View source for Veni Creator Spiritus

{{Short description|9th-century Latin Christian hymn about the Holy Spirit}}
{{about|the hymn|the Pentecost sequence|Veni Sancte Spiritus}}
{{Infobox musical composition
| name = {{lang|la|Veni Creator Spiritus|italic=yes}}
| type = [[Hymn]]
| image = Veni Creator Spiritus-1.jpg
| image_upright = 1.5
| alt =
| caption = First verse
| translation = Come, Creator Spirit
| occasion = [[Pentecost]]
| text = c. 809, attributed to [[Rabanus Maurus]]
| language = Latin
| melody = [[Gregorian chant]]
| meter = 8 8 8 8
| composed = c. 1000, attributed to [[Princely Abbey of Kempten|Kempten Abbey]]
| misc = 
}}'''''Veni Creator Spiritus''''' (Latin: Come, Creator Spirit) is a traditional [[Christianity|Christian]] [[hymn]] believed to have been written by [[Rabanus Maurus]], a ninth-century German monk, teacher, archbishop, and saint. When the original [[Latin language|Latin]] text is used, it is normally sung to a [[Gregorian Chant]] tune first known from [[Princely Abbey of Kempten|Kempten Abbey]] around the year 1000. The hymn has been translated and paraphrased into several languages, and adapted into many musical forms, often as a [[List of hymns for Pentecost|hymn for Pentecost]] or for other occasions that focus on the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]].
==Liturgical use==
{{listen|filename = Veni.creator.spiritus.ogg|title=''Veni Creator Spiritus'': Gregorian chant|format=[[Ogg]]}}
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]]. It is also sung at occasions such as the [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|College of Cardinals]] entering the [[Sistine Chapel]] during a [[papal conclave]], the [[consecration]] of [[bishop]]s, the [[Holy Orders|ordination]] of [[priest (Catholic Church)|priest]]s, the [[Profession (religious)|profession]] of members of [[religious institute]]s, administering the [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|sacrament]] of [[Confirmation (Catholic Church)|Confirmation]], the [[dedication of churches]], the convening of [[synod]]s or councils, the [[coronation]] of monarchs, the [[Red Mass]] starting the judicial year, and the beginning of other similar solemn events. It is also traditional to chant the hymn on [[New Year's Day]] to obtain a plenary [[indulgence]].

[[Martin Luther]] used the hymn as the basis for his Pentecost [[chorale]] "{{lang|de|[[Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist]]}}", first published in 1524.

''Veni Creator Spiritus'' is also widely used in [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] liturgies, where it has appeared since the publication of the [[1550 ordinal]] and continues to appear, for example, in the [[ordinal (liturgy)|ordinal]] of the [[Book of Common Prayer (1662)|1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'']], and in the Novena to The Holy Ghost in ''[[Saint Augustine's Prayer Book]]'', published in 1947.<ref>''Saint Augustine's Prayer Book'' (1967) [1947]. (Revised ed.) West Park, New York: Holy Cross Publications. p. 316.</ref> The translation "Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire" was by Bishop [[John Cosin]] in 1625, and has since been sung at all subsequent [[Coronation of the British monarch|British coronations]]. Another English example is "Creator Spirit, by whose aid", written in 1690 by [[John Dryden]] and published in ''The Church Hymn Book'' (1872, n. 313).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hymnary.org/text/creator_spirit_by_whose_aid |title=Creator Spirit, by whose aid |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=hymnary.org |access-date=22 August 2023}}</ref>

==Text==
Several variations of the lyrics exist. Below are the original ninth-century text and a classicizing revision published in 1632 under [[Pope Urban VIII]]. The former is used in some Protestant churches and certain Catholic religious orders, while the latter is used in most [[Secular clergy|secular]] Catholic parishes.{{fact|date=May 2024}} <!-- 'Urbanized' texts were standard in early 20c, but I doubt this represents the present state of affairs-->A versified English translation follows.

{{column|num=3|width=60em
|
'''Original text'''<ref name=McGrath>{{cite thesis |last=McGrath |first=George Warren |date=1939 |title=The Revision of the Hymns of the Roman Breviary under Urban VIII |publisher=Loyola University |page=149 |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48598381.pdf |access-date=2023-04-29}}</ref>

{{lang|la|
<poem>
Veni Creator Spiritus,
Mentes tuorum visita,
Imple superna gratia,
Quae tu creasti pectora.

