"" ("Come, Holy Ghost, Lord God") is 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 Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers ...

, with words written by

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

based on " Veni Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium". The hymn in three stanzas was first published in 1524. For centuries the

chorale Chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one of the th ...

has been the prominent hymn (''Hauptlied'') for Pentecost in German-speaking

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

. Johann Sebastian Bach used it in several chorale preludes, cantatas and his motet ''Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf'', BWV 226. The hymn inspired composers from , the Renaissance to contemporary to write chorale preludes and vocal compositions. It has been translated, for example by

Catherine Winkworth Catherine Winkworth (13 September 1827 – 1 July 1878) was an English hymnwriter and educator. She translated the German chorale tradition of church hymns for English speakers, for which she is recognized in the calendar of the Evangelical Luth ...

as "Come, Holy Spirit, God and Lord" in 1855, and has appeared in

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chr ...

s of various denominations. The artist

Hans Holbein the Younger Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; german: Hans Holbein der Jüngere; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a German-Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered one of the greatest por ...

featured the hymn in the painting '' The Ambassadors''.

Text

The first stanza is an anonymous translation of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

antiphon An antiphon ( Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are the Psalms. Their form was favored by St Ambrose and they feature prominentl ...

for Pentecost " Veni Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium" (Come,

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

, fill the hearts of your faithful) from the 11th century. The German version appeared with the current tune in Ebersberg in . The stanza has nine lines, with the irregular

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 ...

7.8.8.8.8.8.8.10.8. It opens with requesting the Holy Spirit to come. An acclamation "O Herr" (O Lord) begins the central fifth line, and the thoughts culminate in a double Hallelujah in the last line. The Spirit is asked: "fill with the goodness of your grace / the heart, spirit and mind of your believers, / kindle in them your ardent love!" Martin Luther added two more stanzas. He kept not only the meter and the tune, but also the structure, with acclamations at the beginning of lines 1 and 5, and the final Halleluja. In his stanzas, the group of "deiner Gläubigen" (your believers) is speaking directly, pronouncing "wir" and "uns" ("we" and "us"). Luther alludes to several of the

seven gifts of the Holy Spirit The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are an enumeration of seven spiritual gifts first found in the book of Isaiah, and much commented upon by patristic authors. They are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of ...

, according to :

wisdom Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowledg ...

understanding Understanding is a psychological process related to an abstract or physical object, such as a person, situation, or message whereby one is able to use concepts to model that object. Understanding is a relation between the knower and an object ...

counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...

knowledge Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distin ...

, fortitude,

piety Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary among ...

, and fear of the Lord. He also drew on ("because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts"), ("for one is your Master"), and ("the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities"). In the second stanza, Luther uses the attributes "heiliges Licht, edler Hort" (holy light, precious refuge) and words the request "protect us from strange doctrines / so that we may never look for any teacher / except Jesus in true belief". In the last stanza, the Spirit's "ardent love" and "sweet consolation" are named, asking for help "always to remain joyful and comforted / in your service" and "so that we may bravely struggle / through life and death to reach you!" The hymn appeared first in 1524 in , (booklet of spiritual song), collected by

Johann Walter Johann Walter, also known as ''Johann Walther'' or ''Johannes Walter'' (original name: ''Johann Blankenmüller'') (1496 – 25 March 1570) was a Lutheran composer and poet during the Reformation period. Life Walter was born in Kahla, in present-d ...

. The same year it appeared also in '' Eyn Enchiridion'' in Erfurt, titled "Der gesank Veni sancte spiritus". For centuries the

has been the prominent hymn (''Hauptlied'') for

in German-speaking

, the number in the current hymnal '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' (EG) is 125. The hymn was translated to Swedish first in 1567, "Kom Helge Ande Herre Gudh", and has appeared in a 1983 version by Britt G. Hallqvist in ' (The Swedish 1986 hymnal). The song was translated to English by

as "Come, Holy Spirit, God and Lord!", published in the first series of ''Lyra Germanica'' in 1855, among others. It has been used in different translations, appearing in

s of various denominations.

