Veni Creator Spiritus

translated as
Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist
Creator Spirit, Holy (Heavenly) Dove
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire
Creator Spirit, by whose aid
Come, O Creator Spirit blest
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest
O Holy Spirit, by whose breath

with
VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS
KOMM, GOTT SCHÖPFER
MELCOMBE

I. Latin Authorship (Text)

This hymn for the Holy Spirit ranks among the most highly esteemed examples in the Latin language, with its text and tune both being preserved and performed for more than a millennium. Edgar C.S. Gibson, writing at the end of the nineteenth century, said this hymn “has taken deeper hold of the Western Church than any other mediaeval hymn, the Te Deum alone excepted.”[1] It was most likely written by Rabanus (or Hrabanus) Maurus (ca. 780–856), an important cleric in the time of Charlemagne (742–814) and his successors, who studied under Alcuin of Tours (ca. 735–804) and later became Abbot of Fulda, then the Archbishop of Mainz. Rabanus would have been a younger contemporary of Theodulf of Orléans (ca. 760–821).

Although his authorship of “Veni Creator Spiritus” is not completely certain, the hymn is credited to him for several reasons. A summary of the attribution was explained in part by Latin scholar Stephen A. Hurlbut:

The evidence for his hymns depends on the first edition of them by Brower (Mainz, 1617), from a Fulda manuscript, now lost, except for a small fragment at Einsiedeln, which proves it to have been of the 10th century.[2]

In addition, the hymn has elements in common Rabanus’ treatise on the Holy Spirit (chapter 3 of De Universo, c. 844; see J.P. Migne, Patrologiae, Series Latina, vol. 111, cols. 23-26: HathiTrust). It relates to a theological debate from the time period pertaining to the procession of the Spirit from both the Father and the Son (filioque), which was discussed at a synod at Aachen in 809. In the hymn, this appears in the line “Te utriusque Spiritum” (“You are the Spirit of both”). A detailed study of the nuance of the Latin text by Heinrich Lausberg in 1979 showed key similarities in language to other works by Rabanus. Although some scholars in the nineteenth century cast doubt on Rabanus’ authorship (see especially Julian, 1892), a resurgence of confidence in the ascription followed in the twentieth.

II. Latin Authorship (Tune)

A somewhat different issue surrounds the origins of the plainchant melody, a tune in the mixolydian scale. Because the same melody is also closely associated with the older text “Hic est dies verus Dei,” attributed to Ambrose of Milan, some scholars believe the melody was originally intended for that text and was adapted later to fit “Veni Creator Spiritus.” Guido Maria Dreves, an accomplished scholar of Latin manuscripts, studied the Ambrosian materials in the Biblioteca Trivulziana in Milan and notated what he believed to be a faithful reconstruction of the original melody, in comparison to examples of “Veni Creator Spiritus” from the 12th and 13th centuries (Fig. 1; Dreves’ reconstruction follows example E).

It is worth noting how Dreves only provided one example in his book of a melodic setting of “Hic est dies verus Dei,” from 1619, whereas the four examples from “Veni Creator Spiritus” are much older. Caution must be urged in attempting to determine a chain of succession from such an old musical tradition. Music scholar Manuel Erviti, writing in 1994, expressed his misgivings about calling this tune Ambrosian:

The melodic traits of this tune—the drive toward the end of the first line, intensified in the second phrase, and the resumption of this melodic activity at the beginning of the third phrase—are not Ambrosian. Furthermore, VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS is, with only one exception, the only tune associated with the text “Veni Creator Spiritus,” a fact that must be taken into consideration when addressing the still-open question of the origins of the melody.[3]

A summary of the issues has also been laid out by Joseph Herl (2019):

Because modern musical notation developed only in the late ninth to early tenth centuries and few early manuscripts survive, it is impossible to tell when or where this tune was composed. And because musical surveys of surviving manuscripts are currently limited in scope, we cannot even map the distribution of the tune in the surviving sources. One of the earlier manuscripts, though, in which it appears is the “Portiforium of St. Wulstan” (Cambridge, Corpus Christi College 391), which dates 1065–66. Because the tune is written in [adiastematic] neumes, exact pitches cannot be ascertained, although it is clearly the same tune.[4]

