For all the Saints, who from their labor rest

Representative Text

1 For all the saints who from their labors rest,
who Thee by faith before the world confessed;
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

2 Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

3 O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

4 And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

5 But then there breaks a still more glorious day:
the saints triumphant rise in bright array;
the King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

6 From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
in praise of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Alleluia, Alleluia!


Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #388

Author: William Walsham How

William W. How (b. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, 1823; d. Leenane, County Mayo, Ireland, 1897) studied at Wadham College, Oxford, and Durham University and was ordained in the Church of England in 1847. He served various congregations and became Suffragan Bishop in east London in 1879 and Bishop of Wakefield in 1888. Called both the "poor man's bishop" and "the children's bishop," How was known for his work among the destitute in the London slums and among the factory workers in west Yorkshire. He wrote a number of theological works about controversies surrounding the Oxford Movement and attempted to reconcile biblical creation with the theory of evolution. He was joint editor of Psalms and Hymns (1854) and Church Hymns (1871). While rec… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: For all the Saints, who from their labor rest
Author: William Walsham How (1864)
Meter: 10.10.10.4
Language: English
Refrain First Line: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Notes: Spanish translations: See "Todos los santos que en la tierra van" by Marsha Short Webb, "Hoy, por los santos que descansan ya" by Federico Pagura
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Rev. 14:13, Heb. 12:1-2
st. 3 = Rev. 2:10
st. 4 = John 17:22
st. 6 = Prov. 4:18
st. 7 = Rev. 7:9-17

"For All the Saints" is considered to be William W. How's (PHH 279) finest hymn text. Originally in eleven stanzas, it was published in Earl Nelson's Hymns for Saints' Days (1864) with the heading, "Saints' Day Hymn. A Cloud of Witnesses. Heb. 12:1." The Psalter Hymnal includes the original stanzas 1-2, 6-8, and 10-11, with modernized pronouns. (Among the stanzas omitted in most hymnals are those that begin "for all the apostles," "for all the evangelists," and "for all the martyrs.")

The text begins with a proclamation of thanksgiving for the saints ("the cloud of witnesses") who confessed Christ and found in him protection and inspiration (st. 1-2). That proclamation is followed by a prayer for Christ's soldiers on earth to be "faithful, true, and bold" (st. 3). At the crux of the text is the confession of a "blest communion" of saints in heaven and on earth (st. 4). Though the holy warfare may be "fierce and long" (st. 5), "all the saints" may take courage from the vision of a victorious church that worships the triune God on that "more glorious day" (st. 6-7).

Liturgical Use:
Traditionally for All Saints Day (the first Sunday in November) and similar church festivals; worship that emphasizes the church as militant and triumphant; funerals.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook
==================
For all Thy [the] saints who from their labours rest. Bp. W. W. How. [Saints' Days.] First published in Hymn for Saints' Day, and Other Hymns. By a Layman [Earl Nelson], 1864, in 11 stanzas of 3 lines, and the refrain "Alleluia." It was republished in Lyra Britannica, 1867; in the Sarum Hymnal, 1868; in the 1869 Appendix to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Psalms & Hymns, and subsequently in nearly every hymnal of importance published in Great Britain. It is also found in the best collections of all English-speaking countries, and, with hymnal compilers, it is one of the most popular of the author's compositions. It is sometimes given in American hymnals (as it is in the S. P. C. K. Church Hymns, as "For all the saints," &c, this being Bishop How's revised reading. In the Protestant Episcopal Hymnal, 1872, stanzas iii.-v. are given as a separate hymn (No. 186), beginning, "For the Apostles' glorious company." Original text as above. Authorized text in S. P. C. K. Church Hymns.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

=================

For all Thy [the] saints who from their labours rest, p. 380, ii. The alterations in the text of this hymn, as given in the 1904 edition of Hymns Ancient & Modern, were reluctantly sanctioned by Bp. How shortly before his death in 1897.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Tune

SARUM (Barnby)


SINE NOMINE

Ralph Vaughan Williams (PHH 316) composed SINE NOMINE for this text and published it in the English Hymnal in 1906. Vaughan Williams wrote two harmonizations¬–one for unison stanzas and one for choral stanzas. The tune's title means "without name" and follows the Renaissance tradition of naming c…

Go to tune page >


Timeline

Media

You have access to this FlexScore.
Download:
Are parts of this score outside of your desired range? Try transposing this FlexScore.
General Settings
Stanza Selection
Voice Selection
Text size:
Music size:
Transpose (Half Steps):
Capo:
Contacting server...
Contacting server...
Questions? Check out the FAQ

A separate copy of this score must be purchased for each choir member. If this score will be projected or included in a bulletin, usage must be reported to a licensing agent (e.g. CCLI, OneLicense, etc).

