HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Veni Creator Spiritus" (Come, Creator Spirit) is a traditional Christian hymn believed to have been written by Rabanus Maurus, a ninth-century German monk, teacher, and archbishop. When the original Latin text is used, it is normally sung in Gregorian Chant. It has been translated and paraphrased into several languages, and adapted into many musical forms, often as a hymn for Pentecost or for other occasions that focus on the Holy Spirit.


Liturgical use

As an invocation of the Holy Spirit, Veni Creator Spiritus is sung in the Catholic Church during liturgical celebrations on the feast of Pentecost (at both Terce and
Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , meaning ...
). It is also sung at occasions such as the entrance of Cardinals to the Sistine Chapel when they elect a new pope, as well as at the
consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
of
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s, the ordination of priests, the
sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the rea ...
of Confirmation, the dedication of churches, the celebration of synods or councils, the
coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...
of monarchs, the Red Mass marking the start of the judicial year, the
profession A profession is a field of work that has been successfully '' professionalized''. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, ''professionals'', who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by ...
of members of religious institutes, and other similar solemn events. There are also Catholic traditions of singing the hymn on New Year's Day for plenary indulgence. Martin Luther used the hymn as the basis for his Pentecost chorale "", first published in 1524. ''Veni Creator Spiritus'' is also widely used in
Anglican 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 ...
liturgies, where it has appeared since the publication of the
1550 ordinal The Edwardine Ordinals are two ordinals primarily written by Thomas Cranmer as influenced by Martin Bucer and first published under Edward VI, the first in 1550 and the second in 1552, for the Church of England. Both liturgical books were intend ...
and continues to appear, for example, in the ordinal of the 1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'', and in the Novena to The Holy Ghost in '' Saint Augustine's Prayer Book'' (1947). The translation "Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire" was by Bishop
John Cosin John Cosin (30 November 1594 – 15 January 1672) was an English churchman. Life He was born at Norwich, and was educated at Norwich School and at Caius College, Cambridge, where he was scholar and afterwards fellow. On taking orders he was a ...
in 1625, and has been used for all subsequent British coronations. Another English example is "Creator Spirit, by whose aid", written in 1690 by eorge Washington and published in ''The Church Hymn Book'' (1872, n. 313).


Text

Many variations exist. The following Latin and English versions were recently published by the Vatican:


Notable English translations

Since the English Reformation in the 16th century, there have been more than fifty English-language translations and paraphrases of Veni Creator Spiritus. The version attributed to
Archbishop Cranmer Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry's ...
, his sole venture into English verse, first appeared in the Prayer Book Ordinal of 1550. It was the only metrical hymn included in the Edwardian liturgy. In 1561 John Day included it after the psalms in his incomplete metrical psalter of that year. From 1562 onwards, in ''The Whole Booke of Psalmes'', Day printed Cranmer's version at the start of the metrical paraphrases. In terms of concision and accuracy, Cranmer compares poorly with Luther. Cranmer's sixth stanza, which mentions the Last Judgement and religious strife within Christendom ("the last dreadful day... strife and dissension..."), was a new addition, with no parallel in the Latin original or in Luther's version. The version included in the 1662 revision of the ''Book of Common Prayer'' compressed the content of the original seven verses into four (with a two-line doxology), but retained the Latin title. It was written by Bishop
John Cosin John Cosin (30 November 1594 – 15 January 1672) was an English churchman. Life He was born at Norwich, and was educated at Norwich School and at Caius College, Cambridge, where he was scholar and afterwards fellow. On taking orders he was a ...
for the
coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...
of King
Charles I of Great Britain Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...
in 1625. The same words have been used at every coronation since, sung by the choir after the Creed and before the
Anointing Anointing is the ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body. By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, or oth ...
. The first verse is: :Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, :and lighten with celestial fire. :Thou the anointing Spirit art, :who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart. Another well-known version by the poet
John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the p ...
was first published in his 1693 work, ''Examen Poeticum''. It may be sung to the tune " Melita" by John Bacchus Dykes, and excerpts of the Dryden text have been set to the German hymn tune "
Lasst uns erfreuen "" (Let us rejoice most heartily) is a hymn tune that originated from Germany in 1623, and which found widespread popularity after '' The English Hymnal'' published a 1906 version in strong triple meter with new lyrics. The triumphant melody and ...
". Dryden's first verse is: :Creator Spirit, by whose aid :The world's foundations first were laid, :Come, visit every pious mind; :Come, pour thy joys on humankind; :From sin and sorrow set us free, :And make thy temples worthy thee.


