Ralph Vaughan Williams - Hodie, Parts 12 and 13

Hodie: A Christmas Cantata
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir David Willcocks, conductor
Dame Janet Baker
Richard Lewis
John Shirley-Quirk
The Bach Choir
Choristers of Westminster Abbey
1965


Bright portals of the sky,
Emboss'd with sparkling stars,
Doors of eternity,
With diamantine bars,
Your arras rich uphold,
Loose all your bolts and springs,
Ope wide your leaves of gold,
That in your roofs may come the King of Kings.
O well-spring of this All!
Thy Father's image vive;
Word, that from nought did call
What is, doth reason, live;
The soul's eternal food,
Earth's joy, delight of heaven;
All truth, love, beauty, good:
To thee, to thee be praises ever given!
O glory of the heaven!
O sole delight of earth!
To thee all power be given,
God's uncreated birth!
Of mankind lover true,
Indearer of his wrong,
Who doth the world renew,
Still be thou our salvation and our song!

Now when Jesus was born,
behold there came wise men from the east,
saying,
"Where is he that is born King?
for we have seen his star in the east,
and are come to worship him."
And they said unto them,
"In Bethlehem."
When they had heard that, they departed;
and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east,
went before them, till it came
and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star,
they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house,
they saw the young child with Mary his mother,
and fell down, and worshipped him:
and when they had opened their treasures,
they presented unto him gifts;
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Category:

Music

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• Ralph
• Vaughan
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• Hodie
• Christmas
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• Janet
• Baker
• John
• Shirley-Quirk
• David
• Willcocks
• London
• Symphony
• Orch