O sanctissima

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"O sanctissima" (O most holy) is a Roman Catholic hymn in Latin, seeking the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and often sung in various languages on her feast days. The earliest known publication was from London in 1792, presenting it as a traditional song from Sicily; no original source or date has been confirmed for the simple melody or poetic text. The tune is often called "Sicilian Mariners Hymn" or similar titles, referring to the seafarers' nightly invocation of Mary as maternal protector:^[1] Our Lady, Star of the Sea. The tune has been notably reused for the German Christmas carol "O du fröhliche" (O, how joyful) and the English recessional hymn "Lord, Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing", and appears to have been adapted as the first half of the American Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome".

Similar Latin lyrics have been set to entirely different tunes since the 1500s, by notable composers and arrangers including Leonhard Kleber (probably editing another composer), Louis-Nicolas Clérambault, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Antonín Dvořák, and Fritz Kreisler (using a melody of Arcangelo Corelli).

^ Seward, William (November 1792). Reed, Isaac (ed.). "Drossiana. Number XXXVIII. The Sicilian Mariner's Hymn to the Virgin". European Magazine and London Review. 22 (5): 342, 385–386. Retrieved 25 October 2016. Travellers all agree in their account of the effects of the simple air called 'The Virgin's Hymn,' sung in unison by the whole crew of the Sicilian seamen on board their ships when the sun sets, or when it is the twenty-fourth hour of Italy. The editor identified the article's author in his obituary: Reed, Isaac, ed. (October 1799). "William Seward, Esq". European Magazine and London Review. 36 (4): 219–220. William Seward... amused himself with collecting the materials for what he called Drossiana in the present Magazine; which he began in October 1789, and continued without intermission to the end of his life.

[1792mag-1] Seward, William (November 1792). Reed, Isaac (ed.). "Drossiana. Number XXXVIII. The Sicilian Mariner's Hymn to the Virgin". European Magazine and London Review. 22 (5): 342, 385–386. Retrieved 25 October 2016. Travellers all agree in their account of the effects of the simple air called 'The Virgin's Hymn,' sung in unison by the whole crew of the Sicilian seamen on board their ships when the sun sets, or when it is the twenty-fourth hour of Italy. The editor identified the article's author in his obituary: Reed, Isaac, ed. (October 1799). "William Seward, Esq". European Magazine and London Review. 36 (4): 219–220. William Seward... amused himself with collecting the materials for what he called Drossiana in the present Magazine; which he began in October 1789, and continued without intermission to the end of his life.

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