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Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
 | Lo, how a rose e'er bloomingTranslator: Theodore BakerTune: ES IST EIN ROS (5556553) Published in 75 hymnals Printable scores: PDF, SibeliusAudio files: MIDI | |
For Leaders
Text
This hymn may date back as far as the fifteenth century, though the earliest manuscript was found in St. Alban’s Carthusian monastery in Trier and was dated around 1580. It was first published with a whopping twenty-three stanzas in Alte Catholische Geistliche Kirchengesange in 1599.
Originally written in German and titled “Es ist ein Ros ensprungen,” the text combines the story of Christ’s birth with the prophecies in Isaiah about the “rose” from the “stem of Jesse.” The second verse originally interpreted “rose” to mean Mary, the mother of Jesus, but in 1609, Michael Praetorius changed the interpretation to point to Christ, thus fitting with the actual Biblical imagery. He then published the hymn with only stanzas one and two and added a harmonization. The first two verses were translated into English by Theodore Baker around 1894.
Most hymnals include the first two verses, and many add a third that begins, “This flower, so small and tender.” This verse is included in The Baptist Hymnal as seen in the above text box. Though it is included in many hymnals, it does not appear to have come from the original text.
Tune
Paul Westermeyer writes that the tune ES IST EIN ROS “has the unusual capacity to lend itself equally well to both congregational and choral singing, with and without harmony in both cases” (Let the People Sing, 138). The Psalter Hymnal Handbook describes the harmony and rhythm as “subtle,” so it isn’t necessary to use much, if any, accompaniment. For a quirky folk version, check out Sufjan Steven's banjo-led recording. Of if you're more a fan of rock and roll, Sting has a very simple rendition featured in his "Life from Durham Cathedral" concert. There are multiple examples of a capella choral version - in particular the Montverdi Choir's German version.
When/Why/How
This hymn is perfect for both Advent and Christmas, because it celebrates the birth of Christ but also acknowledges the tension of that birth – Christ was born to bring life out of death. As such, it is fitting for Advent when we wait for the second coming of Christ when He will make all things new. It’s a beautiful hymn for a Lessons and Carols service, and an especially apt selection for a celebration of carols from around the world. If you can, I would suggest having a choir sing the first verse in German, to express the history of the piece, and then return to the first verse with the congregation in English.
Suggested music:
- Campbell, Rosemary Corrigan. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming - for Choir, arranged with jazz chords, may be sung unaccompanied
- Proulx, Richard. Six A Capella Christmas Carols - for Choir
- Raney, Joel. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming - for Choir
- Wagner, Douglas E. A Ceremony of Lessons and Carols (A Simple Service for Choir and Congregation- Piano accompaniment
- Ferguson, John. A Christmas Triptych- Set 2 - for Organ
- Dickey, Kate. Let Us Adore Him (Easy Carol Settings for the Christmas Season) - for Organ
- Offutt, Fred. Pageant of Carols - Ten carol settings for solo Piano
Laura de Jong Hymnary.org
This Advent and Christmas hymn expresses and acknowledges a particular tension we ought to be aware of during the Christmas season. Just as, in the prophecies from Isaiah, a “rose,” or stem, shoots up from the stump, so too do we celebrate Christ’s birth in the knowledge that He brings life out of death. Our celebrations of Christmas must always point us to Easter. We celebrate Christ’s life because His death brings us a new kind of life. So too, the season of Advent points us not only to Christmas, but to the second coming of Christ, when He will finally make all things new. This is a beautiful and peaceful hymn, but there is just a touch of melancholy in the tune. Even in the arrangement the composer was able to convey the tension amidst our celebration, the sorrow that must lie within our rejoicing, if only for a moment. We know what is coming that week before Easter morning, and this should give us reason to pause. But we also know that the tiny babe whose birth we celebrate, our “Rose,” came to “dispel…the darkness everywhere.” Thus, even amid the tension of life out of death, we celebrate the ultimate life we are promised in Christ.
