For the Beauty of the Earth

"For the Beauty of the Earth" is a Christian hymn by Folliott S. Pierpoint (1835-1917).

Pierpoint was 29 at the time he wrote this hymn; he was mesmerised by the beauty of the countryside that surrounded him. It first appeared in 1864 in a book of poems entitled "The Sacrifice of Praise."

The tune most widely used for this hymn is called Dix, composed by Conrad Kocher in 1838.

Hymn text

For the beauty of the earth

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies:

Refrain:

'Lord of all, to Thee we raise

this our joyful hymn of praise.

Alternative refrain:

Christ, our God, to Thee we raise

This, our sacrifice of praise.

For the beauty of each hour

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale and tree and flow'r

Sun and Moon and stars of light

Refrain

For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child.

Friends on earth and friends above

For all gentle thoughts and mild.

Refrain

For each perfect gift of Thine

To our race so freely given.

Graces human and divine

Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n.

Refrain

Alternative last verse:

For thy church that evermore

Lifteth holy hands above,

Offering up on every shore

Her pure sacrifice of love.

Refrain

Settings

English composer John Rutter's composition for SATB, SA, or TTBB choir with piano/organ or orchestra accompaniment is a widely performed choral setting of this text. Another setting is by Geoffrey Shaw.^[1]

Along with such hymns as "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come", "We Gather Together" and "Faith of Our Fathers", this is a hymn that is often sung during the Thanksgiving holiday period in many churches in America.

This hymnal was sung in the 1994 Columbia Pictures version of Little Women.

It is performed on the Thomas Kinkade 2000 album Music of Light.

References

Thanksgiving History and traditions Canada Samuel de Champlain Martin Frobisher Halifax United States Pilgrims Mayflower Plymouth Colony Plymouth Rock Native Americans Samoset Squanto Wampanoag Cornucopia National Thanksgiving Proclamation "Franksgiving" National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation Cuisine Thanksgiving dinner Turkey Stuffing Mashed potatoes Green bean casserole Sweet potato pie Cranberry sauce Pumpkin pie Songs "Alice's Restaurant" "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" "For the Beauty of the Earth" "Jingle Bells" "Over the River and through the Woods" "The Thanksgiving Song" "We Gather Together" "We Plough the Fields and Scatter" Associated events Cultural Christmas and holiday season Harvest festivals Thanksgiving in film Thanksgiving television specials Winter festivals Lighting of the Macy's Great Tree World's Largest Disco Black Friday (shopping) Parades Belk Carolinas (Charlotte) McDonald's (Chicago) America's (Detroit) K-W Oktoberfest (Kitchener-Waterloo) Hollywood Christmas (Los Angeles) Macy's (New York City) 6abc-Dunkin' Donuts (Philadelphia) My Macy's Holiday (Pittsburgh) America's Hometown (Plymouth) Protests National Day of Mourning Unthanksgiving Day Buy Nothing Day Sports Football NFL Thanksgiving Classic CFL Thanksgiving Classic State Farm Lone Star Showdown Turkey Day Classic Basketball 76 Classic Battle 4 Atlantis Maui Invitational Tournament Old Spice Classic Turkey Trots Atlanta Marathon Berwick Run for the Diamonds Buffalo Turkey Trot Dallas Turkey Trot Feaster Five Road Race Manchester Road Race Others National Dog Show Pumpkin chunking Turkey bowling Turkey Night Grand Prix