A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Creed
CREED. There are three creeds in use in the services of the English church—the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene, and that known by the name of St. Athanasius.
The first of these is the most ancient, and of unknown origin, and was probably used in early times. It is found in the ancient breviaries of the churches of England, such as those of Sarum and York, in much the same position as it now occupies. In the first Prayer Book of Edward VI it was ordered to be said or sung like the other creeds, but in later revisions the word 'sung' has been removed [App. p.601 omits "but … removed"] and it has become the custom only to intone it, and in some churches the intonation is supported by harmonies on the organ, but it has not been definitely set to music for English use.
The Nicene Creed is distinguished in the English church by an extensive musical treatment. It cannot be ascertained when it came into use in the ancient English offices. It is in the breviaries of Sarum, York and Hereford, for use on feasts and solemn occasions. It was looked upon to some extent as a hymn, whence its universal musical treatment. Marbeck's setting of it in the 'Book of Common Praier noted' of 1552 for the use of the English reformed church follows the Roman originals much less closely than most of the other parts of his setting of the service, and is consequently much more free and melodious. Tallis's setting of it is said to resemble the Gregorian Descants of the creed in the Missa de Angelis. Further settings of it both ancient and modern are extremely numerous. Among the ancient ones may be mentioned settings by Bird (in 6 parts), Farrant, Gibbons, Child, Aldrich, Blow, Purcell, Rogers and Bevin. Attempts have been made with very fair success to adapt it to a kind of free chant form, which renders it more available for musical performance by parish choirs and general congregations.
The Athanasian Creed, as it is now called, was formerly known very generally as the Psalm 'Quicunque vult'—the first two words of its Latin form. It was sung at Prime after certain other psalms, and the custom of singing it as a psahn has continued in the Roman church to the present day, it being pointed and divided into paragraphs after the manner of psalms, and answering in its construction to the principles of ancient Hebrew poetry. The chant most commonly used is a very simple one by Tallis (see p. 337 a). There have been many others specially written for it both in ancient and modern times. It has never been customary to adapt it to more elaborate forms of composition.