III. Latin Manuscripts

As mentioned above, manuscripts carrying the tune date as early as ca. 1065, as in Cambridge Corpus Christi College MS 391, page 251 (Fig. 2), except this early example uses a rudimentary form of notation called adiastematic neumes, meaning the markings are only intended to show the general shape or direction of the melody without attempting to convey actual pitches.[5] This kind of notation would have been an aid to memorization. In this MS, the notation only appears interlined with the first and third stanzas. The text follows the expected six stanzas (see section IV below) and adds the first line of an extraneous stanza “Dudum sacrata pectora,” which can be seen in full in the preceding column.

For additional musical examples, see Dreves, Aurelius Ambrosius (1893), pp. 123–124 (Fig. 1), where he included four from the 12th and 13th centuries, and see Bruno Stäblein (1956), vol. 1, no. 17, which is an example of “Hic est dies verus Dei” from Milan, Biblioteca Trivulziana, MS 347, fols. 226b–29a.

For manuscripts of the text, see especially Dreves, Analecta Hymnica, vol. 50 (1907), which lists several examples from the 10th century, one of which was examined in more detail in his vol. 2 (1888). See also the description of manuscripts and variants by Edgar Gibson (1892).

IV. Notable Publications in Latin

Edgar C.S. Gibson (1892) argued the original text contained only six stanzas, as below, with the sixth (“Per te sciamus da Patrem”) being a proper doxology. Any other stanzas are later additions.

According to Gibson, the hymn appeared in print as early as 1493 in editions of the Breviarium printed in Basel (Fig. 3) and in Augsburg, both of those containing just six stanzas.

The 1617 edition of the text by Browero (Fig. 4) contained the usual six stanzas with an added stanza beginning “Praesta hoc pater piissime,” of unclear origins; apparently it was included in the Fulda manuscript, 10th century, which he used as his basis. In Browero’s edition, the hymn was appointed for Pentecost. This version omitted “ignis” (“fire”) from the second stanza.

The Roman church introduced several alterations to this hymn and others under the guidance of Pope Urban VIII, starting with the Breviarium Romanum of 1632 (1640 ed. shown at Fig. 5). This version includes a transposition of the words “Qui diceris Paraclitus,” “Altissimi donum Dei,” “Digitus paternae dexterae,” and the slight change at “Teque utriusque Spiritum.” The additional seventh stanza, a doxology beginning “Deo Patri sit gloria,” dates before 1525. These alterations have been in continuous use in the Roman church ever since.

Regarding the melody, many hymnals use a particular edition of the melody as it was printed in Vesperale Romanum (Mechliniae: P.J. Hanicq, 1848 | Fig. 6). Hymnologist Austin Lovelace explained the significance of this edition:

The Mechlin (Belgium) collection Vesperale Romanum, 1848, was an attempt to bring back to the French Roman Catholic churches the plainsong idiom, which had fallen into disuse. The melodies were simplified to make them more usable by singers not accustomed to the more melismatic and florid style.[6]

Many hymnals use a particular arrangement of this melody made by Healey Willan (1880–1968) for The Book of Common Praise (1938).

V. Textual Analysis

Gibson noted how this hymn contains a possible borrowing from the older Latin hymn “O Lux beata Trinitas,” which contains the line “Infunde lumen cordibus,” while the lines “Infirma nostri corporis / Virtute firmans perpeti” are a direct borrowing from “Veni Redemptor Gentium,” both hymns being either written by or attributed to Ambrose of Milan.

