Holy God, We Praise Thy Name Lyrics Ignaz Franz (attributed), translated by Clarence A. Walworth, 1858
3 verses, sung to Te Deum (7.8.7.8.7.7), public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Holy God, we praise Thy Name,
Lord of all, we bow before Thee;
All on earth Thy sceptre claim;
All in heav’n above adore Thee,
Infinite Thy vast domain,
Everlasting is Thy reign,
Verse 2. Hark! The loud celestial hymn,
Angel choirs above are raising!
Cherubim and Seraphim
In unceasing chorus praising;
Fill the Heav’ns with sweet accord;
Holy, holy, holy Lord!
Verse 3. Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee,
While in essence only One,
Undivided God we claim Thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.
Words copied from The St. Gregory Hymnal and Catholic Choir Book (1920). They were published in 1858, 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 Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
This hymn is a paraphrase of the Te Deum, the ancient Latin song of praise. A German version, "Grosser Gott, wir loben dich," appeared without a name in the Catholic hymn book Katholisches Gesangbuch, printed in Vienna around 1774. Hymnary.org says it was reportedly made at the request of Empress Maria Theresa. About four years later Ignaz Franz, a Catholic priest, published the poem with small changes, so many sources credit it to him. Discipleship Ministries lists him as living from 1719 to 1790.
Clarence A. Walworth, an American who studied law and became a Catholic priest, wrote the English paraphrase. Hymnary.org says it was first published in a Redemptorist hymnal in 1853 and reprinted in Dublin's Catholic Psalmist in 1858. Other pages give 1858 as the date, so the year depends on the source. The Episcopal Hymnal 1982 adds three stanzas by F. Bland Tucker, and other hymnals have used them to complete the text.
The tune GROSSER GOTT went with the German words in the Katholisches Gesangbuch. Discipleship Ministries says it probably comes from Franz's Choralbuch of 1778. Hymnary.org lists it in F major and finds it in 281 hymnals, most often with these English words. Catholic and Protestant congregations both sing it.
Ignaz Franz
1719 to 1790
Ignaz Franz was a German Roman Catholic priest and hymn editor, born in what is now Poland and ordained in 1742. He died in Breslau in 1790. Discipleship Ministries says his Katholisches Gesangbuch of about 1774 held 47 of his own texts, and it credits him with the German hymn "Grosser Gott, wir loben dich," a versification of the Te Deum. Hymnary.org notes that the same poem first appeared without a name and that some sources credit Franz only for a lightly altered printing. Birth years of 1717 and 1719 both appear in sources.
- Hymnary.org: Holy God, we praise thy name , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: GROSSER GOTT , read 2026-10-16
- Discipleship Ministries: History of Hymns, Holy God, We Praise Thy Name , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
The Bible passages behind the words.
- Isaiah 6:3
- Revelation 4:8
- Psalm 148
- Matthew 28:19
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name videos
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Holy God We Praise Thy Name - GROSSER GOTT jclarke527, Congregation
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Holy God, We Praise Thy Name Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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Holy God, we praise Thy Name --- Faith of our Fathers concert Haydn playlists, Choir
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Holy God We Praise Thy Name (Acapella) - Dave Moore, Lauren Moore - Live at the Meyerson Catholic Music Initiative, A cappella
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Holy God, We Praise Your Name (West Point Cadet Chapel Organ) Craig Williams, Organist, Instrumental
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 112 KB. Words and all four parts, ready to print.
- Lead sheet PDF 92 KB. Melody, words and chord symbols for piano or guitar.
- MusicXML score XML 67 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 F.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Holy God, We Praise Thy Name?
The German text is usually credited to Ignaz Franz, based on the Te Deum. Clarence A. Walworth wrote the English paraphrase, first published in 1853 according to Hymnary.org.
Is Holy God, We Praise Thy Name a Catholic hymn?
It began in the Catholic Katholisches Gesangbuch, and both Franz and Walworth were Catholic priests. It also appears in The United Methodist Hymnal as number 79 and in the Episcopal Hymnal 1982.
What is the tune?
The tune is GROSSER GOTT, from the Katholisches Gesangbuch of about 1774. It is in meter 7.8.7.8.7.7 and often printed in F major.
Is Holy God, We Praise Thy Name in the public domain?
Yes. The words are public domain in the United States. Walworth's translation dates to 1853 (some sources say 1858) and the tune to the 1700s, though newer added stanzas such as Tucker's may be under copyright.
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