Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, often translated as Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming, is a Christmas carol of German origin, oringinally appearing in Gebetbuchlein des Frater Conradus in 1582 (or 1588) as a 19-stanza Catholic hymn.

Originally the focus of this hymn was Mary, who is compared to the mystical rose praised in the Song of Solomon 2:1: "I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys." The hymn is believed to have originated in Trier, and once source stated that on one Christmas Eve, a monk in Trier found a blooming rose while walking in the woods. He placed the rose in a vase, and placed it before the alter to the Virgin Mary. Some sources indicate the hymn might date back into the 14th Century.

By 1609, however, the Protestant's had adopted the hymn, and changed its focus from Mary to Jesus (citing Isaiah 11:1). According to Keyte and Parrott, in medieval iconography, the tree of Jesse is often depicted as a rose plant. They also note that it's unclear whether Ros’ (rose) or Reis (branch) was the original reading of line 1. The revision first appeared in Michael Praetorius' Musae Sioniae in 1609, in the harmony and arrangement most familiar today and incorrectly attributed to him as composer.

In addition, there have been numerous versions of the hymn, with varying lyrics and lengths. There is also a version by Johannes Brahms, composed for piano and transcribed for orchestra by Erich Leinsdorf; the title of this one has been translated into English as There Is a Rose in Flower. Additionally, there is the 1919 Herbert Howells' setting of A Spotless Rose.

The same tune has been used for several other carols and hymns, including A Great and Mighty Wonder, John Mason Neale’s translation of St. Germanus' Greek hymn for Christmas day ("Mega kai paradoxon Thauma" by St. Germanus).

Among the many English adaptations, perhaps the best known is by Theodore Baker (1851-1934), Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming. It was heard as recently as in the 1971 Academy Award winning movie "Love Story." The best loved, of course, is the version performed by the New Dimension Chorus' quartet A Tune By Four.