Scripturally, the opening line of the hymn, appealing to the Creator Spirit, takes its cue from passages such as Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit is described as being actively present in Creation. Passages such as Ezekiel 11:19 speak of the way the Spirit indwells the heart. The notion of Spirit as “Paraclete” comes from John 14:16, translated alternately as “comforter,” “helper,” or “advocate” (see also Rom. 8:26). John 6:63 says “It is the Spirit who gives life”; the Spirit appears as fire (Acts 2:3), it produces an attitude of charity (Gal. 5:22–23), and it is associated with fervor or zeal (Acts 1:8, Rom. 12:11, 2 Tim. 1:6-7).

The seven-fold gift of the Spirit is in reference to Isaiah 11:1–2 (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord). Although in the Bible Jesus is the one described as sitting at God’s right hand, the description of the Spirit as the finger of God’s right hand is probably a nod to the Pentecost account at Acts 2:33, which says “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (ESV). The next two lines of the Latin likewise refer to Pentecost.

The Spirit is described in Scripture as an illuminator (Dan. 5:14, Heb. 6:4, Jn. 16:13–16), a giver of love (Gal. 5:22–23), and a giver of strength (Eph. 3:16). The Spirit plays an important role in our protection from evil (Eph. 6:10–20), and the Spirit brings peace (Is. 32:15–18; Rom. 14:17, 15:13).

VI. Translation: Martin Luther

Martin Luther (1483–1546) translated this hymn into German as “Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist,” first printed in Erfurt in 1524 in competing editions by Johannes Loersfeld (Fig. 7) and Matthes Maler.

Ulrich S. Leupold, editor of Luther’s hymns for Luther’s Works, vol. 53 (1965), explained Luther’s approach to the Latin:

Several German translations had been made before Luther wrote his, the last by Thomas Münzer. But whereas Münzer had tried to smooth and fill in the brevity of the Latin text, Luther was intent on preserving the terse and compact style of the original. In fact, he tightened the logical sequence by exchanging the third and fourth stanzas and omitting the sixth. By this device, he obtained three [pairs] of two stanzas each plus a doxology. The first two stanzas are a petition to the Holy Ghost to fill the hearts of the singers, the third and fourth ask for the gifts of the Spirit, especially for love, and the fifth and sixth seek preservation in the true faith.[7]

Luther’s seventh stanza is probably based on the Latin doxology “Deo Patri sit gloria” (as in Fig. 5 above). His version of the melody was entirely syllabic, removing all melismas from the plainchant.

Also in 1524, this hymn was included in a choral arrangement by Luther’s colleague Johann Walter, published in Geystliche Gesangk Buchleyn (Wittenberg: J. Walter, 1524 | Fig. 8). In Walter’s arrangement, the melody (in the tenor part book) was highly ornamented with extended melismas. This would not have been sung congregationally.

Luther revised his melody, and this revision is believed to have appeared first in Geistliche Lieder printed by Joseph Klug in 1529 (now lost). The material from this collection was reprinted by Klug in 1533 (Fig. 9). The revised melody had also appeared in an edition of Geistliche Lieder printed in Erfurt in 1531. Luther’s revision, known in hymnals as KOMM GOTT SCHÖPFER, more closely resembles the Latin plainchant than what had appeared in 1524.

Regarding Luther’s adaptation of the Latin chant, Lutheran scholar Paul Westermeyer noted, “The simplification and modifications are not superficial. They point to well-grounded congregational instincts.”[8]

Luther’s translation of the Latin has in turn been translated into English many times. The most well known of these translations is “Creator Spirit, Holy Dove,” by Richard Massie (1800–1887), first published in Martin Luther’s Spiritual Songs (London: Hatchard & Son, 1854 | Fig. 10).

In his preface, page ix, Massie described his approach to the translation:

My first aim has been to give the meaning of the original with accuracy and fidelity, for if these be essential to every good translation, they seem to be especially so to the translation of hymns like Luther’s; since the slightest mistake, or, in some cases, even the change of a word, might involve the change of a doctrine, and thus destroy the interest which they possess, as a short and plain Epitome of the great Reformer’s views.

In Lutheran hymnals in the United States, Massie’s translation is often adopted into combinations with other translations, especially in versions starting with an alteration of Massie’s first stanza, “Creator Spirit, heavenly Dove.” This alteration apparently originates with the American Lutheran Hymnal (1930 | Fig. 11), where it is said to be altered by “H.B.”

