''A Hymn of St Columba'' is a composition for choir and organ by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

, written in 1962. He set a hymn in Latin by

Saint Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is tod ...

, the founder of

Iona Abbey Iona Abbey is an abbey located on the island of Iona, just off the Isle of Mull on the West Coast of Scotland. It is one of the oldest Christian religious centres in Western Europe. The abbey was a focal point for the spread of Christianity t ...

, to music. It was published by Boosey & Hawkes.

History

Britten composed ''A Hymn of St Columba'' on 29 December 1962. He wrote the work on a commission to commemorate the 1400th anniversary of a voyage by Columba from Ireland to Iona Island, where he founded

, and from where he was a missionary in the

Highlands of Scotland The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

. Britten set a hymn attributed to him, in three stanzas of five lines each. The first line, "Regis regum rectissimi", freely translated to "King of kings and of lords most high", is also the last line of all three stanzas. The text reflects the day of judgement, similar to the Dies irae sequence, first in anxiety, finally in an outlook for rest after earthly desires will have ended. ''A Hymn of St Columba'' is dedicated to Derek Hill who commissioned it. It was published by Boosey & Hawkes. It was premiered outdoors in

Churchill, County Donegal Church Hill, historically known as Minalaban (), is a small village and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. The village is from Letterkenny. The village's name is derived from its location on a small hilltop. Church Hill has a post office, o ...

, where Columba is said to have preached, but was not easily audible due to the strong wind. The work was recorded several times.

Music

The music of ''A Hymn of St Columba'' follows the tradition of

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

music, with added personal features. It is suitable as an

introit The Introit (from Latin: ''introitus'', "entrance") is part of the opening of the liturgy, liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations. In its most complete version, it consists of an antiphon, Psalms, psalm verse and ' ...

or an anthem in services such as commemorations of Saint Columba,

All Souls' Day All Souls' Day, also called ''The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed'', is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed, observed by certain Christian denominations on 2 November. Through prayer, intercessions, alms and ...

and

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

. The duration is given as two-to-three minutes. The music is scored for a four-part choir and organ. Britten begins, setting the mood of fear for the day of judgement, with an ostinato in the pedal, which recurs throughout the piece, also in the manuals. The voices begin with a unison line, which later reappears at the end as a canon of the high voices and the low voices. In the end, the opening line is sung

pianissimo In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer dependin ...

, addressing the "King of Kings" with "hushed awe", as

Paul Spicer Paul Spicer (born August 18, 1975) is an American football coach and former defensive end who is the defensive line coach for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. He played college football at Saginaw Valley State. He then played 12 seasons in ...

describes. When Britten conducted the work, he wanted it sung "with fire". Iona Abbey

References

{{italic title 1962 compositions Choral compositions Compositions by Benjamin Britten