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About the Composer
Marques L. A. Garrett
Graphite Publishing
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
The wind of the Spirit literally blows through this invocation, calling forth the life of breath into all of creation.
for SATB div. a cappella choir
The wind of the Spirit literally blows through this invocation, calling forth the life of breath into all of creation. Like a rising tide, the song gradually increases in intensity to a brilliant climax.
Composer’s Notes
“Veni, Sancte Spiritus” had a very intentional genesis. As the closer of the UNT A Cappella Choir’s ACDA set, I chose to combine not only the themes of the previous two songs but also some of the music. Simply speaking, “Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf” by Johann S. Bach is about the Holy Spirit, and “Come to the Woods” by Jake Runestad is an invitation. R. Nathaniel Dett has been a compositional inspiration for many years where his use of Black folk music permeated his music in rather direct ways. As a result, the first Negro spiritual to come to mind was “Every Time I Feel the Spirit.” The song begins in the same ending key of the Runestad by hiding the spiritual as a chant. There are then snippets and other inspirations of the spiritual throughout. The melody of the slow section uses the first nine pitches of the Bach which also shares some notes with a recurring motive in the Runestad. Veni, Sancte Spiritus is yet another way to show how the music of the enslaved Africans in America were great songs in and of themselves and can serve as inspiration for new songs for years to come.
Performance note: The wind sounds at the beginning served as a connector to the Runestad and may be omitted.
– Marques L. A. Garrett
Text
Veni, Sancte Spiritus,
et emitte caelitus
lucis tuae radium.
In labore requies,
in aestu temperies,
in fletu solatium.
O lux beatissima,
reple cordis intima
tuorum fidelium.
TRANSLATION:
Come, Holy Spirit,
and send out from heaven
the ray of your light.
In labor, rest,
in heat, temperateness,
in tears, solace.
O most blessed light,
fill the inmost heart
of your faithful.
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