VII. Translation: John Cosin

One of the oldest and most enduring translations from Latin into English is “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” by John Cosin (1595–1672), a longtime minister at various levels in the Church of England, lastly as the Bishop of Durham. His metrical translation, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” was first published in A Collection of Private Devotions (London: R. Young, 1627 | Fig. 12), when he was rector of the wealthy parish of Brancepath in Durham. In that collection, it was part of the materials intended for Terce (the third hour, 9:00 a.m.; see also Acts 2:15). Cosin’s text was given in eighteen lines, or nine rhyming couplets, without music. It is said to have been composed for the coronation of Charles I (27 March 1625), for which Cosin acted as master of ceremonies and directed the choir; the hymn was included in the king’s manuscript copy of the service.[9]

Cosin’s approach to the Latin is fairly loose, but it includes many of the original ideas, such as the seven-fold gifts, the “blessed unction,” the three-fold impartation given here as “comfort, life, and fire of love,” the gift of grace, a petition for peace and deliverance from evil, and an invocation of the Trinity “through the ages.” In the first line, “inspire” means “breathe into” rather than the more general sense of motivation. Sheila Doyle noted Cosin’s shift in emphasis regarding the nature of evil and peace: “The line ‘Keep far our foes, give peace at home’, though appropriate to troubled times, misrepresents the Latin, which asks for protection from spiritual peril and for inward peace.”[10]

Methodist scholar Fred D. Gealy wrote, “its simplicity and restraint together with its secure position in the liturgy have enabled it to subordinate other, perhaps better, translations to itself.”[11] Similarly, Erik Routley noted, “several other translations exist, all of which are closer than this to the original. But this is the one which has the lyric power and the imaginative sweep.”[12] John Webster Grant, whose own popular translation is given below, was more inclined to recognize the limitations of Cosin’s version, writing, “Cosin’s 1627 translation of the ‘Veni Creator’ has stood the test of time so well that proposing an alternative required considerable temerity. Its appeal today, however, is more that of a deservedly venerated antique than of a hymn expressing Christian faith in language natural to the twentieth century.”[13]

Several years after writing his hymn, Cosin was involved with the revision of the Book of Common Prayer. His text was thus included in the venerable 1662 edition (Fig. 13), appointed for the consecration of bishops, given as one of two options for a metrical version of “Veni Creator Spiritus.” The other, “Come, Holy Ghost, eternal God,” is older, first included in The Forme and Maner of Makyng and Consecratyng of Archebishoppes, Bishoppes, Priestes, and Deacons (1549), then incorporated into the 1552 revision of the Book of Common Prayer. Together, these two versions of “Veni Creator Spiritus” were the only two metrical hymns provided in the Book of Common Prayer.

Fig. 13. Book of Common Prayer (1662).

VIII. Translation: John Dryden

Another English translation in common use is the one by John Dryden (1631–1700), a professional poet and playwright who is generally not known to have produced religious works, save for a period of about ten years starting in 1682. His metrical translation “Creator Spirit, by whose aid” was first published in Examen Poeticum: Being the Third Part of Miscellany Poems (London: Jacob Tonson, 1693 | Fig. 14). The original text consisted of rhymed couplets in iambic tetrameter (lines of 8s), grouped into seven stanzas of varying lengths, including a stanza with a triple rhyme.

Fig. 14. Examen Poeticum: Being the Third Part of Miscellany Poems (London: Jacob Tonson, 1693).

Dryden’s paraphrase is faithful to the original Latin, with some elaboration, or as Albert Bailey put it, the text “partakes of the florid quality of late seventeenth-century literature.”[14] J.R. Watson wrote, “Its noble simplicity of diction and its well-structured couplets are characteristic of Dryden’s poetic art.”[15]

In the first stanza, where the Latin asks the Spirit to fill our hearts, Dryden has injected the language of 1 Corinthians 6:19 (“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you?”; also 1 Cor. 3:16). In order to avoid doctrinal confusion, some hymnals have rendered this line more clearly as “May we your living temples be,” an alteration apparently dating from the Lutheran Christian Worship (1993), or a similar construction.