Qui Paraclitus diceris,
Donum Dei altissimi
Fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
Et spiritalis unctio.

Tu septiformis munere,
Dexterae Dei tu digitus,
Tu rite promissum Patris,
Sermone ditans guttura.

Accende lumen sensibus:
Infunde amorem cordibus:
Infirma nostri corporis
Virtute firmans perpeti.

Hostem repellas longius,
Pacemque dones protinus:
Ductore sic te praevio,
Vitemus omne noxium.

Per te sciamus da Patrem,
Noscamus atque Filium;
Te utriusque Spiritum
Credamus omni tempore.

Gloria Patri Domino,
Natoque qui a mortuis
Surrexit, ac Paraclito,
In saeculorum saecula. Amen.
</poem>
}}
|
'''1632 revision'''<ref name=McGrath/>

{{lang|la|
<poem>
Veni Creator Spiritus,
Mentes tuorum visita,
Imple superna gratia,
Quae tu creasti pectora.

Qui diceris Paraclitus,
Altissimi donum Dei,
Fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
Et spiritalis unctio.

Tu septiformis munere,
Digitus Paternae dexterae,
Tu rite promissum Patris,
Sermone ditans guttura.

Accende lumen sensibus:
Infunde amorem cordibus:
Infirma nostri corporis
Virtute firmans perpeti.

Hostem repellas longius,
Pacemque dones protinus:
Ductore sic te praevio,
Vitemus omne noxium.

Per te sciamus da Patrem,
Noscamus atque Filium;
Teque utriusque Spiritum
Credamus omni tempore.

Deo Patri sit gloria,
Et Filio qui a mortuis
Surrexit, ac Paraclito,
In saeculorum saecula. Amen.
</poem>
}}
|
'''English translation'''<ref>Based on [[Edward Caswall]] 1849, from {{cite book |date=1941 |title=The Lutheran Hymnal |url=https://hymnary.org/hymn/LH1941/233 |publisher=Concordia Publishing House |page=233}}</ref>

<poem>Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,
Vouchsafe within our souls to rest;
Come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid
And fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

To Thee, the Comforter, we cry,
To Thee, the Gift of God Most High,
The Fount of life, the Fire of love,
The soul's Anointing from above.

The sev'n-fold gifts of grace are Thine,
O Finger of the Hand Divine;
True Promise of the Father Thou,
Who dost the tongue with speech endow.

Thy light to every thought impart
And shed Thy love in every heart;
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate.

Drive far away our wily Foe,
And Thine abiding peace bestow;
If Thou be our protecting Guide,
No evil can our steps betide.

Make Thou to us the Father known;
Teach us the eternal Son to own
And Thee, whose name we ever bless,
Of both the Spirit, to confess.

Praise we the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit, with them One;
And may the Son on us bestow
The gifts that from the Spirit flow! Amen.</poem>
}}

==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''.<ref>Nutter, Charles S.; Tillett, Wilbur F. [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924021638071#page/n127/mode/2up ''The Hymns and Hymn Writers of The Church''] (Smith & Lamar, 1911), p. 108.</ref> The version attributed to [[Thomas Cranmer|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 (printer)|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.<ref>Quitslund, Beth. ''The Reformation in Rhyme: Sternhold, Hopkins and the English Metrical Psalter'' (Ashgate, 2008), pp. 204, 229.</ref> 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]] for the [[coronation of the British monarch|coronation]] of King [[Charles I of Great Britain]] in 1625.<ref>Aquilina, Ivan D. [http://anglicanhistory.org/england/cosin/aquilina_eucharistic.pdf#page=6 ''The Eucharistic Understanding of John Cosin and His Contribution to the 1662 Book Of Common Prayer''] (University of Leeds, 2002), p. 6.</ref> The same words have been used at every coronation since, sung by the choir after the [[Nicene Creed|Creed]] and before the [[Anointing#Christian monarchy|Anointing]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131211131344/http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/royals/coronations/guide-to-the-coronation-service "Guide to the Coronation Service"]. Westminster Abbey. Archived 11 December 2013.</ref> The first verse is:

{{poem quote|
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
and lighten with celestial fire.
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/coronation/cor1953b.html |title=The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II |website=Oremus.org |access-date=14 October 2020}}</ref>
}}

