Michael Praetorius

"Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" (literally "A rose has sprung up") is a beloved German Christmas carol and Marian hymn, first printed in the 1599 Speyer Hymnal. Commonly known in English as "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming," "A Spotless Rose," or "Behold a Rose of Judah," it dates to the 15th century with an unknown author.

The hymn draws from Isaiah 11:1, depicting a rose springing from the Tree of Jesse as a symbol of the Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus. Early versions focused on Mary as the pure maiden; Protestant traditions often emphasize Christ as the flower. The familiar melody, first published in 1599, was masterfully harmonized by Michael Praetorius in 1609 for four voices in his Musae Sioniae collection; this serene, flowing setting in Dorian mode has become the standard version heard worldwide. Praetorius’s harmonization is prized for its gentle polyphony and timeless simplicity, perfectly suiting both cathedral choirs and congregational singing.

Popular English translations include Theodore Baker’s (1894) and Catherine Winkworth’s "A Spotless Rose," famously set by Herbert Howells in 1919. Additional verses were added in the 19th century, and the carol has inspired works by Brahms, Distler, Schoenberg, and Jan Sandström. Despite Nazi-era attempts to secularize it, its prophetic Advent message endures in churches worldwide.