Dryden’s second stanza includes a sublime image, “source of uncreated light,” a turn of phrase used commonly in Orthodox literature (Greek: Ἄκτιστον Φῶς), especially tracing to Gregory of Palamas (14th cen.), used not so much in Western Christianity. It refers to events such as the radiance of Moses after meeting with God (Exodus 34:29–35), the Transfiguration (Matt. 17, Mk. 9, Lk. 9), and the conversion of Paul (Acts 9). This radiant glory is described by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:7–11 (if “the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, … will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?”).

The third stanza includes the unique phrase “sevenfold energy.” Carl Daw asserted, “‘Energy’ is a reflection of the Greek word ‘dynamis,’ one of Luke’s favorite attributes of the Spirit (e.g., Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:8),”[16] whereas Lionel Adey felt Dryden’s language was “typifying the era of [John] Locke and [Isaac] Newton.”[17]

Dryden’s text is a passionate plea, asking for the Holy Spirit to strongly intervene in the life of a believer: “Come pour thy joys on human kind”; “Sanctify us while we sing!”; “inflame and fire our hearts!”; “Chase from our minds th’ infernal Foe,” etc. Lastly, nineteenth-century scholar Joseph Payne pointed out some of Dryden’s expansive language:

Eternal, immortal, endless . . . all convey the idea of perpetual existence—they differ in the modification of that idea. That is eternal, which always is and cannot cease to be; immortal, which always lives, which can never die; endless, which has no termination; . . . These words are very appropriately employed in the phrases “eternal truths,” “immortal honour” (a figurative expression, since honour is not a living being), [and] “endless fame,” i.e. glory without end.[18]

Dryden’s text was probably not intended to be used as a hymn. The first to adopt it in this capacity seems to have been John Wesley, who included it in his Collection of Psalms and Hymns (1738, rev. 1741, 1744 | Fig. 15). Wesley recast the text into five stanzas of six lines, cutting the triple rhyme at the end of stanza 3 and the last two lines of stanza 4, and the entirety of stanza 6. Most of his alterations were sensible, but the change to “uncreated heat” is unfortunate.

With Dryden’s text having an irregular structure, hymnal compilers inevitably have to make similar decisions on how to make it singable congregationally.

IX. Translation: Edward Caswall

Another translation in common use is the one by Catholic versifier Edward Caswall (1814–1878), “Come, O Creator Spirit blest,” from Lyra Catholica (1849 | Fig. 16). Caswall’s text is a faithful rendering of the Latin, line-for-line, in seven stanzas, choosing accuracy and restraint over fervor and interpolation.

Caswall revised the text extensively for his Hymns and Poems (1873), in some cases completely rethinking certain rhymes, making some considerable improvements.

In spite of its fidelity, Caswall’s text, like other attempts at translation, has rarely escaped editorial scrutiny. The most significant revised version was brought about by the editors of Hymns Ancient & Modern (1861), who altered the first line to read “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,” a borrowing from the translation by Richard Mant (Ancient Hymns, 1837). The second stanza similarly includes Mant’s “O Comforter” rather than Caswall’s “Great Paraclete.” The revisions were extensive, including some inversions of lines and some complete replacements of rhyming pairs. Notice in the sixth stanza the overt reference to the Creed and the procession of the Spirit from the Father and the Son (filioque).

The editors of Hymns Ancient & Modern continued to tweak the text in successive editions. Some hymnals incorporate lines from Robert Campbell’s “Creator Spirit, Lord of grace” (Hymns and Anthems, 1850). The tune shown above in Fig. 18 is MELCOMBE by Samuel Webbe (1740–1816) from An Essay on the Church Plain Chant, Part 2 (1782 | Fig. 19). Caswall’s text is now most often set to LAMBILLOTTE by Louis Lambillotte (1796–1855) from his Chants à Marie (Paris, 1843).