During the [[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla]] in 2023, for the first time, the words were translated and also sung in [[Irish language|Irish Gaelic]], [[Scottish Gaelic|Scots Gaelic]] and [[Welsh language|Welsh]], in addition to English.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grahame Davies - Welsh poet, editor and literary critic. |url=http://grahamedavies.com/coronation1.shtml |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=grahamedavies.com}}</ref> The Cosin text was translated and arranged by [[Grahame Davies]], Iain Urchadan and Damian McManus.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Robinson |first1=Matthew |title=King Charles's Coronation: Read the order of service in full |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/05/06/king-charles-iii-coronation-order-service-westminster-abbey/ |work=The Telegraph |date=6 May 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Coronation of King Charles III: Veni Creator Spiritus (in four British Languages) & Zadok the Priest |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA-Caxxfduo |access-date=2023-08-21 |language=en}}</ref>

Another well-known version by the poet [[John Dryden]] was first published in his 1693 work, ''Examen Poeticum''. It has six-line verses and hence must be sung to a [[hymn tune]] in 88 88 88 [[Metre (hymn)|meter]], such as  "[[Eternal Father, Strong to Save|Melita]]" by [[John Bacchus Dykes]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hymnary.org/text/creator_spirit_by_whose_aid |title=Creator Spirit, by whose aid |website=Hymnary.org |access-date=14 October 2020}}</ref> or else adapted in part to the [[Common metre|CM]] with alleluias of "[[Lasst uns erfreuen]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cdn.ocp.org/shared/pdf/preview/22129z4.pdf |title=Creator Spirit, By Whose Aid |publisher=[[Oregon Catholic Press]] |access-date=9 May 2017}}</ref> Dryden's first verse is:

{{poem quote|
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]]" (literally: Come, God Creator, Holy Ghost) as a [[Lutheran hymn]] 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.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://media.carus-verlag.com/images-intern/medien/00/0313670/0313670x.pdf |title=Evangelisches Gesangbuch |chapter=EG 126: Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist |publisher=Carus-Verlag |date=2013 |access-date=14 November 2023}}</ref>

