Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
Encyclopedia
"Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" ("A rose has sprung up"), most commonly translated to English as "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" or "A Spotless Rose", is a Christmas carol
and Marian Hymn
of German origin.
or Jesus
, respectively. In addition, there have been numerous versions of the hymn, with varying texts and lengths.
The tune most familiar today appears in the Speyer Hymnal (printed in Cologne in 1599), and the familiar harmonization was written by German composer
Michael Praetorius
in 1609.
The English translation "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" was written by Theodore Baker
in 1894. A translation of the first two verses of the hymn as "A Spotless Rose" was written by Catherine Winkworth
and this was set as a SATB
anthem by Herbert Howells
in 1919 and Philip Ledger
in 2002.
Another Christmas hymn, "A Great and Mighty Wonder," is set to the same tune as this carol and may sometimes be confused with it. It is, however, a hymn by St. Germanus
, (Μέγα χαί παράδοξον θαυμα), translated from Greek to English by John M. Neale
in 1862.
as the base for a chorale prelude
for organ, later transcribed for orchestra by Erich Leinsdorf
, and by Hugo Distler
as the base for his 1933 oratorio
Weihnachtsgeschichte (Christmas Story). Jan Sandström
wrote in 1990 a setting for two choirs a cappella
, which incorporates the setting of Praetorius in choir 1.
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
and Marian Hymn
Hymns to Mary
Marian Hymns are Christian songs focused on the Virgin Mary. They are used in both devotional and liturgical services, particularly by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. They are often used in the month of May devotions. Some have also been adopted as Christmas...
of German origin.
History
The text is thought to be penned by an anonymous author, and the piece first appeared in print in the late 16th century. The hymn has been used by both Catholics and Protestants, with the focus of the song being MaryMary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
or Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, respectively. In addition, there have been numerous versions of the hymn, with varying texts and lengths.
The tune most familiar today appears in the Speyer Hymnal (printed in Cologne in 1599), and the familiar harmonization was written by German composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Michael Praetorius
Michael Praetorius
Michael Praetorius was a German composer, organist, and music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of musical forms based on Protestant hymns, many of which reflect an effort to make better the relationship between...
in 1609.
The English translation "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" was written by Theodore Baker
Theodore Baker
Theodore Baker was an American musicologist.Born in New York, Baker studied business but turned to music as a career, becoming an organist in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1874 he moved to Germany and obtained his doctorate at Leipzig in 1882...
in 1894. A translation of the first two verses of the hymn as "A Spotless Rose" was written by Catherine Winkworth
Catherine Winkworth
Catherine Winkworth was an English translator. She is best known for bringing the German chorale tradition to English speakers with her numerous translations of hymns.-Biography:...
and this was set as a SATB
SATB
In music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
anthem by Herbert Howells
Herbert Howells
Herbert Norman Howells CH was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music.-Life:...
in 1919 and Philip Ledger
Philip Ledger
Sir Philip Ledger CBE is a British classical musician and academic. He is best-known for his tenure as director of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge between 1973 and 1982 and as director of Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama from 1982 until his retirement in 2001...
in 2002.
Another Christmas hymn, "A Great and Mighty Wonder," is set to the same tune as this carol and may sometimes be confused with it. It is, however, a hymn by St. Germanus
Germanus of Auxerre
Germanus of Auxerre was a bishop of Auxerre in Gaul. He is a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, commemorated on July 31. He visited Britain in around 429 and the records of this visit provide valuable information on the state of post-Roman British society...
, (Μέγα χαί παράδοξον θαυμα), translated from Greek to English by John M. Neale
John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar and hymn-writer.-Life:Neale was born in London, his parents being the Revd Cornelius Neale and Susanna Neale, daughter of John Mason Good...
in 1862.