X. John Webster Grant

Since the nineteenth century, the newest translation with the most currency has been “O Holy Spirit, by whose breath” by John Webster Grant (1919–2006), written in 1968. At the time of this hymn’s composition, Grant was professor of church history at Emmanuel College in Victoria University. He was also a member of the committee responsible for producing the Hymn Book of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada (1971 | Fig. 20), for which he supplied four texts, including this one. Grant’s text was given in five stanzas of four lines with a two-line doxology.

Grant later provided this rationale for writing the hymn:

The intention of offering a new version was to make the old Latin words more immediately serviceable in contemporary worship. Since the piety of our time is not identical with that of the ninth century, some freedom in adaptation seemed justified. Within the limits imposed by rhyme and metre, however, an attempt has been made to preserve the language and ideas of the original.[19]

Grant’s translation generally covers the sense of the Latin but has a greater freedom than some other translations. Reformed scholar Bert Polman said of it, “Although the ancient text acquires a modern face with the freshness of Grant’s translation, the ancient and biblical images are still very much present.”[20] Notice in stanza 3, “God’s energy,” which is a nod to Dryden. In stanza five, like Cosin’s text, Grant has shifted the meaning away from spiritual warfare to a less-specific “inner strife” and a call for inter-national peace.

Stanley Osborne, editor of the companion volume to the 1971 Hymn Book, gave Grant’s version a glowing reception, saying, “The vividness and freshness of its expression combined with its faithfulness to the spirit of the original text marks it as one of the finest translations ever to come out of this century.[21]



by CHRIS FENNER
for Hymnology Archive
22 May 2020

Footnotes:

1. Edgar C.S. Gibson, “Veni creator spiritus,” A Dictionary of Hymnology (London: J. Murray, 1892), p. 1207: HathiTrust

2. Stephen A. Hurlbut, Hortus Conclusus, Part 5 (Washington, D.C.: St. Alban’s Press, 1931), p. 2.

3. Manuel Erviti, “VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS,” The Hymnal 1982 Companion, vol. 3B (NY: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994), p. 942.

4. Joseph Herl, “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,” Lutheran Service Book Companion, vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2019), p. 430, citing Grove Music Online, “Veni Creator Spiritus” and “Sources, MS: II. Western plainchant.”

5. For a fuller discussion of the development of plainchant notation systems, see for example Constantin Floros, rev. Neil K. Moran, Introduction to Early Medieval Notation, 2nd ed. (Warren, MI: Harmonie Park Press, 2005); or Richard Rastall, The Notation of Western Music (NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1982).

6. Austin Lovelace, “VENI CREATOR,” Companion to the Hymnal (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1970), p. 141; see also Erik Routley, “VENI CREATOR,” Companion to Congregational Praise (1953), pp. 115–116.

7. Ulrich S. Leupold, “Come, God Creator Holy Ghost,” Luther’s Works, vol. 53 (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1965), p. 260.

8. Paul Westermeyer, “Creator Spirit, Heavenly Dove,” Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2010), p. 417.

9. Anthony Milton, “John Cosin,” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 13 (Oxford: University Press, 2004), p. 532; also Sheila Doyle, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology; the MS is probably British Library Add MS 47184.

10. Sheila Doyle, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology: http://www.hymnology.co.uk/c/come,-holy-ghost,-our-souls-inspire

11. Fred D. Gealy, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Companion to the Hymnal (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1970), p. 141.

12. Erik Routley, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Hymns and the Faith (London: John Murray, 1955), p. 208.

13. John Webster Grant, “O Holy Spirit, by whose breath,” Companion to the Hymnal 1982, vol. 3B (NY: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994), p. 941.

14. Albert Edward Bailey, “Veni Creator Spiritus,” The Gospel in Hymns (NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1950), p. 239.

15. J.R. Watson, “Creator Spirit, by whose aid,” An Annotated Anthology of Hymns (Oxford: University Press, 2002), p. 39.

