George Herbert
Life
Born: 1593
Died: 1633
Biography
George Herbert (April 3, 1593 – March 1, 1633) was a Welsh poet, orator and a priest. Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education which led on to him holding prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. As a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, England, George Herbert excelled in languages and music. He went to college with the intention of becoming a priest, but his scholarship attracted the attention of King James I. Herbert served in parliament for two years. After the death of King James and at the urging of a friend, Herbert's interest in ordained ministry was renewed. In 1630, in his late thirties he gave up his secular ambitions and took holy orders in the Church of England, spending the rest of his life as a rector of the little parish of St. Andrew Bemerton, near Salisbury. He was noted for unfailing care for his parishioners, bringing the sacraments to them when they were ill, and providing food and clothing for those in need. Throughout his life he wrote religious poems characterized by a precision of language, a metrical versatility, and an ingenious use of imagery or conceits that was favored by the metaphysical school of poets. He is best remembered as a writer of poems and the hymn "Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life." He is commemorated on February 27 throughout the Anglican Communion and on March 1 of the Calendar of Saints of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The Five Mystical Songs for Baritone, Chorus and Orchestra of Ralph Vaughan-Williams are set to poetry of Herbert. The most popular of these songs is probably No. 4: The Call, a.k.a. Come, my Way, my Truth, my Light, (solo only, chorus tacet), a adaptation of which appears in several hymnals.
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Settings of text by George Herbert
- Ah, my dear angry Lord (Thomas McLelland-Young)
- The Call - Come my way (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
- Come, my Way (J. Guy Stalnaker)
- Easter (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
- Easter Wings (Crys Armbrust)
- L'Envoy (Simon Biazeck)
- Even-Song (Laurence Hughes)
- The God of love my Shepherd is (Thomas Tallis)
- King of glory (Henry Walford Davies)
- King of Glory, King of Peace (Charles H. Giffen)
- King of glory, King of peace (Christopher Upton)
- King of glory, King of peace (Joseph David Jones)
- Let all the world (Basil Harwood)
- Let all the world (Chibuike Nnadozie Onyesoh)
- Let all the world in every corner sing (David Cameron)
- Love (III) (Andrew Malton)
- Love (III) (Kathryn Rose)
- Love bade me welcome (Colin Davey)
- Love bade me welcome (Philip Le Bas)
- Love bade me welcome (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
- Starting the day (Charles West)
- Sweet day (Jeffrey Quick)
- Sweet day (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
- Sweet day, so cool (Charles Hubert Hastings Parry)
- Sweet day, so cool (Edward Bairstow)
- Sweet day, so cool (Edward German)
- Teach me, my God and King (Anonymous)
- Teach me, my God and King (Charles Lockhart)
- The God of love my shepherd is (Charles Collignon)
- Three Elizabethan Partsongs (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
- Trinitie Sunday (Andrew Malton)
- Trinitie Sunday (Kathryn Rose)
- A True Hymn (Alan Struck)
- A True Hymne (J. Guy Stalnaker)
- With sick and famish'd eyes (Henry Purcell)