This is a preview of your FlexScore.
The Cyber Hymnal #1426
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
The United Methodist Hymnal #711
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Full Score (PDF)
Worship and Rejoice #529

Instances

Instances (1 - 100 of 563)
TextPage Scan

50 Uncommon Songs #8

A Calendar of Hymns #d15

A Church of England Hymn Book #492

Page Scan

A Handy Book of Old and Familiar Hymns #192

Page Scan

A Missionary Hymn Book #94

Page Scan

A New Hymnal for Sunday Schools #72

A School Service Book #d40

A Selection of Hymns #d17

A Service Hymn Book #d30

A Treasury of Hymns, the Best-Loved Hymns, Carols ... #d67

TextPage Scan

African American Heritage Hymnal #339

TextPage Scan

African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #476

Page Scan

Alexander's Gospel Songs No. 2 #168

Alexander's Hymns No. 2 #161

Page Scan

Alleluia #274

Ambassador Hymnal #164

American Student Hymnal #d72

Text

Ancient and Modern #296

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #190

Armed Forces Hymnal. Catholic Supplement #d25

Armed Forces Service Book for Public and Private Use. 2nd rev. ed. #d16

Army and Navy Service Book for Public and Private Use. Rev. ed. #d16

Page Scan

Army and Navy Service Book #47

Association Hymn Book #d41

Page Scan

Association Hymn Book #228

At Worship #d66

Australian Hymn Book #384

Page Scan

Baptist Hymnal (1975 ed) #144

TextAudioPage Scan

Baptist Hymnal 1991 #355

TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Baptist Hymnal 2008 #595

Book of Common Praise #d125

Page Scan

Book of Worship #82

Text

Breaking Bread (Vol. 39) #708

Page Scan

Cân a Mawl #229

Carmina for Social Worship #d58

Page Scan

Carmina Sanctorum, a selection of hymns and songs of praise with tunes #596

Page Scan

Carmina Sanctorum #596

Catholic Book of Worship #d41

Text

Catholic Book of Worship III #449

TextPage Scan

Celebrating Grace Hymnal #567

TextPage Scan

Chalice Hymnal #637

Page Scan

Children's Hymns with Tunes #150a

Page Scan

Children's Hymns with Tunes #150b

Page Scan

Choice Hymns No. 1 #101

Choral Song #d43

Choral Song #d44

TextPage Scan

Christ in Song #285

Page Scan

Christian Chorals #205

Christian Hymnal #d108

Christian Hymns #32

Christian Praise #d91

Page Scan

Christian Praise #430

Page Scan

Christian Praise #498

Page Scan

Christian Song #213

Page Scan

Christian Song #406

TextPage Scan

Christian Worship (1993) #551

Christian Worship and Praise #d99

Christian Worship #576

Christian Worship #577

TextPage Scan

Christian Worship #880

Christian Youth Hymnal #309

Church and University Hymns #d47

Church Family Worship #550

Page Scan

Church Hymnal #181

Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #459

Church Hymnal, Fourth Edition #191

Church Hymnal, Third Edition #175

TextPage Scan

Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #740

Church Hymns and Services, Published under License of the Church Pension Fund #d61

Page Scan

Church Hymns and Tunes #464

Church Hymns with Tunes #196

Page Scan

Church Hymns #232a

Page Scan

Church Hymns #232b

Church School Hymnal for Children, Grades 3 to 6 #d33

Church School Hymnal for Children, Grades I-VI #d31

Page Scan

College Hymnal #284

Page Scan

Columbia University Hymnal #117

TextPage Scan

Common Praise (1998) #276

Text

Common Praise #232

Page Scan

Common Praise #561

TextPage Scan

Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church #250

Page Scan

Community of Christ Sings #331

Text

Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #177

Text

Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #178

Complete Mission Praise #148

TextPage Scan

CPWI Hymnal #819

Crusader Hymns and Hymn Stories #d50

Devotional Hymns #d55

Devotional Hymns #d55

Devotional Hymns #ad55

Page Scan

Die Weckstimme #S25

Divine Service Book for the Armed Forces #d45

E. A. C. C. Hymnal #77

Page Scan

Elmhurst Hymnal #316

TextPage Scan

Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #554

Text

Evangelical Lutheran Worship #422

Everybody's Hymn Book for Church and Home #d76

Page Scan

Fellowship Hymns #281

Page Scan

Field Service Book #3

Page Scan

For God and Country #35

Pages

Exclude 460 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us