From heaven above to earth I come
From heaven above to earth I come. Martin Luther* (1483-1546), translated by Catherine Winkworth* (1827-1878).
Luther’s ‘cradle hymn’, as it is sometimes called, began ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her’*. It was almost certainly written for his children, to be sung at a Christmas-Eve entertainment, sometime before 1535. It was based on a secular song, ‘Ich komm aus fremden Landen her’, and has a folk-song-like simplicity. It was published in Geistliche Lieder (Wittenberg, 1535), with the title ‘Ein kinder lied auff die Weinacht Christi’ (Herl et al., 2019, Volume 1. p. 74). The ‘Weinacht’ here suggests that it may have been intended for Christmas Eve - ‘A children’s song for Christmas...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "From heaven above to earth I come."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 11 Jul. 2025.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/f/from-heaven-above-to-earth-i-come>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "From heaven above to earth I come."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed July 11, 2025,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/f/from-heaven-above-to-earth-i-come.