Praise to the Man
"Praise to the Man" (originally titled "Joseph Smith") is a
Origin
Phelps, the hymn's author, became involved in the
Two years later, Phelps experienced a change of heart toward Smith, and wrote him a repentant letter asking for forgiveness and a chance to rejoin the Latter Day Saints in Illinois. Smith's reply offered Phelps his full forgiveness and a return to the church with no further consequences. Phelps was deeply touched by this development, and upon his return he became an enthusiastic and devoted disciple of Smith's. Phelps was invited to speak at Smith's funeral in June 1844. His poem, "Joseph Smith", followed in August of that same year,[3] and has since become a popular hymn.
Authorship Controversy
From the poem's initial publishing of the August 1, 1844 edition of the Times and Seasons until 1863, its authorship was consistently attributed to
Changes
Part of the original text of the second verse read: "Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins, / Stain Illinois, while the earth lauds his fame."[1][5] In 1927, in accordance with its "good neighbor" policy, the LDS Church officially changed the words "Stain Illinois" to "Plead unto heav'n".[6]
In earlier hymnals, Community of Christ changed the hymn title and first line to “Praise to the Lord for the Great Restoration,”[7] to make it less focused on Joseph Smith. The hymn is no longer included in the current hymnal used in Community of Christ.
Tune
Phelps originally suggested "Star in the East" as the hymn tune,[1] which is probably the same melody as "Star in the East" from Southern Harmony.[citation needed]
The LDS hymnal now uses a melody based on "Scotland the Brave" in honor of Phelps's Scottish heritage. The tune is modified to match the syllable count of the text.
References
- ^ a b c Anonymous [W. W. Phelps], "Joseph Smith", Times and Seasons, 5 (1 August 1844), p. 607.
- Evening and Morning Star, vol. 2, no. 20, p. 160 (May 1832).
- ^ a b Roderick J. Linton, "The Forgiving Heart", Ensign, April 1993, p. 15.
- ^ "Sacred Cow #10: W. W. Phelps Wrote "Praise To The Man"". mormonchronicle.com. 2013-10-08. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
- ^ Smith was killed by a mob while imprisoned at Carthage, Illinois.
- ^ George D. Pyper, Stories of the Latter-day Saint Hymns, their Authors, and Composers (1939) p. 100.
- ^ Richard Clothier, 150 Years of Song: Hymnody in the Reorganization, 1860-2010 (Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House), 19.
External links
- "Praise to the Man": Text and music, churchofjesuschrist.org
- Free MP3 download