Lyrics
| German original | Literal translation of the German | Baker's English version | Winkworth's English version |
|---|---|---|---|
aus einer Wurzel zart, wie uns die Alten sungen, von Jesse war die Art Und hat ein Blümlein bracht mitten im kalten Winter, wohl zu der halben Nacht. |
from a tender root. As the old ones sang to us, Its lineage was from Jesse. And it has brought forth a floweret In the middle of the cold winter Well at half the night. |
From tender stem hath sprung. Of Jesse Jesse Jesse, Eshai or Yishai, is the father of the David, who became the king of the Israelites. His son David is sometimes called simply "Son of Jesse" .... 's lineage coming, As men of old have sung; It came, a flow'ret bright, Amid the cold of winter, When half spent was the night. |
Sprung from a tender root, Of ancient seers' foreshowing, Of Jesse promised fruit; Its fairest bud unfolds to light Amid the cold, cold winter, And in the dark midnight. |
davon Jesaia sagt, ist Maria die reine die uns das Blümlein bracht. Aus Gottes ew'gem Rat hat sie ein Kind geboren und blieb ein reine Magd. or: Welches uns selig macht. |
Of which Isaiah told Is Mary, the pure, Who brought us the floweret. At God’s immortal word, She has borne a child Remaining a pure maid. or: Who makes us blessed. |
Isaiah Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus... 'twas foretold it, The Rose I have in mind, With Mary Mary (mother of Jesus) Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee... we behold it, The virgin mother kind; To show God's love aright, She bore to men a Savior, When halfspent was the night. |
Whereof Isaiah said, Is from its sweet root springing In Mary, purest Maid; Through God's great love and might The Blessed Babe she bare us In a cold, cold winter's night. |
das duftet uns so süß, mit seinem hellen Scheine vertreibt's die Finsternis. Wahr Mensch und wahrer Gott, hilft uns aus allem Leide, rettet von Sünd und Tod. |
That smells so sweet to us With its clear light Dispels the darkness. True man and true God! He helps us from all trouble, Saves us from sin and death. |
With sweetness fills the air, Dispel with glorious splendour The darkness everywhere; True man, yet very God, From Sin and death now save us, And share our every load. |
In music
The tune was used by Johannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
as the base for a chorale prelude
Chorale prelude
In music, a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works of J.S. Bach, who wrote 46 examples of the form in his Orgelbüchlein.-Function:The liturgical...
for organ, later transcribed for orchestra by Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
, and by Hugo Distler
Hugo Distler
Hugo Distler was a German organist, choral conductor, teacher and composer.-Life and career:...
as the base for his 1933 oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
Weihnachtsgeschichte (Christmas Story). Jan Sandström
Jan Sandström (composer)
Jan Sandström is a Swedish classical music composer, known for the so-called Motorbike Concerto for trombone and orchestra and his choral setting of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen.-Career:...
wrote in 1990 a setting for two choirs a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
, which incorporates the setting of Praetorius in choir 1.
Cover versions
Some notable performances by contemporary popular artists include:- 2000 – Linda RonstadtLinda RonstadtLinda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
on A Merry Little Christmas - 2001 – Sufjan StevensSufjan StevensSufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
on Songs for ChristmasSongs for ChristmasSongs for Christmas is a box set of five separate EPs of Christmas-related songs and carols recorded by independent musician Sufjan Stevens between 2001 and 2006. The EPs had been given as gifts to friends and family of Stevens over the past six years, except for 2004 where he was too busy... - 2009 – Sting on album If On a Winter's Night...
- 2009 – Tori AmosTori AmosTori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
on Midwinter GracesMidwinter GracesMidwinter Graces is the 11th solo studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. Released on November 10, 2009 , through Universal Republic Records, it is the first seasonal album by Amos, and is also notable for marking her return to a more classical, stripped-down, baroque sound with various...
, as "Holly, Ivy and Rose"
In film
- The song is used in the 1970 film Love StoryLove Story (1970 film)Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
. - In the opening scene of the 2009 film The Time Traveler's WifeThe Time Traveler's Wife (film)The Time Traveler's Wife is a 2009 romantic film based on Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 novel of the same name. Directed by Robert Schwentke, the film stars Eric Bana as Henry DeTamble, a Chicago librarian with a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel randomly as he tries to build a romantic...
, the protagonist, Henry DeTamble, as a six-year old child, is travelling in a car with his mother, an opera singer, who sings to him "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen". It is a constant theme throughout the movie. The song is also released with the official soundtrack.
External links
- Historical Notes, and additional English versions, from The Hymns and Carols of Christmas
- List of all verses, from The Hymns and Carols of Christmas
- Free sheet music of "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" for SATBSATBIn music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
, Cantorion.org - MP3 of Sissel KyrkjebøSissel KyrkjebøSissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...
singing at a 2005 Christmas concert in Moscow, Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...