Music: A Great and Mighty Wonder

Lay Vicars from the Choir of Westminster Abbey sing the hymn 'A Great and Mighty Wonder', celebrating the gift and majesty of Jesus Christ's birth at Christmas. The text is translated from the work of Greek hymn-writer St Germanus I (634-734), and is sung to the tune Es Ist Ein Ros, which is frequently sung with the text 'Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming'.

Sung by:
William Balkwill and Julian Stocker, tenors
Stuart O'Hara and Jonathan Brown, basses

Lyrics
1 A great and mighty wonder,
A full and holy cure!
A Virgin bears the Infant
With virgin-honour pure.

Refrain:
Repeat the hymn again!
'To God on high be glory,
And peace on earth to men!'

2 The Word becomes incarnate
And yet remains on high!
And Cherubim sing anthems
To shepherds from the sky. [Refrain]

3 While thus they sing your Monarch,
Those bright angelic bands,
Rejoice, ye vales and mountains,
Ye oceans clap your hands. [Refrain]

4 Since all he comes to ransom,
By all be he adored,
The Infant born in Bethl'em,
The Saviour and the Lord. [Refrain]

5 All idols forms shall perish,
And error shall decay,
And Christ shall wield his sceptre,
Our Lord and God for ay. [Refrain]