The songwriter was teary-eyed when, for the first time, one of his hymns was sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during its weekly national radio show.
After trying his hand without much success at country, bossa nova, ballads and even rap songs - and once sponsoring a gospel rock band - he finds hymns are more his style and are generating interest from national music publishers and recording companies.The songwriter is Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
And he confides that he writes much of the poetry that others put to music while he sits in "boring Senate hearings" or in the middle of his church meetings, especially if a talk inspires thoughts he just can't wait to write down.
Mostly, Hatch - who says he's written 100 hymns in the past year, as well as working on two novels and various law journal articles - says he writes to relax and unwind or to pass the time constructively when he cannot sleep.
"I don't sleep well. So instead of just sitting up watching movies, I write," Hatch said. "It has been a hobby and a joy to me."
He said that joy was never greater than when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang his hymn, "Sweet Gentleness" - a name he uses for Jesus Christ. He wrote the lyrics, while the music is by Janice Kapp Perry, well known in LDS music circles for her hymns and songs for youth.
"It was very emotional for me. I hope I wasn't too much of a boob. I was sitting on the front row in the Tabernacle, was on the verge of tears - and was afraid to look up or around because of it," he said.
"The genius is Janice Kapp Perry. I just love her music," Hatch said. "I'm not sure how good my words are, but her music is marvelous."
Hatch said they started collaborating about a year ago. "She mentioned to me, `I hear you write poetry.' I said, `Well, yes.' So she said, `How about doing some hymns together?' And I thought that would be wonderful."
Hatch soon swamped her with poems - saying he wrote lyrics for about 100 hymns in the past year whenever inspiration struck. He said Perry has written music to about a dozen of them.
Hatch said, "I sent `Sweet Gentleness' to my friend Jerold Ottley (conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) to see what he thought of it. . . . And they sang it."
The choir isn't the only group interested in the new hymns. Marilyn Bergman, who heads the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) and who has won numerous Oscars for movie scores with her husband, called Hatch about them one day.
She knew Hatch because she often lobbies Congress for greater copyright protection for songwriters - and Hatch chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee that oversees copyright law. She asked if it was true that he was writing hymns and asked to see some.
He sent her three in sheet music form, "and she called me back to say they were beautiful," Hatch said. "She asked if she could share them with a friend, Donna Hilley, who runs Sony's publishing company in Nashville."
Hatch said Hilley called him a week later. "She told me, `On any given day we get 200 good songs from songwriters, but what we are looking for are great songs' - so I thought she was trying to let me down easy. But then she said, `Two of the three songs you sent are great songs and will be around for 100 years.' I was stunned."
Her Tree International Co. made a demo tape with full orchestration and vocals and invited Hatch to Nashville to watch the process. Hatch said Hilley is talking about doing an album of the songs - and would love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to sing them, "but I don't think that's really possible."
Meanwhile, Hatch said some of the music was sent along to other large national publishers of choral and religious music, and they're showing interest also. "I don't know where it's going to go," Hatch said. "But I'm especially glad Janice Kapp Perry is getting attention she deserves because she is a great writer."
Hatch didn't get such attention in some earlier attempts at music. He wrote six songs, for example, with Billy Hinchey, who was a musician in the band for the Beach Boys.
"He was very talented. He did one of the songs as a country-Western piece, one was gospel, one was a bossa nova, a few were ballads and one was even rap - I about died when I heard it. . . . It had an anti-drug set of lyrics, so he thought it would be good as rap or hip-hop," Hatch said.
Hatch said the hobby combines his lifelong love of music and writing - which he said started when his poor parents still found money when he was a youth to buy him season tickets to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, for which he had to take several trolley cars and walk several miles in each direction to see.
That love even led him once to sponsor a gospel rock band. "They were a group of former drug users who joined the Mormon Church and changed their lives. They did gospel to a moderate beat and called themselves the Latter-day Sound."
He added, "It was a very expensive experience for me. But it was fun" - and added that their loud music and long hair at church dances raised many eyebrows among fellow church members.
Hatch said he writes whenever inspiration strikes him, and sometimes that's in the middle of sometimes boring Senate hearings.
"I don't let it harm my Senate work. But sometimes other senators are going through very predictable questions, or repeating questions - so I write," Hatch said. He sometimes does the same in his church meetings, especially if a talk sparks some inspiration.
Hatch doesn't just write poetry. He said he's working on several novels - and is focusing on two but hasn't gotten them to the point where he's ready to try to publish them (even though he's worked on one for 10 years). He said he often writes for law journals, too.
But poetry, he said, seems to relax him more.
"I'm sure real experts will probably laugh at me," he said. "It does come from the heart and hopefully a little bit from the brain, too."
*****
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Sweet Gentleness
(performed by Tabernacle Choir)
Sweet Gentleness of heav'nly things,
With proffered hearts we pray.
Thy kindness here we gladly seek,
Our souls we give today.
Our souls we give today.
Sweet Gentleness, we love thee so,
Thy gospel songs we sing.
For us, dear Lord, on Calvary
Thou gavest everything.
Thou gavest everything.
Sweet Gentleness, We are reborn,
Eternal spring from thee.
Thou died for us who all have sinned,
Thy shining light we see.
Copyright 1995 Orrin G. Hatch & Janice Kapp Perry
My Dearest Savior
My dearest Savior, Who gently guides me
Into that kingdom, free from all care.
My dearest Savior, Thou art my guide star,
Kingly persuading, Leading me there.
My dearest Savior, Prompt and protect me.
Help me to follow Thy blessed way.
My dearest Savior, When Thou hast spoken,
Help me to listen, Then to obey.
My dearest Savior, I hear thee calling.
I feel the pow'r that Comes from above.
My dearest Savior, Let thy light fill me,
Keeping me wholesome, Fit for thy love.
My dearest Savior, When shall I see Thee?
I want to greet Thee, Free from all sin.
My dearest Savior, Please stay beside me.
Lead me through darkness, Bring me back home.
Copyright 1995 Orrin G. Hatch & Janice Kapp Perry
My God Is Love
My God is love, He lifts from the depths.
He gives me hope, He grants me daily breath.
My God is love, He rules with tenderness.
And when I pray, He hears and loves to bless.
My very soul requires his daily love.
In darkest hours, His spirit bears me up.
My love for Him is built upon the rock of perfect trust.
For this I know: My God is love.
My God is love, He walks with me each day.
His love and light illuminate my way.
My God is love, and in this world of sin
He helps me, That I am safe with Him.
My God is love, As constant as the sun.
Each gift of nature testifies of Him.
My God is love, Who died that I might live.
His perfect life the purest, sweetest gift.
My very soul requires His daily love.
In darkest hours His spirit bears me up.
My love for Him is built upon the rock of perfect trust,
For this I know: My God is love.
Copyright 1995 Orrin G. Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry