The Virgin's Cradle Hymn
Encyclopedia
"The Virgin's Cradle Hymn" is a short lullaby
text. It was collected while on a tour of Germany by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge
, and published in his Sibylline Leaves of 1817. According to his own note, Coleridge copied the Latin text from a "print of the Blessed Virgin in a Catholic village in Germany", which he later translated into English. The text, actually from a collection of devotional Flemish engravings by Hieronymus Wierix
, has inspired a number of modern choral and vocal musical settings.
in 1798 shortly after the publication of their Lyrical Ballads
of 1798. It was in May 1799, the eleventh month of his tour, that he encountered the print in a village inn. His diary records that it was either Womarshausen or Giebaldhausen, both Roman Catholic villages in the vicinity of Mainz
.
The print itself was of Dutch origin, from a book entitled Jesu Christi Dei Domini Salvatoris nostra Infantia ("The Infancy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ"), a collection of prints and accompanying verse by Flemish
engraver Hieronymus Wierix
(1553-1619). The verse accompanied an image titled "The Virgin Sewing While Angels Rock Her Son to Sleep", a woodcutting of the infant Jesus asleep in a cradle, rocked by two angels, while the Virgin Mary sits alongside engaged in needlework.
Coleridge sent the Latin copy to be printed in the Courier in 1801 as "A Correspondent in Germany". Despite having made a translation in his notebook, Coleridge did not consider publishing his English version of the short poem for almost ten years. He first published the two side-by-side in the Courier in 1811. Coleridge retold the story of his collection of the text and suggested that it could be sung to the tune of "the famous Sicilian Hymn Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes", nowadays better known as "O Come All Ye Faithful
". He later published the poem and his translation in his collection Sibylline Leaves of 1817.
s (lieder).
Settings have been composed by, among others, Edmund Rubbra
(published 1925, op.3 for SATB chorus), Edward MacDowell
(published 1894 for voice and piano), John Tasker Howard
(published 1947 for SSA chorus with piano accompaniment), Richard Rodney Bennett
(SSA chorus), Anton von Webern (published 1923-4, from Fünf Canons op. 16 no. 2), Alexander MacKenzie (published 1892 for mezzo-soprano, piano, violin or cello), Ronald Corp
(published 1975, SATB), Stephen Tuttle
(published 1943, soprano, SSAA chorus and piano), Charles Macpherson
(published 1893, SATB), Ralph Vaughan Williams
(first performed 1894 for voice and piano, first published in The Vocalist, April 1905 as "A cradle song"), Charles Lee Williams, (organist of Gloucester Cathedral and a founder of the Three Choirs Festival, published 1903 for five-part chorus) and John Rutter
(SATB with organ or orchestra, commissioned for the 1999 King's College Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols).
Lullaby
A lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
text. It was collected while on a tour of Germany by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
, and published in his Sibylline Leaves of 1817. According to his own note, Coleridge copied the Latin text from a "print of the Blessed Virgin in a Catholic village in Germany", which he later translated into English. The text, actually from a collection of devotional Flemish engravings by Hieronymus Wierix
Hieronymus Wierix
Hieronymus Wierix , was a Flemish engraver and member of the Antwerp Wierix family who made engravings after well known artists, including Albrecht Durer.-Biography:...
, has inspired a number of modern choral and vocal musical settings.
Background
Coleridge embarked upon his tour of Germany with his close friend William WordsworthWilliam Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
in 1798 shortly after the publication of their Lyrical Ballads
Lyrical Ballads
Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems is a collection of poems by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, first published in 1798 and generally considered to have marked the beginning of the English Romantic movement in literature...
of 1798. It was in May 1799, the eleventh month of his tour, that he encountered the print in a village inn. His diary records that it was either Womarshausen or Giebaldhausen, both Roman Catholic villages in the vicinity of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
.
The print itself was of Dutch origin, from a book entitled Jesu Christi Dei Domini Salvatoris nostra Infantia ("The Infancy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ"), a collection of prints and accompanying verse by Flemish
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
engraver Hieronymus Wierix
Hieronymus Wierix
Hieronymus Wierix , was a Flemish engraver and member of the Antwerp Wierix family who made engravings after well known artists, including Albrecht Durer.-Biography:...
