"A Hymn to God the Father", also titled "To Christ", is a poem by English poet and clergyman

John Donne John Donne ( ; 22 January 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's ...

. It is one of his Divine Poems. Its date of composition is unknown.

Overview

The poem was set to music by

Pelham Humfrey Pelham Humfrey (''Humphrey, Humphrys'') (1647 in London – 14 July 1674 in Windsor) was an English composer. He was the first of the new generation of English composers at the beginning of the Restoration to rise to prominence. Life and career P ...

in the 17th century and posthumously published in ''Harmonia Sacra, Book 1'' (1688). A typical performance takes about 3 minutes. His setting has been included in 10 hymnals, under such other titles as its opening line, "Wilt Thou Forgive That Sin, Where I Begun", but without always crediting him as composer, or Donne as the author of the words. Another slightly earlier setting of the poem of about the same time was that by John Hilton. In the 20th century there were several more settings, both for chorus and individual performer. The poem starts with Donne asking God whether He will forgive the sins committed even before his birth, referring to the doctrine of

original sin Original sin is the Christian doctrine that holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3 (t ...

. That pardoned, he adds that God's task is not complete for there is more to be forgiven. He amplifies in the second stanza that in addition there are the sins, witnessing which, others were tempted to sin themselves; his sins of backsliding are also included. In the final stanza Donne accuses himself of the sin of fear that he will still be lost, unless God confirms His promise that His son will shine upon him at his death. In the repeated line "When thou hast done, thou hast not done", the poet puns upon his own surname. But in the third line, "thou hast don(n)e", he pledges his faith in the Divine Redeemer.

Discography

* 1951

Alfred Deller Alfred George Deller, CBE (31 May 1912 – 16 July 1979), was an English singer and one of the main figures in popularising the return of the countertenor voice in Renaissance and Baroque music during the 20th century. He is sometimes referre ...

(countertenor) and

Geraint Jones Geraint Owen Jones (born 14 July 1976) is a former cricketer who played for both England and Papua New Guinea. Born to Welsh parents in Papua New Guinea, between 2004 and 2006 he was the first-choice wicketkeeper for the England cricket team. ...

(organ); arranged by

Michael Tippett Sir Michael Kemp Tippett (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was an English composer who rose to prominence during and immediately after the Second World War. In his lifetime he was sometimes ranked with his contemporary Benjamin Britten ...

and Walter Bergmann,

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

C.4144 * 1966

John Shirley-Quirk John Stanton Shirley-Quirk CBE (28 August 19317 April 2014) was an English bass-baritone. A member of the English Opera Group during 1964–76, he gave premiere performances of several operatic and vocal works by Benjamin Britten, recording these ...

(bass-baritone) and

Martin Isepp Martin Johannes Sebastian Isepp (30 September 1930 – 25 December 2011) was an Austrian‐born British pianist, harpsichordist, conductor and teacher. He had an international career, and worked with leading singers for several decades. Among tho ...

(piano) * 1995

Paul Agnew Paul Agnew (born 1964 in Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europ ...

(tenor) and Christopher Wilson (lutes) * 1995

Ian Bostridge Ian Charles Bostridge CBE (born 25 December 1964) is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer. Early life and education Bostridge was born in London, the son of Leslie Bostridge and Lillian (née Clark). ...

(tenor) and Graham Johnson (piano); in the realisation 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 ...

References

1688 poems 17th-century hymns Poetry by John Donne Musical settings of poems by John Donne Compositions by Pelham Humfrey English Christian hymns {{UK-poem-stub