Veni creator spiritus

Veni creator spiritus ( in German: "Come, Creator Spirit " ) is a Latin hymn from the 9th century, the majority is attributed Rabanus Maurus. After a thesis Heinrich Lausbergs it has been written by 809 on the occasion of the Aachen Council to programmatically tune their participants on the imperial order to prove the admissibility of the insertion of the Filioque theological into the great creed. What is certain in any case that it originated in the theological context of this council.

The hymn is one of the few prayers in the liturgy of the Western Church, which directly address the Holy Spirit. At least since the 10th century it was used in the Liturgy of the Hours in the octave of Pentecost, at least since the 11th century, even in synods, consecrations and ordinations. He is also sung as it feeds into the Conclave of Cardinals.

Textual history

The Poems of Rabanus Maurus have been first published in 1617 by Christoph Brouwer after an old Fulda manuscript under the title Hrabani Mauri, ex Magistro et Fuldensi Abbate Archiepiscopi Moguntini, Poemata de diversis. This manuscript was enough - like other traditional fragments seen - as such back to the 10th century, but is no longer maintained so that the Brower'sche footprint now takes the place of the oldest source.

Next to it is the younger tradition of liturgical books, some of which deliver the text with melodies. Because of the close proximity of the hymn to the form of iambic Quaternars of classical Latin metrics have been made ​​beyond a few places over and over again in the humanistic sense small " corrections ".

In the tradition of the liturgical books are the Graduale Romanum ( as was its predecessor, the Liber Usualis ), the Catholic hymnal praise of God (GL 341, 342 and 351 ) and the Protestant hymnal with Martin Luther transmission (EC 126).

Text with transfers

The hymn has been translated over and over again since the 12th century. After Franz Josef Worst Brock he is the most translated hymn of the German Middle Ages. In the German -speaking world today the most widespread versions are next to the Latin text of the translations of Martin Luther and Henry Bone. In Luther's version, however, the order of the third and fourth stanza is reversed.

1 Veni, Creator Spiritus, Mentes tuorum visita, imple superna gratia, quae tu creasti pectora. 2 Qui diceris Paraclitus, Donum Dei altissimi, fons vivus, ignis, caritas et spiritalis unctio. 3 Tu Septiformis munere, dextrae Dei tu digitus, Tu rite promissum Patris sermone ditans guttura. 4 Accende volume sensibus, infunde amorem cordibus, infirma nostri corporis virtute firmans perpeti. 5 hostem repellas longius pacemque dones protinus: ductore sic te praevio vitemus omne noxium. 6 Per sciamus te, there Patrem, noscamus atque filium, te utriusque Spiritum credamus omni tempore. 7b. Deo Patri sit gloria et Filio, qui a mortuis surrexit, ac Paraclito in saeculorum saecula.

1 Come, God Creator, Holy Spirit, visit your people's hearts, with the grace they fill, because you know, that they be thy creatures. 2 For thou art the Comforter mentioned, of the Most expensive gift, a spiritually Salb turned to us a living Brunn, love and fire. 4 You are siebenfalt with gifts of the fingers on the right hand god; the Father's word you give very soon with tongues in every country. Ignition 3 us a light on in the mind, Give us the heart of the lovers fervor, the weak flesh in us you known maintaining fixed your power and favor. 5 The enemy's List blowing away from us, the Fried -creating with us your mercy, that we dei'm passing glad to follow and avoid the harmful souls. 6 teaching us the Father know well, to Jesus Christ, his Son, that we are full of faith, you, both spirit to understand you. 7b. God the Father be praise and to the Son, the rose from the dead; the comforter was done dasselb in all eternity hour.

1 Come, Creator Spirit, a traffic with us visit the heart of the children your: Who created The thy power, Now fill with your grace. 2 Thou shalt called the Comforter, from the highest to God a mercy Pawn, you Lebenbrunn, light, love and fervor, the soul anointing, the greatest good. 3 O treasure of graces sevenfold, o finger of God that leads us to Gift promised by the Father, you, which makes talking tongues. 4 ignition, in us the light bill pour love into the hearts, strengthening of our abdomen frailty with your power at any time. 5 drive far from us the enemy of God, in thy peace keeping us, that we, guided by your light, in sin and misery are not covered. 6 Grant that through thee the Father, we and also the son recognize here and that as the spirit of both you we always believe steadfastly. 7b. The father praise in the highest throne and his son auferstandnen, the Comforter also be praise consecrated now and forever.

