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SPIRITUS VITAE

Composer: Mary J. Hammond

Born: 1878, England. Died: January 23, 1964, Hilligdon Nursing Home, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England. Near the end of her life, Hammond lived in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. --www.hymntime.com/tch/ Go to person page >

Tune Information

Title: SPIRITUS VITAE
Composer: Mary J. Hammond (1920)
Meter: 9.8.9.8
Incipit: 17564 32551 12353
Key: D Major
Copyright: Public Domain in the US

Notes

The name SPIRITUS VITAE derives from the Latin translation of Bessie P. Head's text "O Breath of Life, " for which Mary Jane Hammond (b. England, 1878; d. St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, 1964) composed the tune around 1914. That text and SPIRITUS VITAE were first published in Heavenly Places and Other Messages (1920). Little is known about Hammond except that she lived in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, toward the end of her life and died at the Hillingdon Nursing Home in nearby St. Albans.

One of few tunes that begin on their highest tone, SPIRITUS VITAE virtually repeats lines 1 and 2 in lines 3 and 4, with only a cadential change. Antiphonal performance is appropriate if the entire psalm is sung. The setting with the melody in the tenor, composed by Emily R. Brink (PHH 158) in 1987, is well suited for a choral stanza or as an alternate organ setting.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988

Timeline

Arrangements

Organ Solo

  • The Organ Portfolio Volume 83 Number 5 May June 2020: The Service Music Anthology for the Church Organist
    Composer/Editors Carson Cooman; Jared M. Salyards
    Published By: Lorenz Publishing Company (2020) pp. 14
  • The Organist's Library Volume 69
    Composer/Editor Jared M. Salyards
    Published By: Lorenz Publishing Company (2020) pp. 48

Voices: Vocal Solos and Duets

  • Hale & Wilder: Favorite Duets and Solos
    Composer/Editors Robert Hale; Dean Wilder
    Published By: Word Music Group, LLC (1981) pp. 98

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #4704
Text: O Breath of Life
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
The Cyber Hymnal #15419
Text: O Frym’ E Jetës, Ti Përshkona
  • PDF (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer Score (NWC)
Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #28
Text: O LORD My Rock, in Desperation
  • Full Score (PDF, XML)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
Worship and Rejoice #328
Text: O Breath of Life

Instances

Instances (1 - 24 of 24)
Text

Ancient and Modern #615a

Christian Worship #28B

TextPage Scan

Community of Christ Sings #486

Text

Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #476

Complete Mission Praise #488

Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #43

Text

Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #237

Praise! psalms hymns and songs for Christian worship #541

Text InfoTune InfoScoreAudio

Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #28

Text

Sing Joyfully #152

Singing the Faith #391

The Book of Praise #384

The Christian Life Hymnal #339

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #4704

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #15419

Text

The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #475b

Text

The Worshiping Church #299

Text

Together in Song #409

Together in Song #495

TextPage Scan

Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #341

TextPage Scan

Trinity Psalter Hymnal #395

Text

Voices United #202

Voices United #203

TextScoreAudioPage Scan

Worship and Rejoice #328

Include 6 pre-1979 instances
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