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.
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.