Guido Maria Dreves (27 October 1854 – 1 June 1909) was a German Jesuit, hymnologist and hymnwriter. He was the son of the notary and poet Lebrecht Blücher Dreves.
Life Dreves was born in Hamburg. He already had contact with Jesuits at school, as he attended the Stella Matutina grammar school in Feldkirch from 1861. After completing his education, he immediately entered the Jesuit order in November 1869. He completed his novitiate in Sigmaringen and then studied at the , at the religious house in Bleijenbeek Castle in the Netherlands and at the Jesuit College of Ditton-Hall in Shropshire, England. He devoted his research mainly to medieval Latin hymnody.Guido Maria Dreves on Encyclopedia.comGuido Maria Dreves on Prestomusic.com
He is especially important as the author and editor of the Analecta hymnica medii aevi, the largest collection of medieval Latin poetry to date (hymns, sequences, tropes, rhyming offices and psalters). With astonishing diligence, Dreves searched libraries all over Europe for old manuscripts and incunables. From 1886 to 1926, 55 volumes of Analecta were published, from volume 25 onwards Clemens Blume co-editor.Dreves, Guido Maria on Grove MusicGuido Maria Dreves on Carus-verlag
Dreves died in Mitwitz bei Kronach (Oberfranken) at the age of 54.
Works Stimmen durch den Lenz (poems). 1881 O Christ hie merk! Ein Gesangbüchlein geistlicher Lieder. (sacred songs) 1885 Analecta hymnica medii aevi. 55 volumes. 1886–1926 (Reprint: Minerva, Frankfurt 1961; digital: Rauner, Augsburg 2004–2005, via Aurelius Ambrosius, der Vater des Kirchengesanges. Eine hymnologische Studie. 1893 (Neudruck Grüner, Amsterdam 1968) Schwert-Lilien. Sagen und Gesch. des Hohen Deutschen Ordens. 1898 Ein Jahrtausend lateinischer Hymnendichtung. 1909 (2 volumes, published posthumously by Christian Blume)
The Gotteslob hymnal contains his songs: "Gelobt seist du, Herr Jesu Christ" (375) "Ein Danklied sei dem Herrn" (382) "Sagt an, wer ist doch diese" (531)
References
Further reading
Rebecca Schmidt: Gegen den Reiz der Neuheit. Katholische Restauration im 19. Jahrhundert: Heinrich Bone, Joseph Mohr, Guido Maria Dreves (Mainzer hymnologische Studien. Bd. 15). Francke, Tübingen 2005, (Zugl.: Mainz, Univ., Diss., 2002).
External links
Dreves, Guido Maria on BMLO
Index zur Analecta hymnica Zugang zur Analecta hymnica Access with national licence List of links to scans of Analecta hymnica medii aevi volumes in the "Links Galore" spreadsheet