Christmas

A Great and Mighty Wonder

Words:
Germanus of Constantinople (634-734). Translated by John Mason Neale, 1862.
Music:
'Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen (Rhythmic)' German from Köln, 1599.
Setting:
Michael Praetorius, 1609.
Metre:
7 6 7 6 6 7 6
  1. 1A great and mighty wonder,a full and holy cure:The virgin bears the Infantwith virgin honor pure!Repeat the hymn again:"To God on high be gloryAnd peace on earth to men!"
  2. 2The Word becomes incarnateand yet remains on high,And cherubim sing anthemsto shepherds from the sky.Repeat the hymn again:"To God on high be gloryAnd peace on earth to men!"
  3. 3While thus they sing your Monarch,those bright angelic bands,Rejoice, ye vales and mountains,ye oceans, clap your hands.Repeat the hymn again:"To God on high be gloryAnd peace on earth to men!"
  4. 4Since all He comes to ransom,by all be He adored,The Infant born in Bethl'em,the Savior and the Lord.Repeat the hymn again:"To God on high be gloryAnd peace on earth to men!"
  5. 5And idol forms shall perish,and error shall decay,And Christ shall wield His scepter,our Lord and God for aye.Repeat the hymn again:"To God on high be gloryAnd peace on earth to men!"

More sheet music

Scripture

Topics

In the hymnals

  • Written in 1862, the words are in 124 hymnals indexed by Hymnary.org. Their history →
  • The tune, Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen (Rhythmic), is in 2 hymnals. The tune →

Words, music and setting are in the public domain. The score is from the Open Hymnal Project (Brian J. Dumont), which places its own work in the public domain. Further sheet music is from PDHymns.com. The piano is the FluidR3 General MIDI sound font (MIT licence). How many hymnals print a hymn, and when it was written, is from Hymnary.org.

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