Earth has many a noble city (Christian Friedrich Witt)
Music files
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- Editor: Andrew Sims (submitted 2021-01-02). Score information: A4, 1 page, 36 kB Copyright: CPDL
- Edition notes: The hymn with four-part harmony and underlaid words in the version published in Hymns Ancient & Modern New Standard
- Editor: Andrew Sims (submitted 2021-01-02). Score information: A4, 1 page, 36 kB Copyright: CPDL
- Edition notes: The hymn with four-part harmony and underlaid words in the version published in Hymns Ancient & Modern Revised
- Editor: Andrew Sims (submitted 2021-01-02). Score information: A4, 1 page, 73 kB Copyright: CPDL
- Edition notes: The hymn in the version published in Hymns Ancient & Modern New Standard, melody with words.
General Information
Title: Earth has many a noble city
Composer: Christian Friedrich Witt
Tune: Stuttgart
Lyricist: Prudentius
- Translation by Edward Caswall
Number of voices: 4vv Voicing: SATB
Genre: Sacred, Hymn Meter: 87. 87
Language: English
Instruments: A cappella or keyboard
First published:
2nd published: 1983 in Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard, no. 48
Description: Original Latin text by Prudentius: O sola magnarum urbium. Descants to the hymn are available by Alan Gray and Geoffrey Shaw.
External websites:
Original text and translations
Original text and translations
English text
Earth has many a noble city;
Bethl’em, thou dost all excel:
out of thee the Lord from heaven
came to rule his Israel.
Fairer than the sun at morning
was the star that told his birth,
to the world its God announcing
seen in fleshly form on earth.
Eastern sages at his cradle
make oblations rich and rare;
see them give in deep devotion
gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Sacred gifts of mystic meaning:
incense doth their God disclose,
gold the King of kings proclaimeth,
myrrh his sepulchre foreshows.
Jesu, whom the Gentiles worshipped
at thy glad Epiphany,
unto thee with God the Father
and the Spirit glory be.