Picardy is a hymn tune used in Christian churches, based on a French carol; it is in a minor key and its

meter The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pref ...

is 8.7.8.7.8.7. Its name comes from the

province of France The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until the National Constituent Assembly adopted a more uniform division into departments (''départements'') and districts in late 1789. The provinces continued to exist administratively until ...

from where it is thought to originate. The tune dates back at least to the 17th century, and was originally used for the folk song "Jésus-Christ s'habille en pauvre". First published in the 1848 collection ''Chansons populaires des provinces de France'', "Picardy" was most famously arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906 for the hymn "

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence ''Let all mortal flesh keep silence'' ( grc-gre, Σιγησάτω πᾶσα σάρξ βροτεία), also known as ''Let all mortal flesh keep silent'', is an ancient chant of Eucharistic devotion based on words from Habakkuk 2:20, "Let all the e ...

", in the

English Hymnal ''The English Hymnal'' is a hymn book which was published in 1906 for the Church of England by Oxford University Press. It was edited by the clergyman and writer Percy Dearmer and the composer and music historian Ralph Vaughan Williams, and wa ...

, the words of which are taken from the Byzantine Greek Liturgy of St. James translated by Gerard Moultrie a chaplain at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into ...

. In addition,

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

used the hymn in his "3 Festival Choruses" Op. 36a. While the tune is most commonly sung to the words "Let all mortal flesh keep silence", it is also set to other words, including "Christians, let us love one another" and 'You, Lord, are both lamb and shepherd".

References

External links

Picardy
entry at ''Center for Church Music''

score and MIDI annotation file at CyberHymnal
"3 Festival Choruses"
download score from IMSLP.ORG
"Christians, Let Us Love One Another"
at OCP.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Picardy (Hymn) Hymn tunes