There in God's Garden

This hymn about Jesus was written by English Congregational minister, composer and musicologist, Erik Routley (1917-1982).

It is a prose translation of the Hungarian hymn “Paradicsomnak te szép élo Fája”, which was written for Good Friday by Hungarian Reformed church teacher and pastor Pécseli Király Imre (c.1585–c.1641.)   (ref)

With meter 11.11.11.5, tunes it is set to include:

• SHADES MOUNTAIN by K. Lee Scott (b 1950), © 1987 MorningStar Music Publishers,
• DIVA SERVATRIX, a Hungarian hymn-tune from Bayeux Antiphoner (1739)

Downloads

Arranged for SATB soprano descant, brass & organ, optional timpani / percussion by Jeremy J. Bankson - based on SHADES MOUNTAIN

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Examples

Choir with organ, recorded live:

Choir and congregation, with organ:

Unaccompanied:

Lyrics

The lyrics are copyright so cannot be reproduced here. But they are currently available on the publisher's website. A rough outline is:

There in God’s garden stands the tree of wisdom,
... Tree of all beauty.

Its name is Jesus, name that says, “Our Savior!”

Thorns not its own are tangled in its foliage;

See how its branches reach to us in welcome;

This is my ending, this my resurrection:

All heaven is singing, “Thanks to Christ whose Passion

See more ...

• Hymns about Jesus
• Hymns for Good Friday