The last verse had originally gelautetet in Rabanus text:

7 Praesta hoc, Father piissime, Patrique compar unice, Paracleto cum Spiritu regnans by omne saeculum.

7 This brings about, dearest father, And, like the Father, thou sole, Together with the assistance of spirit Mr. Schend all eternity.

More translations are the Members of Angelus Silesius (1668 ) and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (10 April 1820).

Construction

The hymn is written in seven stanzas of the Ambrosian type and shows in a special way a relationship with the hymn Ave maris stella.

The first stanza asks a proem of the whole hymn to the charismatic presence of the Spirit. Only after six stanzas with the salutation to the spirit of the seventh stanza directed expected term ate as a doxology to the whole Trinity.

The individual verses are - in learned allusions and without the relevant terms would be called self - the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit based on, but not so, as they are called in Isaiah 11.2-3, but in reverse order, since Augustine as the most suitable for the people " educational " sequence applies.

The " corpus " of the poem form the verses 2 to 6, moving from already accepted names of the Holy Spirit, which is the Paraclete, gift of God, living source, etc. and lead to the phrase " utriusque spiritum ", the theological thought of the hymn target, namely to be established doctrine, the Holy Spirit was not only from the father, but as " two spirit " also from the son ( Filioque ).

" In fact, it can not be denied a formal, preciousness ' and one on the, Erstpublikum ' oriented, artist vanity ' of the poet. "

After the end of the Council of Aachen was the culmination of composition - credamus in its original sense of the inclusion of the filioque formulation into the Creed - was no longer comprehensible and either in the sense of a deeper understanding of faith (like Luther ) or an intensified power of belief (as in Bone) reinterpreted.

In some traditional versions of the original seventh stanza is omitted or replaced by a poetically hardly linked with the rest of the hymn doxology.

Melodies

The oldest Gregorian melody has been handed down to the year 1000 from Kempten:

Choral works

• Joseph Renner jun. Veni Creator Spiritus for 8- part choir ( 1900).
• Gustav Mahler: 1st movement Symphony No. 8 (1910). In this work, Mahler sets the hymn in relation to the final scene from Goethe's Faust II, which is the basic text of the second set.
• Karol Szymanowski: Veni Creator for soprano, chorus and orchestra, Op 37 ( 1930).
• Carl Orff: Veni Creator Spiritus for two a cappella choirs ( 1953).
• Johann Nepomuk David: Veni Creator Spiritus for mixed choir a cappella (1957).
• Hermann Schroeder: Veni Creator Spiritus, hymn for orchestra, Op 39 (1961 /62).
• Walter Steffens: Veni, Creator Spiritus for piano and mixed choir (1981).
• Carlo Pedini: Veni Creator Spiritus for choir, organ, and flute ( 2000).
• Meindert Boekel: Veni Creator Spiritus for male choir and brass band. Few places in the score can be occupied by a soprano.
• Cristóbal Halffter: Veni Creator Spiritus for choir SATB, Choir Ensemble with public support, organ ad libitum and instrumental ensemble.

Organ edits

• Otto Olsson: Gregorianska melodier, op 30 (1910 )
• Maurice Duruflé: Prélude, Adagio et Choral varié sur le Veni Creator, Op 4 (1930 )
• Zoltán Gárdonyi: Partita sopra Veni Creator Spiritus (1958 )
• Jean Langlais: Trois sur la Sainte Trinité Méditations: Le Père - Le Fils - Le Saint Esprit ( 1962)
• Peter Maxwell Davies: Veni Creator Spiritus, op 225 (2002)

Other musical adaptations

• Ross Edwards: Veni Creator Spiritus for String Orchestra ( 1997)