Es ist ein Ros Entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming), from Family Christmas OnlineTMThis song first appeared in print in the 1580s, although the author is unknown, and it may be a century older. One legend has it that the original lyrics were first written by a monk who, walking through snowy woods in the dead of winter, came across a single rose blooming and interpreted it as a sign of God's love.As written and sung by German Roman Catholics, the song focused on Mary the mother of Jesus. Roman Catholic authors writing about this song cite the Bible verse from the "Song of Solomon" 2:1 - "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valley." (Although the verse originally referred to a bride of Solomon, some consider it to relate prophetically to Mary as well.) Later, Protestant versions were written that focus on Jesus as the rose (or perhaps the branch - ros' and reis, the German word for branch, are awfully similar, after all). Protestant authors like to relate the song to the messianic prophecy in Isaiah 11:1 - "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." (Jesse was the father of King David. In context, this verse implies that a greater king than David would come from Jesse's lineage.) The most common arrangement of the tune is attributed to German composer Michael Praetorius. The English lyrics printed here are represent one of the most common traditions, although there are others. Whether you are singing about Jesus or Mary, this is a haunting tune. It is often sung during Advent (the four-week period before Christmas). To hear an MP3 file of the song click here. To download the melody-only sheet music for this song in pdf format, click here To download the SATB sheet music for this song in pdf format, click here Traditional German Lyrics. Es ist ein Ros entsprungen,
Das Röslein das ich meine,
English lyrics by Theodore Baker, 1894 Lo, how a rose e'er blooming,
Isaiah 'twas foretold it,
The shepherds heard the story
This Flower, whose fragrance tender
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