Glory To God
Words and Music:
F. A. Schultz;
Translation © 2005 Bertram Sluys
Luke 2:14
To purchase a copy of the sheet
music, contact sluysoflife at sbcglobal dot net
Glory to
God! (2X) In the highest! (3X)
Peace on the earth, peace on the earth to the people who have God’s favor.
Glory to God in the highest! (2X) Peace on the earth. (4X)
To the people, to the people who have God’s favor.
To the people who have God’s favor, who have God’s favor!
Glory to God! Glory to God! In the highest! In the highest! In the highest!
Peace on the earth, peace on the earth to the people who have God’s favor.
Amen, amen.
Dutch (use the repeats shown in English):
Ere zij
God! In den hoge!
Vrede op aarde, vrede op aarde, in de mensen een welbehagen.
Amen, amen.
German:
Ehre sei
Gott! In der Höhe!
Frieden auf Erden, Frieden auf Erden und den Menschen ein Wohlgefallen.
Amen, amen.
Notes from Bertram Sluys:
The words to this song come straight from the Bible: the angels’ “song” in Luke 2. A popular Dutch carol, it’s also very popular in Christian Reformed churches in Canada where it’s often used as the closing song of Christmas day services. People are given the choice of singing it in Dutch or in English, and the sound of the song being sung in two languages at the same time can be most heavenly.
It is claimed that a man named F. A. Schultz wrote the melody. Who he was is not something that is certain. The date 1870 is usually given with the song, but there is no musician/composer named F. A. Schultz known from that time period. However, in 1857 a Dutch teacher named Isaac Bikkers put out a songbook with four songs attributed to F. A. Schultz. Apparently he took several German songs and translated them into Dutch, and it is thought that “Ere Zij God” is one of these. There was a musician named Franz Albert Schultz who was a pastor and teacher at the “Collegium Fridericianum” in Konigsberg, East Prussia (today part of Russia) in 1731. The college put out a songbook that included songs this man wrote. Unfortunately, no copy of the book exists today, the city being totally destroyed during World War II. It’s possible, however, that Isaac Bikkers had a copy of that songbook and used it for a number of his translations.
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