"Veni Creator Spiritus" (Come, Creator Spirit) is a traditional Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

believed to have been written by Rabanus Maurus, a ninth-century German monk, teacher, and archbishop. When the original

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the 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 the power of the ...

text is used, it is normally sung in

Gregorian Chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek (language), Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed ma ...

. 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 The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

during liturgical celebrations on the feast of Pentecost (at both

Terce Terce is a canonical hour of the Divine Office. It consists mainly of psalms and is held around 9 a.m. Its name comes from Latin and refers to the third hour of the day after dawn. With Sext, None and Compline it belongs to the so-called "Litt ...

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 , meanin ...

). It is also sung at occasions such as the entrance of

Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

to the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its nam ...

when they elect a new pope, as well as at the consecration 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 c ...

s, the

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

s, the sacrament 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 A Red Mass is a Mass celebrated annually in the Roman Catholic Church for all members of the legal profession, regardless of religious affiliation: judges, lawyers, law school professors, law students, and government officials, marking the openin ...

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 In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of ...

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 ...

used the hymn as the basis for his Pentecost chorale "", first published in 1524. ''Veni Creator Spiritus'' is also widely used in Anglican 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 Saint Augustine's Prayer Book is an Anglo-Catholic devotional book published for members of the various Anglican churches in the United States and Canada by the Order of the Holy Cross, an Anglican monastic community. The first edition, edi ...

'' (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, 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 The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

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

for the

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 ...

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 ot ...

. 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 per ...

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". 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

wrote a

paraphrase A paraphrase () is a restatement of the meaning of a text or passage using other words. The term itself is derived via Latin ', . The act of paraphrasing is also called ''paraphrasis''. History Although paraphrases likely abounded in oral tra ...

in German, " Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist" (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" (literally: Come, Creator Spirit, visit us), also using an adaptation of the plainchant melody. It appears in the German Catholic hymnal ''

Gotteslob ''Gotteslob'' ("Praise of God") is the title of the hymnbook authorized by the Catholic dioceses in Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, Luxembourg and Liège, Belgium. First published in Advent 2013, it is the current official hymnal for German-speaki ...

'' (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 Friedrich Dörr (7 March 190813 May 1993) was a German Catholic priest and professor of theology, who is known as a hymnwriter. He shaped the first common German Catholic hymnal, ''Gotteslob'', published in 1975. Life Friedrich Dörr was born i ...

to a melody close to the Gregorian melody, published in 1972. It became part of the common German Catholic hymnal ''

'' 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 Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers (c. 1632, Paris – 13 November 1714) was a French organist, composer and theorist. His first ''livre d'orgue'' is the earliest surviving published collection with traditional French organ school forms (a collection by Lou ...

, "L'hymne de la Pentecôte" in his ''2e Livre d'Orgue'' (1667) *

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

, 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 Johann Gottfried Walther (18 September 1684 – 23 March 1748) was a German music theorist, organist, composer, and lexicographer of the Baroque era. Walther was born at Erfurt. Not only was his life almost exactly contemporaneous to that ...

, chorale prelude for organ, on "Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist" (early 1700s) *

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 ...

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, ''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 studied ...

, ''Veni creator'' (1765) * François Giroust, ''Veni creator'' à 4 voix et orchestre (1787) * Camille Saint-Saëns, ''Veni creator'' à 4 voix (1858) * Hector Berlioz, ''Veni creator'' à cappella H 141 (c.1861–1868), a motet 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 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 fr ...

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, ''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, ''Veni creator'', Toccata for Organ (1947) * Zoltán Gárdonyi, 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 Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include ''Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', ' ...

wrote a motet for mixed choir (1987). *

Cristóbal Halffter Cristóbal Halffter Jiménez-Encina (24 March 1930 – 23 May 2021) was a Spanish classical composer. He was the nephew of two other composers, Rodolfo and Ernesto Halffter and is regarded as the most important Spanish composer of the gene ...

set the text for chorus and orchestra (1992). * Petr Eben 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-century classical music, 20th and early 21st-century ...

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, ''Veni creator'' (2006) * Zsolt Gárdonyi, 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 ...

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