German paraphrases

Martin Luther wrote a paraphrase in German, "
Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist "" ("Come, God Creator, Holy Ghost") is a Lutheran hymn for Pentecost, with words written by Martin Luther based on the Latin "". The hymn in seven stanzas was first published in 1524. Its hymn tunes are Zahn No. 294, derived from the chant ...
" (literally: Come, God Creator, Holy Ghost) as a
Lutheran hymn Martin Luther was a great enthusiast for music, and this is why it forms a large part of Lutheran services; in particular, Luther admired the composers Josquin des Prez and Ludwig Senfl and wanted singing in the church to move away from the ''a ...
for Pentecost, first published in 1524, with a melody derived from the chant of the Latin hymn. It appears in the Protestant hymnal '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' as EG 126.
Heinrich Bone Heinrich Bone (25 September 181310 June 1893) was a German educator and hymnwriter. He wrote a reader for German studies which was used for higher education in Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria, until it was banned during the Kulturkampf. ...
published his own German paraphrase in 1845, "
Komm, Schöpfer Geist, kehr bei uns ein "" (Come, Creator Spirit, visit us) is a Christian hymn in German for Pentecost. The text is a paraphrase of the Latin hymn by Heinrich Bone. The melody is an adaptation of the Latin hymn's plainchant. It was first published in 1845. In the Cath ...
" (literally: Come, Creator Spirit, visit us), also using an adaptation of the plainchant melody. It appears in the German Catholic hymnal '' Gotteslob'' (2013) and its 1975 predecessor. A rhymed German translation or paraphrase, "Komm, Heiliger Geist, der Leben schafft" (literally: Come, Holy Spirit who creates life), was written by Friedrich Dörr to a melody close to the Gregorian melody, published in 1972. It became part of the common German Catholic hymnal '' Gotteslob'' in 1975, and of its second edition in 2013, as GL 342 in the section "Pfingsten – Heiliger Geist" (Pentecost – Holy Spirit).


