Like most children of the ’80s, I was fascinated by outer space and wanted to be an astronaut. Unlike most children, I was raised primarily on classical music. My dad is a huge classical music aficionado, so my home was filled with it from infancy. CD players were still very new when I was a child. One of the first CDs that we got was Holst’s The Planets. It’s still one of my favorite symphonies. I love how it evokes the majesty and wonder of the heavens.
I was recently introduced to the hymn O God Beyond All Praising, which is set to the Jupiter movement of The Planets. The text is a hymn of praise, and the music adds to the majesty. I’m definitely adding this one to my personal hymnal.
2 Responses
This hymn is stunning. Thank you so much for sharing it!
The same music is used for a British patriotic hymn, “I Vow to Thee, My Country.” It was sung at both Princess Diana’s wedding and her funeral.