O the Beautiful Treasure

This hymn, sometimes called "The Beautiful Treasures of Heaven", is attributed as a Shaker gift song, 1849. There are a number of variations in the arrangement and pattern / repetitions of the first line in each verse.

As a Shaker song, today it would be performed as a unison song, likely unaccompanied. However a number of choral arrangements and have been created more recently - some of these are linked below.

Recent hymn-books which it has been published in include:

The Gift to Be Simple- compiled by Edward Demming Andrews in 1940

although it is very likely to have been included in earlier Shaker collections as well.

Downloads

Lead sheet
(melody line only)

PowerPoint
slides

Arrangements for purchase

look inside

The Beautiful Treasure
Composed by Haan. For SATB choir, keyboard, and flute. Ash Wednesday. Easy-Moderately Easy. Published by Concordia Publishing House (CR.98-3758U1).

look inside

Shaker Suite: Three Shaker Spirituals
Composed by Nina Gilbert (arranger). For SSAA choir (a cappella). Spirituals, Folk Hymns. Easy-Medium. Choral octavo. Text language: English. Published by Treble Clef Music Press (TC.TC-162).

On-line examples

Lyrics

O the beautiful treasure laid up for the wise,
How precious the value, how glorious the prize.
Far brighter than riches on princes’ brow,
And richer than royalty can bestow.
O the beautiful treasure laid up for the wise,
How precious the value, how glorious the prize.

O the beautiful treasure provided by God,
And promised to good people who follow the word;
And streams of sweet mercy shall bring them home
To rest from the sorrowful paths they roam.
O the beautiful treasure provided by God
And promised to good people who follow the word.