Dear friends,

I am currently working on a thesis related to the hymns of the Dominican Divine Office, but my study has considered other hymns not strictly included within that rite. I have become curious about the origin of the hymn "Adoro te devote" of St. Thomas, or more specifically of its melody. This hymn can be found starting on F in Liber Cantualis, (Solesmes: Abbatia Sancti Petri de Solesmis, 1978), 69 or on C in Cantus Selecti, (Solesmes, 1949), 11*. Although all of the other lines of the hymn have eleven syllables each, the first line of the hymn in fact has twelve syllables, which in these Solesmes versions at are dealt with by adding an extra syllable at the top of the opening triad; the Cantus Selecti in fact gives a noted version of the second verse to avoid confusion. Does anybody know off hand the early history of this hymn? I am particularly interested as to whether it is found in any medieval manuscripts or even early printed books, but I don't know where to look, as it has never been part of the Divine Office and thus (I assume) would not have been contained in general hymnals or antiphonals. It is not in the on-line Poissy manuscript which includes the other Corpus Christi hymns of St. Thomas. (Melbourne, State Library *096.1/R66A, described by John Stinson, “The Poissy Antiphonal: a Major Source of Late Medieval Chant” in La Trobe Library Journal, vol. 13, nos. 51 & 52 (1993), 50 – 59. The manuscript is available at http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/MMDB/images/Poissy/FOL_001R.htm).

Any assistance would be appreciated, although in all honesty this is not a particularly important point for my paper; I ask mostly from vain curiosity.

Yours in Christ,

Philip Carl Smith
University of Notre Dame
psmith13@nd.edu