Tune and musical settings

The anonymous melody, Zahn No. 7445a, is similar to the tune of the hymn "Adesto, sancte spiritus" by Marchetto di Padua (c. 1270). Early settings were by Heinrich Faber, for five voices, and by Johann Walter, for four voices. The tune, which also exists in a slightly different form from the 1530s ( Zahn No. 7445b), was set for several parts by

Arnold von Bruck Arnold von Bruck (also Arnold de Pruck, Arnoldus de Bruck, Arnoldus Brugensis, indicating his origin) (c. 1500 – 6 February 1554) was a Franco-Flemish composer of Renaissance music, active in several Habsburg courts. He was one of the most famou ...

and

Samuel Scheidt Samuel Scheidt (baptised 3 November 1587 – 24 March 1654) was a German composer, organist and teacher of the early Baroque era. Life and career Scheidt was born in Halle, and after early studies there, he went to Amsterdam to study with ...

. Johann Eccard composed a five-part

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 Ma ...

Dieterich Buxtehude Dieterich Buxtehude (; ; born Diderik Hansen Buxtehude; c. 1637 – 9 May 1707) was a Danish organist and composer of the Baroque period, whose works are typical of the North German organ school. As a composer who worked in various vocal a ...

wrote a

chorale prelude In music, a chorale prelude or chorale setting is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works of J.S. Bach, who wrote 46 ...

, BuxWV 199. Chorale preludes were also written by Heinrich Scheidemann, , Andreas Nicolaus Vetter,

Georg Friedrich Kauffmann Georg Friedrich Kauffmann (14 February 1679 – 24 March 1735) was a Baroque composer and organist from northern-central Germany who composed primarily sacred works for the organ and voice. Biography Early life and career Georg Friedrich Kauffm ...

, Johann Gottfried Walther and

Johann Ludwig Krebs Johann Ludwig Krebs (baptized 12 October 1713 – 1 January 1780) was a German Baroque musician and composer for the pipe organ, harpsichord, other instruments and orchestras. His output also included chamber music, choral works and concertos. ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

composed two chorale preludes which he made part of his collection Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes, ''Fantasia super Komm, Heiliger Geist, canto fermo in Pedale'', BWV 651, and ''Komm, Heiliger Geist, alio modo a 2 Clav. e Pedale'', BWV 652. Bach quoted the tune instrumentally as the

cantus firmus In music, a ''cantus firmus'' ("fixed melody") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition. The plural of this Latin term is , although the corrupt form ''canti firmi'' (resulting from the grammatically incorrect tre ...

in a duet of his first

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning o ...

for Pentecost ''Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!'' BWV 172 (1714). He used the first stanza as movement 3 in his cantata for Pentecost ''Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten'', BWV 59 (1723 or 1724), and the third stanza as the closing chorale of his funeral motet addressing the Holy Spirit, ''Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf'', BWV 226 (1729). Other vocal compositions have included two masses on the tune by

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hild ...

for four parts and basso continuo, and motets by Moritz Hauptmann, ,

Arnold Mendelssohn Bust of Arnold Mendelssohn, at the Holy Trinity Community Cemetery, Berlin Arnold Ludwig Mendelssohn (26 December 1855 – 18 February 1933), was a German composer and music teacher. He was born in Ratibor, Province of Silesia; the son of Fel ...

(1921), Hans Humpert (1932) and Rudolf Petzold (1957).

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, as a musical director at the Leipzig University Church, as a professor a ...

quotes the tune in the Pentecost section of his organ pieces ''Sieben Stücke'', Op. 145.

References

External links

*
Evangelische Morgenfeier zum Pfingstmontag: „Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott“

Diocese of Trier The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.16th-century hymns in German Hymn tunes Hymns by Martin Luther 1524 works Hymns for Pentecost