This edition was prepared by Raymond Nagem — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Hosanna to the highest, Z 187
Staff Notation • Sacred, Sacred songs
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
AB,TB · Raymond Nagem
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Hosanna to the highest, Z 187 by Henry Purcell — Lyrics
Hosanna to the highest. Joy betide
The heavenly bridegroom and his holy bride.
Let heav'n above be filled with songs,
Let earth triumph below;
For ever silent be those tongues that can be silent now.
You rocks and stones, I charge you all to break
Your flinty silence if men cease to speak;
You that possess the sacred art
Or now or never show it,
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About Hosanna to the highest, Z 187
Purcell's short anthem, Hosanna to the highest, sets a jubilant English text celebrating a heavenly union. The words urge a triumphant response from both heaven and earth, calling on everything from rocks and stones to poets and angels to join in the celebration of a divine contract. This piece, scored for two voices (Alto and Tenor), demands vocal dexterity and a keen sense of dramatic expression, fitting for a text that speaks of profound joy and spiritual reconciliation. The composer's setting captures the text's fervent exclamations, urging the singers to convey the ecstatic mood of the occasion. It is a concise yet powerful expression of sacred elation.
