Hymns for Pentecost are hymns dedicated to the Christian feast of Pentecost, or Whitsun. Along with Christmas and Easter, it is a high holiday, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost. Hymns have been written from the 9th century to contemporary.
First hymns were sung in Latin, and in plainchant. An early hymn was Veni Creator Spiritus (Come, Creator Spirit), attributed to Rabanus Maurus who lived in the 9th century. It was used in the liturgy not only for Pentecost, but also for vespers between Ascension Day and Pentecost, and for occasions such as ordination and profession. Many later hymns in different languages are based on it. An early sequence for Pentecost was Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit).
With the Reformation, hymns were often written in the native language. Martin Luther wrote several hymns dedicated to Pentecost specifically, based on earlier models. His first published hymn was "Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist", a paraphrase of Veni Creator Spiritus, which appeared in the Erfurt Enchiridion in 1524.
Hymns in English include "Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire", a paraphrase of Veni Creator Spiritus by Bishop John Cosin, published in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and used also for coronations of English royals, and "Breathe on Me, Breath of God", written by Edwin Hatch in 1876.
In the following sortable table, the entries appear first chronologically based on writing or publishing of the text. The following columns feature the language, a translation of the beginning, the author of the text, a year of writing when known or assumed, the source of the melody, its year, a publication date followed by a hymnal name, and notes. The notes may contain a reference, a number in a current hymnal, such as the 2013 German Catholic hymnal Gotteslob or its previous edition of 1975 (GL), and the German Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch (EG), also notes about a model.
| + Hymns for Pentecost | ||||||||
| Hymn | Language | Translation | Text | Written | Tune | Composed | Published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veni Creator Spiritus | Latin | Come, Creator Spirit | Rabanus Maurus (attr.) | 809 c. | plainchant from Kempten | 1000 c. | GL 341 | |
| Veni Sancte Spiritus | Latin | Come, Holy Spirit | Stephen Langton (attr.) | 1200 c. | plainchant | 1200 c. | 1570, Roman Missal | GL 343 |
| Discendi amor santo | Italian | Come Down, O Love Divine | Bianco da Siena | 1390 c. | "Down Ampney" | 1906 | 1867, The People's Hymnal | Best known after The English Hymnal (1906)[1] |
| Veni Sancte Spiritus, reple... | Latin | Come, Holy Spirit, fill the heart ... | plainchant | prayer for guidance | ||||
| Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist | German | Come, God Creator, Holy Spirit | 1524 | based on chant | 1524 | 1524, Erfurt Enchiridion | EG 126, translation of Veni Creator Spiritus | |
| Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott | German | Come, Holy Spirit, Lord God | 1524 | and Johann Walter | 1524 | 1524, Erfurt Enchiridion | EG 125, after "Veni Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium* | |
| Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist | German | Now we implore the Holy Spirit | 1524 | based on chant | 1524 | 1524, Gesangbüchlein | EG 124, 1st stanza medieval | |
| Come holy ghost eternall god | English | 1550 | 1550, Prayer Book Ordinal | after "Veni Creator Spiritus" | ||||
| Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire | English | 1625 | 1662, Book of Common Prayer | after Veni Creator Spiritus | ||||
| Komm, Schöpfer Geist, kehr bei uns ein | German | Come, Creator Spirit, visit us | 1845 | from Cologne | 1741 | 1975, Gotteslob | GL 351, translation of Veni Creator Spiritus | |
| Breathe on Me, Breath of God | English | 1876 | "Aylesbury" and others | 1781 | 1886 | |||
| Der Geist des Herrn erfüllt das All | German | The Spirit of the Lord fills the universe | 1941 | 1609 | 1975, Gotteslob | GL 347 | ||
| Tui amoris ignem (Veni Sancte Spiritus) | Latin | Fire of your love | liturgical | 1970s | 1970s | 1970s, Taizé Community | GL 345 | |
| Komm, Heilger Geist, der Leben schafft | German | Come, Holy Spirit, creating life | 1972 | after plainchant | 1524 | 1975, Gotteslob | GL 342, translation of Veni Creator Spiritus | |
| Atme in uns, Heiliger Geist | German | Breathe in us, Holy Spirit | 1985 | 1982 | 2013, Gotteslob | GL 346, based on "Esprit de Dieu, souffle de vie" | ||