by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Behold how good a thing it is
Language: English
Behold how good a thing it is, for bretheren to agree, when men amongst them do no stryfe, but peace and concord see, full lyke unto the pretious balme, from Arons head that fell, and did descend uppon his beard, his garment skirts untyll. And as the pleasant morning dew, the Mountaines doth releeve: so God will blesse, where concord is, and lyfe eternall give.
W. Byrd sets stanza 1 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
W. Byrd sets stanza 2 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
About the headline (FAQ)
Text 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), "Behold how good a thing", published 1589, stanza 1 [SATTBB chorus a cappella], from the collection Songs of sundrie natures, no. 38, note: this is no. 40 in the 1610 edition [text verified 1 time]
- by William Byrd (1542?3? - 1623), "And as the pleasant morning dew", published 1589, stanza 2 [SATTBB chorus a cappella], from the collection Songs of sundrie natures, no. 39, note: this is no. 41 in the 1610 edition [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-09
Line count: 12
Word count: 65