A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Venite

by George Grove

VENITE. The name familiarly given to the 95th Psalm—in the Vulgate 'Venite exultemus Domino'—which in the Anglican Service is sung immediately before the Psalms of the day at Matins. For some time after the introduction of the English service the Venite was set to music in the same manner as the Te Deum or Jubilate. Instances of this are found in the services by Tallis, Strogers, Bevin, Byrd, Gibbons,^[1] Mundy, Parsons, and Morley, in Barnard's Church Music. The custom was, however discontinued, and Dr. Giles, who died 1633, was probably the last composer to do it.^[2] Since then the Venite has been chanted like an ordinary psalm, thus returning to the practice of the Roman church; a practice which indeed must have been partly followed from the first, since in Tallis's service a chant is given for it in addition to the other setting.

[ G. ]

1. Reprinted by Ouseley in his 'Collection of the Sacred Compositions of Orlando Gibbons.' Boyce has not given the Venite in his edition of Tallis, Byrd, or Gibbons.
2. Jebb. p. 269.