All Glory Be to God on High
The Gloria handed back to the congregation, which was a bigger change than it looks.
The words are public domain. We print a hymn only after checking it word for word against a dated old printing, and this one hasn’t been checked yet. Hymnary has it now.
“All Glory Be to God on High” at HymnaryAbout this hymn
The Gloria in excelsis is the angels' song at Bethlehem, and for centuries it belonged to the choir. Decius set it in German, in metre, to a tune ordinary people could manage.
That move is one of the more consequential things the Reformation did to worship, and it was not primarily a musical decision. It was an argument about who the liturgy belongs to, made by giving it away.
Used as the hymn of praise near the beginning of the service, in any season except Lent and Advent, when the Gloria traditionally rests.
For musicians and planners
| Words | Nikolaus Decius, 1525 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Translation | Catherine Winkworth, 1863 | Public domain |
| Tune | ALLEIN GOTT IN DER HÖH · Nikolaus Decius (attributed; adapted from a 10th-century Easter Gloria chant), 1539 | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against hymnary.org text, tune and person pages (attribution and rights only)
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.