"Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her" ("From Heaven Above to Earth I Come") is a hymn text relating to the Nativity of Jesus, written by Martin Luther in 1534.

In that publication, the text was coupled to the melody of the then well-known secular song "Ich kumm aus frembden Landen her," Zahn 345.

Er bringt euch alle Seligkeit, Die Gott der Vater hat bereit, Daß ihr mit uns im Himmelreich Sollt leben nun und ewiglich.

Den Sünder nicht verschmähet hast Und kommst ins Elend her zu mir, Wie soll ich immer danken dir?

Davon ich allzeit fröhlich sei, Zu springen, singen immer frei Das rechte Susaninne schon, Mit Herzenslust den süßen Ton.

Lob, Ehr sei Gott im höchsten Thron, Der uns schenkt seinen ein'gen Sohn.

From heaven above to earth I come To bear good news to every home; Glad tidings of great joy I bring Whereof I now will say and sing:

He brings those blessings, long ago Prepared by God for all below; Henceforth His kingdom open stands To you, as to the angel bands.

Were earth a thousand times as fair, Beset with gold and jewels rare, She yet were far too poor to be A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee.

Thus hath it pleased Thee to make plain The truth to us poor fools and vain, That this world's honour, wealth and might Are nought and worthless in Thy sight.

[9] The Scottish translation contained in the sixteenth century Gude and Godlie Ballatis was indicated to be sung on the tune of a lullaby ("Balulalow").

[10] From the second half of the 16th century the melody appeared in organ compositions, for instance by Johannes Eccard, Adam Gumpelzhaimer, Hans Leo Hassler, Michael Praetorius, Samuel Scheidt (Görlitzer Tabulaturbuch [scores], 1650) and Heinrich Scheidemann.

[11] Later organ compositions include those by Johann Pachelbel (chorale preludes, one of them printed in his Erster Theil etlicher Choräle c. 1693) and by Georg Böhm ("Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her" [scores]).

Sebastian Knüpfer wrote a cantata Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her [scores] for six vocal soloists, choir and orchestra.

[1] Johann Christoph Bach set six stanzas of "Vom Himmel hoch" in his motet Merk auf, mein Herz und sieh dorthin, BWV Anh.

[1] Johann Sebastian Bach set the first stanza of "Vom Himmel hoch" as one of four laudes added to the Christmas 1723 version of his Magnificat.

[14][13] Bach wrote chorale preludes based on "Vom Himmel hoch", notably BWV 606 in his Orgelbüchlein, 700, 701, 738 and 738a.

[16] In 1831 Felix Mendelssohn wrote a chorale cantata Vom Himmel hoch, MWV A 10, based on Luther's hymn.

Other composers citing "Vom Himmel hoch" include Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Ernst Pepping und Hugo Distler.

[19][20] Valentin Triller, a Protestant vicar, published a reworked version of the hymn with an additional introductory stanza in 1555, reverting to the "Ich kumm aus frembden Landen her" melody.

[2] The 1567 second edition of The Gude and Godlie Ballatis (the good and godly ballads) contained a Scottish translation of "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her" under the header "Followis ane sang of the birth of Christ, with the tune of Baw lula low" (Here follows a song of the birth of Christ, [to be sung] on the tune of Balulalow).

"[24] It is however a translation of "Vom Himmel hoch, o Engel, kommt", a song also known as "Susani", first published in the early 17th century, with a different tune.

[25][26] Apart from the Christmas setting derived from Luke 2:1–18, the "Susani" repeated in this song also likens it to the "Susaninne" of the fourteenth stanza of "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her.

[24] The last one is usually sung to the "Vom Himmel hoch" melody,[7] or, alternatively, to the "Puer natus in Bethlehem" hymn tune, Zahn 192a.

[28] "Ett barn är fött på denna dag" is a Swedish Christmas song partly based on the "Vom Himmel hoch" hymn.