[[Heinrich Bone]] 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]]'' (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 chant, published in 1972. It became part of the ''Gotteslob'' hymnal in 1975, and the 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:
* [[Jean Titelouze|Jehan Titelouze]], ''Veni creator'' (1623)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Veni Creator Spiritus (Titelouze, Jean) - IMSLP |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/Veni_Creator_Spiritus_(Titelouze,_Jean) |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=imslp.org}}</ref>
* [[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)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Veni creator Spiritus, H.54 (Charpentier, Marc-Antoine) - IMSLP |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/Veni_creator_Spiritus,_H.54_(Charpentier,_Marc-Antoine) |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=imslp.org}}</ref>
**''Veni creator Spiritus'', H.66, for soloists, chorus, flutes, bassoons, strings and continuo (1680s)
**''Veni creator Spiritus'', H.69, for 1 voice and continuo (1690 ca.)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Veni creator Spiritus, H.69 (Charpentier, Marc-Antoine) - IMSLP |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/Veni_creator_Spiritus,_H.69_(Charpentier,_Marc-Antoine) |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=imslp.org}}</ref>
**''Veni creator Spiritus'', H.70, for 1 voice and continuo (1690)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Veni creator Spiritus, H.70 (Charpentier, Marc-Antoine) - IMSLP |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/Veni_creator_Spiritus,_H.70_(Charpentier,_Marc-Antoine) |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=imslp.org}}</ref>
**''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)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Veni Creator Spiritus, S.14 or 14bis (Lalande, Michel Richard de) - IMSLP |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/Veni_Creator_Spiritus,_S.14_or_14bis_(Lalande,_Michel_Richard_de) |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=imslp.org}}</ref>
* [[Johann Pachelbel]], chorale prelude for organ, on "Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist" (1693)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Komm Gott Schöpfer, heiliger Geist, P.223 (Pachelbel, Johann) - IMSLP |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/Komm_Gott_Sch%C3%B6pfer,_heiliger_Geist,_P.223_(Pachelbel,_Johann) |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=imslp.org}}</ref>
* [[Nicolas de Grigny]], ''Veni creator'' en taille à 5, fugue à 5 for organ (5 versets) (1699)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sharp |first1=G. B. |title=The Organist's Repertory. 11: Nicolas de Grigny, 1672-1703 |journal=The Musical Times |date=1972 |volume=113 |issue=1553 |pages=705–707 |doi=10.2307/956248 |jstor=956248 }}</ref>
* [[Henri Desmarets|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]], ''Veni creator'' (1723)<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52000861x |title=Veni creator spiritus, hymne du // saint esprit |date=1723 |edition=Ms. autogr}}</ref>
* [[Ferdinando Bertoni]], ''Veni creator'' (1765)<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10861085m |title=Bertoni 1765 |date=1765 |edition=Ms}}</ref>
* [[François Giroust]], ''Veni creator'' à 4 voix et orchestre (1787)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Giroust |first=François |date=1787 |title=Veni creator // par Mr Giroust. En 1787 (manuscrit autographe) |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10070561n |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=Gallica |language=EN}}</ref>
* [[Camille Saint-Saëns]], ''Veni creator'' à 4 voix (1858)<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb458482198 |title=Veni Creator: [4 voix d'hommes] |date=1866 |publisher=chez Madame Maeyens Couvreur |location=Paris}}</ref>
* [[Hector Berlioz]], ''Veni creator'' à cappella H 141 (c.1861–1868), a [[motet]] for women's voices to the Latin text 
* [[César Franck]], ''Veni creator'' for two voices (TB) and organ, FWV 68 (1876)
* [[Anton Bruckner]] harmonized the original tune for voice and organ as his motet [[Veni Creator Spiritus, WAB 50|WAB 50]] (c. 1884).
* [[Augusta Holmès]], ''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 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major]] (1906).
* [[Filippo Capocci]], Organ Fantasia on ''Veni Creator Spiritus'' (1910)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Phantasie über 'Veni Creator Spiritus' (Capocci, Filippo) - IMSLP |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/Phantasie_%C3%BCber_'Veni_Creator_Spiritus'_(Capocci,_Filippo) |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=imslp.org}}</ref>
* [[Maurice Duruflé]] 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). 
* [[Charles Tournemire]], ''L'Orgue Mystique: In Festo Pentecostes'', No. 25, Op. 56 (1928), ''Deux Fresques Symphoniques Sacrées'' II, Op. 76 (1939)
* [[Karol Szymanowski]], ''Veni creator'' for soprano, mixed chorus, organ and orchestra, Op. 57 (1930)
* [[Gaston Litaize]], Toccata sur le ''Veni Creator'', for organ (1934)
* [[Marcel Dupré]], "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]] concluded his Concerto for Organ and Orchestra with a Phantasy on ''Veni Creator Spiritus'' (1962).
* [[Krzysztof Penderecki]] wrote a motet for mixed choir (1987).
* [[Hilliard Ensemble]] recorded it on the album "Perotin" (1989).
* [[Cristóbal Halffter]] set the text for chorus and orchestra (1992).
* [[Petr Eben]], Toccata for Piano after Gregorian chant ''Veni creator spiritus'' (1996)
* [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]] used the text in the second hour of his ''[[Klang (Stockhausen)|Klang]]'' cycle (2005), in a piece for two singing harpists titled [[Klang (Stockhausen)#Second Hour: Freude|''Freude'']] (Joy), Op. 82.
* [[Arvo Pärt]], ''Veni creator'' (2006) 
* [[Zsolt Gárdonyi]], Toccata for Organ ''Veni creator spiritus'' (2020)<ref>{{cite journal |id={{ProQuest|2509373185}} |last1=Matthew-Walker |first1=Robert |title=Zsolt Gárdonyi: Toccata – Veni creator spiritus für Orgel |journal=The Organ |volume=100 |issue=395 |date=Winter 2021 |page=55 }}</ref>
* [[Dan Forrest]] used several lines from the text in his symphonic oratorio ''CREATION'' (2023), including the first ''Introit'' and tenth ''Ish Ishah'' movements.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CREATION |url=https://danforrest.com/music-catalog/creation/ |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=danforrest.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikisource-lang|la|Veni, Creator Spiritus}}
{{wikisource-lang|en|Veni Creator Spiritus (Maurus)|Veni Creator Spiritus}}
{{Wikisource1913CatholicEnc}}
* [https://archive.org/details/VeniCreatorSpiritus Gregorian Chant: free downloads]
* [[Pope John Paul II]], [https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1998/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_31031998_priests.html ''Letter to Priests''] (1998)

{{Pentecost|state=collapsed}}
{{Catholic Prayers|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:9th century in music]]
[[Category:Christian hymns in Latin]]
[[Category:Latin religious words and phrases]]
[[Category:State ritual and ceremonies]]
[[Category:Hymns for Pentecost]]