Davis Editions Music Publishing
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - Brass Ensemble
Product Information
Composer: Traditional (England)
Arranger: Davis, Joshua
Ensemble: Large Brass Ensemble and Percussion
Duration: Approx. 3 mins
SKU: DE 0048
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God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
God rest ye merry, gentlemen,
let nothing you dismay,
remember Christ our Savior
was born on Christmas Day
to save us all from Satan's pow'r
when we were gone astray.
Refrain:
O tidings of comfort and joy,
comfort and joy;
O tidings of comfort and joy.
From God our heav'nly Father
a blessed angel came
and unto certain shepherds
brought tidings of the same;
how that in Bethlehem was born
the Son of God by name. [Refrain]
"Fear not," then said the angel,
"Let nothing you affright;
this day is born a Savior
of a pure virgin bright,
to free all those who trust in Him
from Satan's pow'r and might."
The original wording, “God rest you merry, gentlemen,” is often misread today as an instruction for merry men to rest. In 16th- and 17th-century English, however, “rest” meant to keep or remain, while “merry” meant prosperous, peaceful or glad. The phrase therefore expressed a wish for God to keep people in peace and happiness, making “God rest you merry, gentlemen” the more fitting punctuation. It was a traditional greeting conveying good tidings.
Instrumentation
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Es Ist ein Ros Entsprungen - Brass Ensemble
Es Ist ein Ros Entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming)
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 flower bright,
Amid the cold of winter
When half-gone 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-gone was the night.
This Advent and Christmas hymn, possibly dating to the fifteenth century, draws textually from Isaiah's prophecies. The "rose" emerging from Jesse's stem symbolizes Christ's birth as the source of life through death. Michael Praetorius published this beloved Advent hymn in 1609, directing its "rose" symbolism toward Christ's incarnation rather than Mary. Theodore Baker later translated the first two verses into English around 1894. The arrangement balances peaceful melody with subtle melancholy, reflecting the duality of Christmas—rejoicing in Christ's incarnation whilst acknowledging His sacrifice and promised return.
Melchior Vulpius, a contemporary of Praetorius composed a four-voice canon based upon the same melody. Though more concise in scope, the Vulpius canon functions effectively as a distinguished prelude to Praetorius's more expansive composition.
As recorded on the 2025 album release from the Berlin Philharmonic Brass Ensemble, "Frohe Weihnachten!"
Instrumentation