Behold, a Branch is Growing

Representative Text

1 Behold, a branch is growing
of loveliest form and grace!
As prophets sang, foreknowing,
it springs from Jesse's race
and now begins to flow'r
in midst of coldest winter,
at deepest midnight hour.

2 Isaiah had foretold it
in words of promise sure,
and Mary's arms enfold it,
a virgin meek and pure.
Through God's eternal will
this child to her is given
at midnight calm and still.

3 This flow'r, whose fragrance tender
with sweetness fills the air,
dispels with glorious splendor
the darkness ev'rywhere.
True man, and yet true God,
from sin and death he saves us
and lightens ev'ry load.

4 0 Savior, child of Mary,
who felt our human woes,
O Savior, King of glory,
who conquered all our foes,
bring us at last, we pray,
to the bright courts of heaven
and to the endless day.


Source: Christian Worship: Hymnal #360

Translator (sts. 1-4): Harriet Reynolds Krauth

Harriet Reynolds Krauth Spaeth [Harriet Krauth], 1845-1925 Born: September 21, 1845, Baltimore, Maryland. Died: May 5, 1925, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Buried: Mount Vernon Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Daughter of hymn translator Charles Krauth, Harriet attended the Girls’ School in Philadelphia, and lived independently as a writer. In 1880, she married Adolph Spaeth, pastor of St. Johannis Church in Philadelphia (and later president of the General Council of the Lutheran Church in America). She sang contralto, played the piano and organ, and for many years was the organist at St. Stephen’s Church in west Philadelphia. She provided hymn translations for The Church Book (1868), The Sunday School Hymnal (1901), and was r… Go to person page >

Translator (st. 5): John Caspar Mattes

Born: November 8, 1876, Easton, Pennsylvania. Died: January 27, 1948. Educated at the Theological Seminary at Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mattes pastored in Trenton, New Jersey (1901-15), and Scranton, Pennsylvania (1915-38), and was a professor of theology at Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa (1939-48). Translations: Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming O Spirit of Life http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/a/t/mattes_jc.htm Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Behold, a Branch is growing
Title: Behold, a Branch is Growing
German Title: Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
Translator (sts. 1-4): Harriet Reynolds Krauth (1875)
Translator (st. 5): John Caspar Mattes (1914)
Meter: 7.6.7.6.6.7.6
Source: Trier, c. 1500
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

ES IST EIN ROS (5556553)

First published with the text in the Cologne Gesangbuch of 1599 (see above), ES IST EIN ROS is a rounded bar form tune (AABA). The tune has characteristics of a Renaissance madrigal; it invites performance by an unaccompanied choir so that all the fine part writing and subtle rhythms can be clearly…

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Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 5 of 5)

Ambassador Hymnal #38

Text

Christian Worship (1993) #47

TextPage Scan

Christian Worship #360

TextPage Scan

Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #121

Text

Together in Song #294

Include 9 pre-1979 instances
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