Thursday 5 December 2013

A hymn for Advent?

One that I have not heard before.

'Lo, how a rose e'er blooming.....'  German in origin and very, very beautiful.

And the following hymn on the clip, 'Let all mortal flesh keep silence' reminds me of time in the choir in the run up to Christmas at Courtfield with John Bevan (no less) the choirmaster. And very strict he was too.


Es ist ein Ros entsprungen


Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!

Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;

With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Saviour,
When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,

How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him,
As angel heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,

Dispels with glorious splendour the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe,

O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know;
Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven,
And to the endless day!


4 comments:

  1. I know this in- another translation- as a Christmas hymn.

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  2. You ask the question 'A hymn for Advent?'. Surely the answer is 'no'. This is a very beautiful hymn for Christmas. I would rather not sing it during Advent.

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  3. Peter and Patricius, I agree, hence the question mark but I found it listed under Advent hymns. But it's very beautiful all the same.

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  4. I've always thought of this as the Vienna Boy's Choir's defining song.

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