Come, Thou Redeemer of the Earth
- Metre
- 8.8.8.8 (LM)
- Copyright
- Public domain
Lyrics
Come, thou Redeemer of the earth,
and manifest thy virgin-birth:
let every age adoring fall;
such birth befits the God of all.
Begotten of no human will,
but of the Spirit, thou art still
the Word of God, in flesh arrayed,
the Saviour, now to us displayed.
From God the Father he proceeds,
to God the Father back he speeds,
runs out his course to death and hell,
returns on God's high throne to dwell.
O Jesu, virgin-born, to thee
eternal praise and glory be,
whom with the Father we adore
and Holy Spirit, evermore. Amen.
History
This is John Mason Neale's English version of 'Veni, Redemptor gentium', a Latin hymn for Advent and Christmas in iambic tetrameter, traditionally attributed to Ambrose of Milan in the fourth century. Martin Luther made a German version of it, 'Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland', and in the Roman Liturgy of the Hours it is still sung in the last days before Christmas, from 17 to 24 December. Neale and Thomas Helmore printed it in their Hymnal Noted. In four verses it asks the 'Redeemer of the earth' to 'manifest thy virgin-birth', confesses him as 'the Word of God, in flesh arrayed', traces his course from the Father to 'death and hell' and back to 'God's high throne', and ends in a doxology to the Trinity.
Ambrose was probably born at Trier around 340. A Roman official, he was appointed in 374 consular of Liguria and Aemilia, and when the see of Milan fell vacant he was compelled to become its bishop while still a catechumen, not yet baptised. As bishop he received Augustine into the Church by baptism, and he has been called the father of Church song; of the many hymns attributed to him, only a handful are thought to be his. John Mason Neale was born in London in 1818, won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge, and from 1846 was Warden of Sackville College, East Grinstead, where he founded the Sisterhood of St Margaret. His many translations of early and medieval hymns include 'Jerusalem the golden'. He died on 6 August 1866.
Performance
This recording by the Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields runs to a little under two and a half minutes, with four verses ending 'Amen'.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · hymnary.org · Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields recording and Words book
About St Martin's Voices
The recording on this page is sung by St Martin's Voices, the professional vocal ensemble based at St Martin-in-the-Fields, the church on Trafalgar Square in London. One of the UK's most versatile professional choirs, they sing for services, concerts and broadcasts — including on BBC radio and Classic FM — and have released a number of acclaimed recordings.
Their hymn recordings are made freely available to Anglican parishes through the Church of England's A Church Near You Resource Hub, produced by Andrew Earis, Director of Music at St Martin-in-the-Fields, in collaboration with the Royal School of Church Music.