16. Carl P. Daw Jr., “Creator Spirit, by whose aid,” Companion to the Hymnal 1982, vol. 3B (NY: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994), p. 938.

17. Lionel Adey, Hymns and the Christian Myth (Vancouver: University of British Columbia, 1986), p. 76.

18. Joseph Payne, “Veni Creator,” Studies in English Poetry (London: Arthur Hall, Virtue & Co., 1859), p. 35.

19. John Webster Grant, “O Holy Spirit, by whose breath,” Companion to the Hymnal 1982, vol. 3B (NY: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994), p. 941.

20. Bert Polman, “O Holy Spirit, by whose breath,” Psalter Hymnal Handbook (Grand Rapids: CRC, 1998), p. 586.

21. Stanley L. Osborne, “Holy Spirit, by whose breath,” If Such Holy Song (Whitby, ONT: Institute of Church Music, 1976), no. 246.

Related Resources:

Veni Creator Spiritus

Christophero Browero, Venantii Honorii Clementiani Fortunati … Carminum, epistolarum, expositionum libri XI … Accessere Hrabani Mauri Fuldensis ... Poemata Sacra (Moguntiae: Bernardi Gualtheri, 1617): BSB/MDZ

Edgar C.S. Gibson, James Mearns & John Julian, “Veni creator spiritus,” A Dictionary of Hymnology (London: J. Murray, 1892), pp. 1206-1211: HathiTrust

Guido Maria Dreves, Aurelius Ambrosius, der Vater des Kirchengesanges: Eine hymnologische Studie (Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, 1893), pp. 123-124, 136: Archive.org

Guido Maria Dreves, Analecta Hymnica Medii Aevi, vol. 2 (1888), pp. 93-94: HathiTrust; vol. 50 (1907), pp. 193-194: HathiTrust

Joseph Otten, “Ambrosian chant,” The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 1 (NY: Robert Appleton Co., 1907), pp. 389-392: Hathitrust

Guido Maria Dreves, Hymnologische Studien zu Venantius Fortunatus und Rabanus Maurus (Munich: J. J. Lentner, 1908): HathiTrust

Stephen A. Hurlbut, Hortus Conclusus, Part 5 (Washington, D.C.: St. Alban’s Press, 1931), pp. 2, 14-16.

Erik Routley, “VENI CREATOR,” Companion to Congregational Praise (London: Independent Press, 1953), pp. 115-116.

Bruno Stäblein, Monumenta Monodica Medii Aevi, vol. 1 (Kassel, 1956), no. 17.

C.E. Pocknee, “Three Latin Hymns,” HSGBI Bulletin, vol. 6, no. 4 (April 1966), p. 65.

Austin Lovelace, “VENI CREATOR,” Companion to the Hymnal (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1970), p. 141.

Heinrich Lausberg, Der Hymnus ‘Veni creator Spiritus’ (Opladen, 1979): WorldCat

Ron Jeffers, Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire, vol. 1 (Corvallis, OR: Earthsongs, 1988).

Manuel Erviti, “VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS,” The Hymnal 1982 Companion, vol. 3B (NY: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994), p. 942.

Joseph Herl, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” The Hymnal 1982 Companion, vol. 3B (NY: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994), pp. 943-945.

James L. Brauer & Joseph Herl, “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,” Lutheran Service Book Companion, vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2019), pp. 425-430.

Emma Hornby, “Veni creator spiritus,” Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology:
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/v/veni-creator-spiritus

Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist (Creator Spirit, Holy Dove)

Ulrich S. Leupold, “Come, God Creator Holy Ghost,” Luther’s Works, vol. 53 (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1965), pp. 260-262.

Marilyn Kay Stulken, “Creator Spirit, Heavenly Dove,” Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1981), p. 351.

Markus Jenny, Luthers Geistliche Lieder und Kirchengesänge (Cologne: Böhlau, 1985), pp. 75, 214-216.

Fred L. Precht, “Creator Spirit, heavenly dove,” Lutheran Worship Hymnal Companion (St. Louis: Concordia, 1992), pp. 173–174.

