Crown Him With Many Crowns Matthew Bridges, 1851
3 verses, sung to Diademata (6.6.8.6.6.6.8.6), public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Crown him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon his throne;
Hark! how the heav’nly anthem drowns
All music but its own!
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of him who died for thee;
And hail him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.
Verse 2. Crown him, the Lord of love;
Behold his hands and side,
Rich wounds yet visible above
In beauty glorified:
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye
At mysteries so bright.
Verse 3. Crown him, the Lord of years,
The Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime:
Glassed in a sea of light,
Whose everlasting waves
Reflect his form—the Infinite—
Who lives and loves and saves.
Words copied from New Baptist Hymnal (1926). They were published in 1851, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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The story behind Crown Him with Many Crowns
Matthew Bridges first printed the hymn in the second edition of Hymns of the Heart (London, 1851). It opened with a Latin note on Revelation 19:12, and its six eight-line stanzas each began with the words Crown him. Bridges had left the Church of England for the Roman Catholic Church. Churches first sang it as a congregational hymn in The People's Hymnal of 1867. Godfrey Thring, an Anglican clergyman, revised it for Church Hymns in 1871. In 1874 he printed a fuller rewrite, Crown Him with crowns of gold, in Hymns and Sacred Lyrics. He wrote it at the request of the Rev. H. W. Hutton, who disliked parts of Bridges' hymn. In 1880 Thring edited A Church of England Hymn Book and restored Bridges' opening stanza with his own wording after it. Hymnals today differ on which stanzas come from which writer. The tune DIADEMATA is by George J. Elvey, organist at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, from 1835 to 1882. It first appeared in the 1868 appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern. Carl Daw and J. R. Watson both describe it as royal and march-like. The stanzas draw on Revelation 19 and on passages about Christ as Lord of love, peace and light.
Matthew Bridges
1800-07-14 to 1894-10-06
Matthew Bridges was born on 14 July 1800 in Essex, the youngest son of John Bridges, and was raised in the Church of England. He began as a critic of Roman Catholicism and became a Roman Catholic in the late 1840s under the influence of the Oxford Movement. His books include Babbicombe, or Visions of Memory (1842) and The Passion of Jesus (1852). Hymns of the Heart, first published in 1848, carries the six stanzas of "Crown Him with Many Crowns" in its 1851 edition. Julian's Dictionary says he spent his later years in Quebec, Canada. He died on 6 October 1894.
George J. Elvey
1816 to 1893
George Job Elvey was born in Canterbury, England, in 1816 and sang as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral. He studied with his brother Stephen, at Oxford and at the Royal Academy of Music. At nineteen he became organist and master of the choristers at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and he kept the post until he retired in 1882. He wrote music for royal ceremonies and was knighted after the wedding of Princess Louise in 1871. His tune DIADEMATA first appeared in the 1868 appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern and is sung with "Crown Him with Many Crowns." He died at Windlesham, Surrey, in 1893.
- Hymnology Archive, Crown him with many crowns , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Psalter Hymnal 410, Crown Him with Many Crowns , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in Crown Him with Many Crowns
The Bible passages behind the words, with the verse of the hymn that draws on each.
- Revelation 19:12 In verse 12 of the hymn
- Revelation 19:16 In verse 16 of the hymn
- Isaiah 2:4 In verse 4 of the hymn
- Psalm 46:9 In verse 9 of the hymn
Crown Him with Many Crowns videos
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Crown Him With Many Crowns • Congregational Daniel Baptist, Congregation
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Crown Him with Many Crowns Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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Crown him with many crowns Huddersfield Choral Society - Topic, Choir
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Crown Him with Many Crowns - A Cappella Hymn A Cappella Hymns, A cappella
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Crown Him with Many Crowns - piano instrumental hymn Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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Crown Him With Many Crowns (2021 Version) KeithandKristyn Getty, Modern arrangement
Videos play from YouTube, and nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. A video may sing different verses from the ones printed on this page.
Downloads, printing and slides
Sheet music files
- Sheet music PDF 99 KB. Words and all four parts, ready to print.
- Lead sheet PDF 88 KB. Melody, words and chord symbols for piano or guitar.
- MusicXML score XML 66 KB. Opens in MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius and Dorico to change the key or print parts.
- MIDI, all parts MIDI 2 KB. Plays the four-part harmony in any MIDI player or notation app.
- MIDI, melody only MIDI 1 KB. The tune alone, for learning it.
Practice tracks for each voice part, as MIDI: Alto , Tenor , Bass .
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in D.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Crown Him with Many Crowns?
Matthew Bridges wrote the original in 1851. Godfrey Thring rewrote it in 1871 and 1874, and many hymnals print stanzas from both.
What Bible verse is behind Crown Him with Many Crowns?
Bridges headed the hymn with Revelation 19:12, which describes many crowns on the head of Christ. Revelation 19:16 gives the title King of kings.
What is the tune for Crown Him with Many Crowns?
The tune is DIADEMATA, written by George J. Elvey. It first appeared in the 1868 appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern and is usually printed in D major.
Is Crown Him with Many Crowns in the public domain?
The words are public domain in the United States. Bridges published them in 1851 and Thring's rewrite followed in 1874. The tune DIADEMATA dates from 1868, though modern descants and arrangements may be under copyright.
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