#879: For the Beauty of the Earth

[lutheranhymns]

Fairly familiar melody, although the alto part is somewhat repetitive. There's also an anthem arrangement (I think maybe John Rutter?) which I haven't actually sung, but when I was living near my choir-nerd aunt I would sometimes spend the Thanksgiving long weekend with her, and go to her church for a Thanksgiving Eve service--they sang this a couple occasions. (I think maybe even she got bored of it. I also could be completely misremembering.)

I like the phrasing of "the mystic harmony linking sense to sound and sight," and the escalation of all God's gifts culminating with "for thyself, best gift divine."