Paul Westermeyer, “Creator Spirit, Heavenly Dove,” Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2010), pp. 415-417.

James L. Brauer & Joseph Herl, “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,” Lutheran Service Book Companion, vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2019), pp. 425-430.

“Creator Spirit, Heavenly Dove,” Hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/text/creator_spirit_heavenly_dove

“Creator Spirit, Heavenly Dove” (composite): Hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/text/creator_spirit_heavenly_dove_descend_upo

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire

K.L. Parry, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Companion to Congregational Praise (London: Independent Press, 1953), p. 115.

Erik Routley, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Hymns and the Faith (London: John Murray, 1955), pp. 208-212.

John Cosin, A Collection of Private Devotions in the Practice of the Ancient Church, ed. P.G. Stanwood and Daniel O’Connor (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967).

Fred D. Gealy & Austin Lovelace, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Companion to the Hymnal (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1970), pp. 140-141.

Frank Colquhoun, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Hymns that Live (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1980), pp. 132-138.

Donald P. Hustad, “An intrepretation: Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” The Hymn, vol. 37, no. 2 (April 1986), p. 37: HathiTrust

Kenneth Trickett, “ATTWOOD,” Companion to Hymns and Psalms (Peterborough: Methodist Publishing, 1988), p. 192.

Fred L. Precht, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Lutheran Worship Hymnal Companion (St. Louis: Concordia, 1992), pp. 175–176.

J.R. Watson, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” An Annotated Anthology of Hymns (Oxford: University Press, 2002), p. 38.

Sheila Doyle, “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology: http://www.hymnology.co.uk/c/come,-holy-ghost,-our-souls-inspire

“Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” Hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/text/come_holy_ghost_our_souls_inspire

Creator Spirit, by whose aid

Joseph Payne, “Veni Creator,” Studies in English Poetry (London: Arthur Hall, Virtue & Co., 1859), pp. 34-35.

Albert Edward Bailey, “Veni Creator Spiritus,” The Gospel in Hymns (NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1950), pp. 239-241.

Carl P. Daw Jr., “Creator Spirit, by whose aid,” Companion to the Hymnal 1982, vol. 3B (NY: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994), pp. 936-938.

J.R. Watson, “Creator Spirit, by whose aid,” An Annotated Anthology of Hymns (Oxford: University Press, 2002), p. 39.

Gene Edward Veith & Joseph Herl, “Creator Spirit, by whose aid,” Lutheran Service Book Companion, vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2019), pp. 430-432.

“Creator Spirit, by whose aid,” Hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/text/creator_spirit_by_whose_aid

“O Source of uncreated light,” Hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/text/o_source_of_uncreated_light

Come, O Creator Spirit blest

“Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest,” Hymns Ancient & Modern, Historical Edition (London: William Clowes & Sons, 1909), pp. 258-259.

Marilyn Kay Stulken & Catherine Salika, “Come, Holy Ghost,” Hymnal Companion to Worship—Third Edition (Chicago: GIA, 1998), pp. 314-315.

James L. Brauer & Joseph Herl, “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,” Lutheran Service Book Companion, vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2019), pp. 425-430.

C. Michael Hawn, “Come, O Creator Spirit blest,” Sing with Understanding, 3rd ed. (Chicago: GIA, 2022), pp. 254–256.

“Come, O Creator Spirit blest,” Hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/text/come_holy_ghost_creator_blest

O Holy Spirit, by whose breath

Stanley L. Osborne, “Holy Spirit, by whose breath,” If Such Holy Song (Whitby, ONT: Institute of Church Music, 1976), no. 246.

John Webster Grant, “O Holy Spirit, by whose breath,” Companion to the Hymnal 1982, vol. 3B (NY: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994), p. 941.

Bert Polman, “O Holy Spirit, by whose breath,” Psalter Hymnal Handbook (Grand Rapids: CRC, 1998), pp. 586-587.

“O Holy Spirit, by whose breath,” Hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/text/o_holy_spirit_by_whose_breath