Musical settings

Over the centuries, Veni Creator Spiritus has inspired the following works by notable composers, in approximate chronological order: * Jehan Titelouze, ''Veni creator'' (1623) * Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers, "L'hymne de la Pentecôte" in his ''2e Livre d'Orgue'' (1667) * Marc-Antoine Charpentier, 5 settings: **''Veni creator Spiritus'', H.54, for 3 voices (or chorus), 2 violins and continuo (1670s) **''Veni creator Spiritus'', H.66, for soloists, chorus, flutes, bassoons, strings and continuo (1680s) **''Veni creator Spiritus'', H.69, for 1 voice and continuo (1680s) **''Veni creator Spiritus'', H.70, for 1 voice and continuo (late 1680s) **''Veni creator Spiritus'', H.362, for 3 voices and continuo (early 1690s?) * Michel-Richard Delalande, ''Veni creator Spiritus'' S 14 (1689) or S 14 bis (1684) * Johann Pachelbel, chorale prelude for organ, on "Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist" (1693) *
Nicolas de Grigny Nicolas de Grigny (baptized 8 September 1672 – November 30, 1703) was a French organist and composer. He died young and left behind a single collection of organ music, and an ''Ouverture'' for harpsichord. Life Nicolas de Grigny was born in R ...
, ''Veni creator'' en taille à 5, fugue à 5 for organ (5 versets) (1699) * Henry Desmarest, ''Veni creator,'' for soloists, chorus and orchestra (early 1700s) * Johann Gottfried Walther, chorale prelude for organ, on "Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist" (early 1700s) * Johann Sebastian Bach harmonized "Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist" for his four-part chorale BWV 370, and also used the tune as the basis for his chorale prelude for organ BWV 631 (1708–1717), which he later extended as BWV 667 (1750). *
Charles-Hubert Gervais Charles-Hubert Gervais (19 February 1671 – 14 January 1744) was a French composer of the Baroque era. The son of a valet to King Louis XIV's brother, Monsieur, Gervais was born at the Palais Royal in Paris and probably educated by Monsieur's mus ...
, ''Veni creator'' (1723) *
Ferdinando Bertoni Ferdinando Bertoni (15 August 1725 – 1 December 1813) was an Italian composer and organist. Early years He was born in Salò, and began his music studies in Brescia, not far from his birthplace. Around 1740 he went to Bologna, where he studie ...
, ''Veni creator'' (1765) * François Giroust, ''Veni creator'' à 4 voix et orchestre (1787) *
Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Second Piano Concerto ...
, ''Veni creator'' à 4 voix (1858) *
Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
, ''Veni creator'' à cappella H 141 (c.1861–1868), a
motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margare ...
for women's voices to the Latin text *
César Franck César-Auguste Jean-Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in modern-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of his birth was pa ...
, ''Veni creator'' for two voices (TB) and organ, FWV 68 (1876) *
Anton Bruckner Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...
harmonized the original tune for voice and organ as his motet WAB 50 (c. 1884). *
Augusta Holmès Augusta Mary Anne Holmès (16 December 1847 – 28 January 1903) was a French composer of Irish descent (her father was from Youghal, Co. Cork). In 1871, Holmès became a French citizen and added the accent to her last name.Rollo Myers: "Augusta ...
, ''Veni creator'' for tenor and mixed chorus, IAH 74 (1887) * Alexandre Guilmant, organ works in ''L'Organiste liturgiste'', Op. 65, Book 1 (1884) and Book 10 (1899) * Gustav Mahler set the Latin text to music in Part I of his Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major (1906). * Filippo Capocci, Organ Fantasia on ''Veni Creator Spiritus'' (1907) *
Maurice Duruflé Maurice Gustave Duruflé (; 11 January 1902 – 16 June 1986) was a French composer, organist, musicologist, and teacher. Life and career Duruflé was born in Louviers, Eure in 1902. He became a chorister at the Rouen Cathedral Choir School f ...
used the chant tune as the basis for his symphonic organ composition "Prélude, Adagio et Choral varié sur le thème du ''Veni Creator''", Op. 4 (1926/1930). *
Karol Szymanowski Karol Maciej Szymanowski (; 6 October 188229 March 1937) was a Polish composer and pianist. He was a member of the modernist Young Poland movement that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th century. Szymanowski's early works show the infl ...
, ''Veni creator'' for soprano, mixed chorus, organ and orchestra, Op. 57 (1930) *
Marcel Dupré Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré () (3 May 1886 – 30 May 1971) was a French organist, composer, and pedagogue. Biography Born in Rouen into a wealthy musical family, Marcel Dupré was a child prodigy. His father Aimable Albert Dupré was titular o ...
, "Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist" among his organ settings of ''79 Chorales'', Op. 28, No. 46 (1931), and ''Veni creator'' in the organ suite ''Le Tombeau de Titelouze'', Op. 38, No. 8 (1942) *
Jeanne Demessieux Jeanne Marie-Madeleine Demessieux (13 February 1921 – 11 November 1968) was a French organist, pianist, composer, and teacher. She was the chief organist at Saint-Esprit for 29 years and at La Madeleine in Paris starting in 1962. She perfo ...
, ''Veni creator'', Toccata for Organ (1947) *
Zoltán Gárdonyi Zoltán Gárdonyi (; 25 April 1906 – 27 June 1986) was a Hungarian composer and musicologist. He taught at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music for 26 years. Life and work Gárdonyi was born in Budapest. His mother, the pianist Maria Weigl, st ...
, Partita for Organ ''Veni creator spiritus'' (1958) *
Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the '' ...
concluded his Concerto for Organ and Orchestra with a Phantasy on ''Veni Creator Spiritus'' (1962). * Krzysztof Penderecki wrote a motet for mixed choir (1987). * Cristóbal Halffter set the text for chorus and orchestra (1992). *
Petr Eben Petr Eben (22 January 1929 – 24 October 2007) was a Czech composer of modern and contemporary classical music, and an organist and choirmaster. His life Born in Žamberk in northeastern Bohemia, Eben spent most of his childhood and early a ...
Toccata for Piano after Grogorian chant ''Veni creator spiritus'' *
Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...
used the text in the second hour of his '' Klang'' cycle (2005), in a piece for two singing harpists titled ''Freude'' (Joy), Op. 82. *
Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in p ...
, ''Veni creator'' (2006) *
Zsolt Gárdonyi Zsolt Gárdonyi (21 March 1946) is a German-Hungarian composer, organist and music theorist. He is the son of Zoltán Gárdonyi. Career Gárdonyi was born in Budapest, Hungary. He studied composition, organ, sacred music and theory. At the ag ...
, Toccata for Organ ''Veni creator spiritus'' (2020)


References


External links


Gregorian Chant: free downloads


by
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
{{Authority control 9th century in music Latin-language Christian hymns Latin religious words and phrases State ritual and ceremonies Hymns for Pentecost