Praise to the Man

Praise to the Man
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"Praise to the Man" (originally "Joseph Smith") was a poem or a hymn written as a tribute to Joseph Smith, Jr. by Latter Day Saint leader and hymn writer William W. Phelps after Smith's death. The hymn was first published anonymously in the church newspaper Times and Seasons in August 1844, approximately one month after Smith was killed.[1] Latter Day Saints (Mormons) consider Smith to have been a "prophet, seer, revelator, and translator". The hymn is still used in the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is hymn #27 in the current LDS Church hymnal.

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][2] In 1927, in accordance with its "good neighbor" policy, the LDS Church officially changed the words "Stain Illinois" to "Plead unto heav'n".[3]
[edit] 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]
Star in the east
"Star in the east" done with four-syllable solfege syllables.
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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.