five years after

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...

preached on

Ensign Peak Ensign Peak ( ) is a peak in the foothills near downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It is approximately north of the Utah State Capitol and sits almost directly behind it. On July 26, 1847, Brigham Young and other early members of the Church of Jesu ...

as the Mormon pioneers first arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. Even though Johnson's journal contains more than 700 hymns, "High on the Mountain Top" is his most notable contribution to LDS music."Joel Johnson: An Early Member of the Church who Wrote More Than 700 Hymns, Including High on the Mountain Top"
Mormon Tabernacle Choir, April 2014. Accessed 14 Nov 2014. In 1854, Beesley composed music to accompany Johnson's poem. The

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

adopted Beesley's rendition and it has since become one of the choir's standard numbers. The hymn has five verses and centers on the theme that God has restored the gospel to the earth.

References

1853 songs 1853 in Christianity Latter Day Saint hymns {{lds-stub