SALT LAKE CITY _ There's nothing particularly Mormon, or American, about "Ubi Caritas." It's a Gregorian chant at least 11 centuries old, was rearranged by French composer Maurice Durufle in 1960 and has been sung by church choral groups around the world.
But I can tell you that when it is performed by a certain famous choir in a certain quirky old building in downtown Salt Lake City, that melody works a particular magic.
The voices rise and fall, singing a cappella in Latin. The sound ripples to the back of the hall, guided by the curving plaster ceiling. The final "amen" grows to 10, 15, 20 syllables, each one a slow-motion acrobat in flight.
That's how it went on a recent Sunday morning at the Salt Lake Tabernacle at Temple Square, a singular American music venue commissioned by Brigham Young and completed in 1867.
The 360 singers who call this building home are known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir _ or rather, they were until Oct. 5, when leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints renamed them the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
In the world beyond these walls, the group has been needled for its squeaky-clean image and song list, and for performing at President Donald Trump's inauguration.
But the singers are a beloved avatar for the church, offering musical balm for all, backed by their own Twitter feed (since 2009) and YouTube channel (since 2012).
As for the building that houses them, one unimpressed 19th century visitor called it "a pumpkin half-buried in the sand." To me, as light danced on its aluminum roof, the tabernacle looked like a surfacing submarine.
That shiny roof (a 1947 addition) is a great disguise for a frontier relic and a striking element among the landmark church buildings that make up Temple Square.
The site's singular history is more than enough reason to eavesdrop on choir practice (most Thursday nights) or to see a broadcast performance (every Sunday morning) or to drop by to hear a pin drop (which happens hourly to show off the hall's acoustics).
