He is risen! He is risen!

The tune UNSER HERRSCHER was written by Joachim Neander (cf, LOBE DEN HERREN), with the underlay being Neander's own hymn Unser Herrscher, unser König (Our Lord, our King). It is AAB in form, and in the original the B phrase was a refrain played in a stately triple meter resembling a court menuet. Born and raised in Bremen, Neander turned from the life of raffish student when he came under the influence of the pastor of the Martinskirche, and from there began a new life of theology, study, teaching, and hymn writing. He had tenures as private tutor, rector (principal) of a school, and lay minister at the Martinskirche. His life was cut short by tuberculosis, at age 30. The tune is set in 8 7 8 7 7 7 meter, permitting application to a wide variety of texts - the Hymnary lists 15 online texts, and shows page facsimiles of several more, including the hymn for which this arrangement was created, the Easter hymn by Cecil Frances Alexander, He is risen! He is risen!, which uses the sun and dawn as metaphors of the Son and the resurrection.

v 9.3.1 - August 2024 (Easter 2025)

• Revised instrumentals on verse 1

Previous Versions

v 9.2.2

• Revised score layout to US Letter (landscape)
• Detailed minor edits to score and parts

v 9.2.1

• four bars intro in brass rewritten
• bridge rewritten
• new voice leading in final four bars
• includes minor 2021 edit to trumpet part

v 9.1.3

• four bars intro in brass, four bars at beginning of descant

1. He is risen, he is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice:
he has burst his three days' prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice:
Death is conquered, we are free,
Christ has won the victory.

2. Come, ye sad and fearful-hearted,
With glad smile and radiant brow!
Death's long shadows have departed;
Jesus' woes are over now,
and the passion that he bore–
Sin and pain can vex no more.

3. Come, with high and holy hymning,
hail our Lord's triumphant day;
Not one darksome cloud is dimming
yonder glorious morning ray,
Breaking o'er the purple east,
Symbol of our Easter feast.

4. He is risen, he is risen!
He hath opened heaven's gate:
We are free from sin's dark prison,
Risen to a holier state;
And a brighter Easter beam
On our longing eyes shall stream.

For ease of page turns, the score has been formatted to US Letter, landscape orientation. This more compact size allows for use by from the organ bench, as well as by a conductor. The treatment below can be created for ~$10 by uploading the pdf to Staples; you can checkout as guest - an account is not needed.