Adriaen Valerius (c.1575-1625) was a Dutch poet and composer, best remembered for songs gathered in Nederlandtsche Gedenck-clanck. His name appears in the Pristine catalogue through Mengelberg’s recording of the Dutch thanksgiving hymn.

The melody best known in English as We Gather Together is associated with Valerius’s collection and became widely used beyond the Netherlands. It has travelled through hymnals, patriotic contexts and orchestral arrangements.

Valerius’s musical importance lies in the mingling of song, national memory and public devotion. His repertory belongs to a world where history and melody were closely entwined.

This is a narrow but secure catalogue entry. Valerius survives through songs that became communal property, which is sometimes the strongest kind of survival.