1. O God beyond all praising,
we worship you today,
and sing the love amazing
that songs cannot repay.
for we can only wonder
at every gift you send,
for blessings without number
and mercies without end.
We lift our hearts before you
and wait upon your Word;
we worship and adore you
Our great and mighty Lord.
2. The flower of earthly splendor
in time must surely die,
its fragile bloom surrender
to you, the Lord most high;
but hidden from all nature
the eternal seed is sown--
though small in mortal stature,
to heaven's garden grown:
for Christ the Word incarnate
from death has set us free,
and we through him are given
the final victory!
3.Then hear, O gracious Savior,
accept the love we bring.
that we who know your favor
may serve you as our king;
and whether our tomorrows
be filled with good or ill,
we'll triumph though our sorrows
and rise to bless you still:
to marvel at your beauty
and glory in your ways,
and make a joyful duty
our sacrifice of praise.
‘O God Beyond All Praising’ Michael Perry © 1982 The Jubilate Group (admin. Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188). For licensing, contact Hope Publishing Company, 800-323-1049, www.hopepublishing.com
Descant to the hymn tune THAXTED. Free score with harmonized descant and separate choir part. Audio: 1. verse (Gustav Holst) | 2. study: choir semichorus adapt. from instrumental version | bridge ad lib | 3. descant with harmonization and two endings. The above is the D(5) ending. There is an alternate ending - and optional cue notes which would allow a choir with sufficient soprano forces to build up to the final triad. Remastered. See the Arrangements menu item to hear instrumental versions. Free score.
Originally a figure in the symphonic suite The Planets, by English-born Gustav Holst, the tune is located in the middle of Jupiter: the Bringer of Jollity. It was later arranged by the composer for use as a hymn tune, who gave it the name Thaxted, the English village where he lived for many years, composed The Planets, and where he was founder of an annual music festival. (As Pluto had not yet been discovered, the symphony is an eight-movement composition. And given Pluto's subsequent 'undiscovery,' The Planets remains very much an accurate record of the planetary order of things.) The organ at the Thaxted church was recently restored.
Michael Perry (1942-1996) was canon at Rochester Cathedral, and editor of Jubilate Hymns. Usually associated with an English patriotic text, Perry wrote this hymn to provide a text "more appropriate for Christian worship." A second verse was added later at the request of Richard Proulx in reference to the Pauline discourse connecting the passing of earthly splendor now results in a greater future glory, a verse appropriate to some occasions such as a requiem or memorial. But Perry's own preference was that the additional verse should usually be omitted. The hymn was written in 1982 specifically for this tune, and is used here by permission of the copyright holder, Hope Publishing Company; full copyright and license notification is in the score.
Updated: May 2023
Links (will open in a new page or tab)
Wikipedia entry about the tune
Thaxted Parish Church official Thaxted wesbsite
UMC Discipleship Ministries History of Hymns: "O God beyond all praising."
Includes separate descant part for choir
‘O God Beyond All Praising’ Michael Perry © 1982 The Jubilate Group (admin. Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188). For licensing, contact Hope Publishing Company, 800-323-1049, www.hopepublishing.com
Instrumental versions available
