Sunday, March 14, 2010

Hyrum meets Hoffman

Hyrum - sick with a cough, sneezes, and achyness and hence isn't going to church - asked for some choir music, so I loaded up Youtube and introduced "Praise to the Man" to him. He wanted to listen again, so I looked through my music collection to find him a copy he could listen to during breakfast.

The only version already on my computer was by Lex de Azevedo - an excellent rendition, but a largely non-vocal version he wouldn't yet recognize as Praise to the Man. How strange. I guess I'll have to add another version.

I looked through my Mormon Tabernacle Choir CDs (about a dozen of sacred music, not counting several patriotic, and NOT ONE of them had Praise to the Man on it! Not one! I was quite in shock.

Thankfully, a few years back I made a CD collection I called "Best of the Hymnal" with my favorite version of any hymn for which I had a version, so I soon had Roger Hoffman and his trumpets and background choir singing to Hy.

While he ate breakfast (yup, more yogurt), I searched through our collection of General Conference CDs, finally finding the Mack Wilberg arrangement he had just watched and enjoyed. I loaded it up on the computer ... and Hyrum said "no. Praise man."

This is Praise to the Man, I explained. "No." I tried turning on Roger Hoffman again. "Yes. Praise Man."

Roger Hoffman - 1
Mack Wilberg - 0 (okay, not really zero - he's got a bunch of versions Hy likes, this is just the first time he's gone head to head with Hoffman House)

Right now, Hyrum is discovering Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man. I see a new favorite coming..... I've been waiting for Hy to notice this one! He's conducting it with vigor.... Hyrum, do you want song again? "No. Praise Man." Hm. Looks like we have a new True Love de Jour

1 comment:

Sapphire Sting said...

If only I'd read this while we were still at your place - We've got a Motab CD in the car entitled "Praise to the Man" which, of course, has the titular song on it.