by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
From Virgin's womb this day did spring
Language: English
From Virgin's womb this day did spring The precious seed that [only]1 saved man, This day let man rejoice and sweetly sing Since on this day [our Saviour]2 first began, This day did Christ man's soul from death remove With glorious saints to dwell in heaven above. Chorus Rejoice, rejoice, with heart and voice, In Christ his birth this day rejoice. This day to man came pledge of perfect peace, This day to man came love and unity, This day man's grief began for to surcease, This day did man receive a remedy For each offence and every deadly sin With guilty heart that erst he wandered in. In Christ his flock let love be surely placed, From Christ his flock let concord hate expel, Of Christ his flock let love be so embraced, As we in Christ, and Christ in us, may dwell. Christ is the author of sweet unity, From whence proceedeth all felicity. O sing unto this glittering glorious king, O praise his name let every living thing, Let heart and voice like bells of silver ring The comfort that this day to man doth bring, Let Lute, let Shalm, with sound of sweet delight These joys of Christ his birth this day recite.
W. Byrd sets stanza 2 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 omitted in the printed words beneath the music.
2 in the printed words beneath the music: "salvation"
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by William Byrd (1542?3? - 1623), "From virgin's womb", published 1589 [alto solo with viol consort (TrTTB)], from the collection Songs of sundrie natures, no. 35. [text verified 1 time]
- by William Byrd (1542?3? - 1623), "Rejoice rejoice", published 1589, stanza 2 [SSAA chorus a cappella], from the collection Songs of sundrie natures, no. 24. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-09
Line count: 27
Word count: 207