From All That Dwell Below the Skies (with Alleluia)

Till suns shall rise and set no more.

From All That Dwell Below the Skies was written in 1719 by the "Father of English Hymnody," Isaac Watts. There are a number of versions of this hymn including Hymn #20 of the Office which is sung to a different tune. This setting uses Erschienen Ist Der Herrlich Tag by the Bohemian composer, organist, and chiormaster Nikolaus Hermann (c1480-1561). An early supporter of the Reformation, he was a friend of Martin Luther. JS Bach's own Erschienen ist der herrliche Tag, (Chorale-Prelude) is based upon the Herman original. A popular alternative tune is Lasst uns erfreuen, as featured in the video below. In the Liturgy of the Hours,  From All That Dwell Below the Skies is used during Ordinary Time for Morning and Daytime Midmorning Prayer.


Tune: Lasst uns Erfreuen (Begins @ 1:00 min.)

FROM ALL THAT DWELL BELOW THE SKIES by Isaac Watts, 1719; 3rd stanza by Ro­bert Spence, 1780 (Public Domain)

From all that dwell below the skies,
Let the Creator’s praise arise;
Let the Redeemer’s Name be sung,
Through every land, by every tongue.

Eternal are Thy mercies, Lord;
Eternal truth attends Thy Word.
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,
Till suns rise and set no more.

In every land begin the song;
To every land the strains belong;
In cheerful sounds all voices raise,
And fill the world with loudest praise.