(1553-1619). The verse accompanied an image titled "The Virgin Sewing While Angels Rock Her Son to Sleep", a woodcutting of the infant Jesus asleep in a cradle, rocked by two angels, while the Virgin Mary sits alongside engaged in needlework.
Coleridge sent the Latin copy to be printed in the Courier in 1801 as "A Correspondent in Germany". Despite having made a translation in his notebook, Coleridge did not consider publishing his English version of the short poem for almost ten years. He first published the two side-by-side in the Courier in 1811. Coleridge retold the story of his collection of the text and suggested that it could be sung to the tune of "the famous Sicilian Hymn Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes", nowadays better known as "O Come All Ye Faithful
Adeste Fideles
"Adeste Fideles" is a hymn tune attributed to English hymnist John Francis Wade . The text itself has unclear beginnings, and may have been written in the 13th century by John of Reading, though it has been concluded that Wade was probably the author.The original four verses of the hymn were...
". He later published the poem and his translation in his collection Sibylline Leaves of 1817.
Text
| Latin original. | English translation by S.T. Coleridge. |
|---|---|
| Dormi, Jesu! Mater ridet Quae tam dulcem somnum videt,
Si non dormis, Mater plorat, Inter fila cantans orat,
|
Sleep, sweet babe! my cares beguiling:
Mother sits beside thee smiling;
If thou sleep not, mother mourneth, Singing as her wheel she turneth:
|
Musical settings
Further to Coleridge's own musical suggestion, the short text has inspired a number of modern composers, and is usually titled "The Virgin's Cradle Hymn" or "Dormi, Jesu". These are mostly choral compositions, although occasionally rendered as art songArt song
An art song is a vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the genre of such songs....
s (lieder).
Settings have been composed by, among others, Edmund Rubbra
Edmund Rubbra
Edmund Rubbra was a British composer. He composed both instrumental and vocal works for soloists, chamber groups and full choruses and orchestras. He was greatly esteemed by fellow musicians and was at the peak of his fame in the mid-20th century. The most famous of his pieces are his eleven...
(published 1925, op.3 for SATB chorus), Edward MacDowell
Edward MacDowell
Edward Alexander MacDowell was an American composer and pianist of the Romantic period. He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites "Woodland Sketches", "Sea Pieces", and "New England Idylls". "Woodland Sketches" includes his most popular short piece, "To a Wild Rose"...
(published 1894 for voice and piano), John Tasker Howard
John Tasker Howard
John Tasker Howard was an early American music historian, radio host, writer, lecturer, and composer...
(published 1947 for SSA chorus with piano accompaniment), Richard Rodney Bennett
Richard Rodney Bennett
Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, CBE is an English composer renowned for his film scores and his jazz performance as much as for his challenging concert works...
(SSA chorus), Anton von Webern (published 1923-4, from Fünf Canons op. 16 no. 2), Alexander MacKenzie (published 1892 for mezzo-soprano, piano, violin or cello), Ronald Corp
Ronald Corp
Ronald Corp is a composer, conductor, and Church of England priest. He is founder and Artistic Director of the New London Orchestra and the New London Children's Choir. Corp is Musical Director of the London Chorus, a position he took up in 1994, and is also Musical Director of the Highgate Choral...
(published 1975, SATB), Stephen Tuttle
Stephen Tuttle
Stephen Davidson Tuttle was a musicologist and chairman of the department of music at the University of Virginia , and an associate professor of music at Harvard University...
(published 1943, soprano, SSAA chorus and piano), Charles Macpherson
Charles Macpherson
Charles Macpherson FRAM was a Scottish organist, who served at St Paul's Cathedral. He was born in Edinburgh on 10 May 1870. His father was Burgh Architect. At the age of nine he became a chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral, later studying music at the Royal Academy of Music...
(published 1893, SATB), Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
(first performed 1894 for voice and piano, first published in The Vocalist, April 1905 as "A cradle song"), Charles Lee Williams, (organist of Gloucester Cathedral and a founder of the Three Choirs Festival, published 1903 for five-part chorus) and John Rutter
John Rutter
John Milford Rutter CBE is a British composer, conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, mainly of choral music.-Biography:Born in London, Rutter was educated at Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener. He read music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the...
(SATB with organ or orchestra, commissioned for the 1999 King's College Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols).