Introduction
For the second installment of Something Old, Something New for Christmas, I’ve gone with the very old Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming for the old, and Amy Grant’s Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song) for something new. The Grant piece just does make it on my 10-year cutoff for something new, as it came out in 1992 and the album was the Billboard #1 for Contemporary Christian during that Christmas season.
Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming
The original author of this piece is not known. The original “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” is German and first appears in print in the late 16th century[1]. The translation we often use in our repertory is from Theodore Baker in 1894, and the most common arrangements are at least based on the published work of Michael Praetorius in 1609. Note that the original has 23 verses, but we’re only looking at the first two (though I’ve included the third version from Baker’s version below).
This song is rich with biblical references. See Song of Soloman 2:1, Isaiah 11:1. Note that there is some room for discussion of the meaning here, as the original word translated as “rose” can be read as “Ros’” (rose) or “Reis” (branch) in the olest manuscripts. Particularly with the references to Isaiah and Jesse’s lineage (A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. Isa 11:1 NIV)[2].
Lo, how a rose e'er blooming,
From tender stem hath sprung.
Of Jesse's lineage coming,
As men of old have sung;
It came, a flow'ret bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.
Isaiah 'twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind,
With Mary we behold it,
The virgin mother kind;
To show God's love aright,
She bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.
O Flower, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispel with glorious splendour
The darkness everywhere;
True man, yet very God,
From Sin and death now save us,
And share our every load.
A somewhat different translation was used in the 1970 film Love Story.
Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)
This song is the fourth track on Amy Grant’s 1992 Christmas Album Home for Christmas[3]. Songfacts has some interesting takes on this piece[4]:
This Christmas song tells the nativity story from Mary’s perspective. It portrays the mother of Jesus as a frightened young girl, attempting to deal with the circumstances of giving birth to the Holy Father’s Son. Despite her human doubts, Mary’s faith in the goodness and mercy of God remain and help her deal with the unique situation she finds herself in. English songwriter Chris Eaton originally penned this song, with the title “Breath of Heaven.” When Grant first heard it, she decided she wanted to record the tune for her holiday album, but with the verses rewritten to personalize them. She explained in CCM Magazine presents 100 Greatest Songs In Christian Music: “That song is so profound, but the chorus is so simple. It’s authentic and perfectly written, because it uses an incredibly moving economy of words. And, selfishly, I just really wanted to be able to use the song on my Christmas record. So finally Chris said, ‘Well, OK, just for this one version, we’ll let you put a different lyric on there.’ I said, ‘Well, you couldn’t possibly have written the lyric I’m thinking of, because I’m going to write it from a woman’s perspective.’ I was very pregnant at the time, and I felt that was part of the inspiration for song as I tried to imagine Mary’s experience. We went into the recording studio with Brown Bannister producing and Shane Keister playing the piano and basically got it within one take.”
Amy Grant wrote a book titled Breath of Heaven in 2001 based on this song. She wrote in the release of the book that she considers the intimate nature of this tune has transformed it into a prayer. She explained: “It is a prayer that fits a lot of people’’ circumstances, because it is a cry of mercy. Some nights on stage I can hardly get through the song for knowing all of the collective, unspoken pain of the lives in front of me. And so the words become my prayer for the listener and the reader, as well as the singer.”
This song appears on the soundtrack of the 2006 movie The Nativity Story. Mike Rich, who penned its screenplay, told Catholic Online, that he began each day of writing for the film by listening to this song.
I have traveled many moonless nights
Cold and weary with a babe inside
And I wonder what I've done
Holy Father You have come
And chosen me now to carry your son
I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now
Be with me now
Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
For You are holy
Breath of Heaven
Do You wonder as You watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me
Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness
For You are holy
Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness
For You are holy
Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven
Billboard #1 for Contemporary Christian 12/26/1992 - 2/16/1993
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http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/lo_how_a_rose_eer_blooming.htm ↩
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https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/home-for-christmas/id261434676 ↩
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http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=14730 Song Facts ↩
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