For the beauty of the earth

Ludvig M. Lindeman (1812-1887) was a Norwegian composer and organist. Born in Trondheim, he studied theology in Oslo where he remained the rest of his life. In 1839 he succeeded his brother as the organist and cantor of Oslo Cathedral, a position he held for 48 years up until his death. Lindeman was appointed Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, and was invited to both help christen the new organ in Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as compose for the coronation of King Oscar II and Queen Sophie of Sweden. In 1883, he and his son started the Organist School in Oslo. Lindeman is perhaps best known for his arrangements of Norwegiam folk tales; over the course of his life he collected over 3000 folk melodies and tunes.

The text for these well-known words are by Folliott Sandford Pierpoint (1835-1917). In the spring of 1863, he sat on a hilltop outside his native city of Bath, England, admiring the country view and the winding Avon River. Inspired by the view to think about God's gifts in creation and in the church, Pierpont wrote this text.

Most of us associate these words with the famous tune, "Dix," but for variety I found the mating of this tune with these words, and I offer it here. The name of this tune is "Fred Til Bod".

Lindeman wrote some important organ music, but it's kind of hard to find the scores, which may help to explain why we seldom see his name or hear his music.

The full text is given in the First Comment.

The score is attached below, as we well as a photo of Ludvig Lindeman, one of Oslo Cathedral, and one of the organ there.

Whether you're celebrating the American holiday of Thanksgiving or not, I wish you all a safe, happy and thankful day!