Julian of Speyer ( la, Julianus
Teuton
The Teutons ( la, Teutones, , grc, Τεύτονες) were an ancient northern European tribe mentioned by Roman authors. The Teutons are best known for their participation, together with the Cimbri and other groups, in the Cimbrian War with th ...
icus; died c. 1250), also known as Julian of Spires, was a German
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
composer, poet and historian of the thirteenth century.
Born in
Speyer
Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...
, Julian studied at the
University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
and was the musical director for the royal chapel during the reigns of
Philip Augustus
Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...
and
Louis VIII of France. Eventually, he left to become a member of the newly founded
Order of St Francis
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
, but exactly when is not known.
In 1227, Julian accompanied Brother
Simon Angelicus to Germany, when he was made Provincial of Germany by the General Chapter of Assisi. It is probable that he was present at the translation of
St. Francis at
Assisi
Assisi (, also , ; from la, Asisium) is a town and ''comune'' of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio.
It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Propertius, born aroun ...
in May 1230. Afterwards, he lived in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
again at the great convent of the
Minorites
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
, where he was choir-master as well as ''corrector mensae'' (who oversees the reading in the
refectory).
Although in the Middle Ages, Julian of Speyer was held in high respect as a composer and writer of
rhymed offices, he was almost forgotten until the end of the nineteenth century. It is certain that he composed the rhymed Office (historia) of St. Francis of Assisi (written between 23 February 1229 and 4 October 1235), as well as that of St.
Anthony of Padua
Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic Church, Catholic priesthood (Cath ...
, who was canonized on 30 May 1232 (composed just after 1241).
Both these musical, as well as poetical, masterpieces are still used by the Franciscans. These works are distinguished for the
harmony
In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...
,
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...
, and
rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, the exact same phonemes) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of perfect rhyming is consciously used for a musical or aesthetic ...
of the verses, and for their sublime expressiveness as musical compositions. Only a few sentences in the third
nocturn (the
antiphons) were written by Pope
Gregory IX and the cardinals; the rest is entirely Julian's composition.
Even outside the Franciscan Order the rhythmic structure has often been copied, with whole verses being frequently taken (especially from the ''Historia rhythmica'' of St. Francis) and set to Julian's melodies without any changes. It is not known how much of the poetic narrative of
St. Dominic
Saint Dominic ( es, Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilian Catholic priest, mystic, the founder of the Dominican Order and is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientis ...
(d. 1221), used on his feast by both Franciscans and
Dominicans, belongs to Julian of Speyer. Some portions at least of the mass formula of Sts. Francis and Anthony are undoubtedly his musical and poetical compositions. Only in the turn of the century was Julian recognized as the author of the ''Legenda S. Francisci'' and of the ''Vita ab auctore anonymo'' of St Anthony of Padua.
{{Authority control
Year of birth missing
1250 deaths
13th-century French Roman Catholic priests
13th-century German historians
13th-century Latin writers
German Franciscans
Franciscan writers
German Christian religious leaders
13th-century German composers
People from Speyer
Medieval Latin poets
University of Paris alumni
French Franciscans
French male poets
German male poets
13th-century French composers
German classical composers
German male classical composers
French classical composers
French male classical composers
Medieval male composers
13th-century German writers