MCE 03-01 Ave virgo gloriosa caeli iubar

Edition

Motet

T1, mm. 25–28, ‘dans fluenta gratiae’, quotes the last phrase of verse 4 (‘sana quod est saucium’) from the sequence Veni sancte spiritus (Cantus ID ah54153).

T1 and T2, mm. 28–33, ‘quae regina diceris...mater gratiae’, quote the corresponding verse from the sequence Veni virgo virginum (sung to the melody of Veni sancte spiritus, Cantus ID ah54153).

Text (ed. by Eva Ferro)

Edition

English translation

Ave, virgo gloriosa,
Caeli iubar, mundi rosa,
Caelibatus lilium.

Hail, glorious virgin,
splendour of heaven, rose of the world,
lily of celibacy.

Ave, gemma pretiosa,
Super omnes speciosa[i],
Virginale gaudium.

Hail, precious gem,
beautiful above all creatures,
virginal joy.

Florens hortus[ii], aegris gratus[iii],
Puritatis fons signatus
Dans fluenta gratiae.

Flowering garden, beloved of the sorrowful,
sealed fountain of purity
bringing forth streams of grace.

Quae regina diceris
Miserere miseris,
Virgo, mater gratiae.

You who are called queen,
have mercy on the miserable,
virgin, mother of grace.

Reis ergo[1] fac regina[iv],
O virgo pura,
Apud[v] regem ut ruina
Relaxetur[2][vi] debita.

Therefore, Queen, appeal for the sinners,
o pure virgin,
to the King, so that the due ruin
may be eased.

O virgo pura,
Pro nobis dulciter[vii] ora.

O pure virgin,
pray sweetly for us.


[1] ergo] virgo Librone 1, T2

[2] relaxetur] relaretur Librone 3, C


[i] speciosa] spetiosa Librone 1, C A T1 B; Librone 3, C A T1 B

[ii] hortus] ortus Librone 1, C A T1 B ; Librone 3, C A T1 B

[iii] gratus] gradus Librone 1, C B

[iv] regina] regena Librone 1, A

[v] Apud] aput Librone 1, C A T1

[vi] relaxetur] relasetur Librone, C

[vii] dulciter] dulgiter Librone 1, C

This edition is based on two sources, namely Librone 1, ff. 143v–145r (copied by Scribe A) and Librone 3, ff. 125v–126r (copied by Scribe I). The scribes inserted many phonetic variants, such as ‘regena’ for regina, ‘dulgiter’ for dulciter, and ‘relasetur’ for relaxetur, but did not make many mistakes.
The subject of this motet is devotion to Mary and all portions of text except the last were taken from different Marian sequences. The last textual segment (‘O virgo pura, / Pro nobis dulciter ora’) was not drawn from a particular sequence, but represents an addition of general devotional character. In general, the texts are very faithful to their models and only in one case did the scribes insert textual variants (the Marian sequence has ‘super solem’ instead of ‘super omnes’ in the second verse).
Relevant in the motet’s text are the metaphors of the Virgin Mary as a rose (‘mundi rosa’) and a lily (‘caelibatus lilium’), and the analogy between Mary and the sealed fountain from which streams of grace flow generously (‘fons signatus / Dans fluenta gratiae’). The first analogy in which Mary is compared to a rose can already be found in patristic writings (Ambrose, Sedulius) and in early Greek litanies and became very popular in high and late medieval religious hymnography and sequences.[1] The image of Mary as a lily and as a sealed fountain were both drawn from the Song of Songs, one of the biblical sources that was used very intensely for the composition of new devotional texts for the Virgin Mary – from the twelfth century onwards the bride of the Song of Songs was commonly identified with Mary herself.[2] The lily recalls Song of Songs 2: 1–2, where the groom talks about his bride and describes her as a lily among thorns: ‘Sicut lilium inter spinas, sic amica inter filias’ (As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters). The image of the sealed fountain, which is parallel to the enclosed garden also used as a metaphor for Mary, is drawn from Song of Songs 4: 12: ‘Hortus conclusus soror mea, sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus’ (My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up). Naturally the idea of the inaccessible garden and sealed fountain came to signify Mary’s virginity and her immaculate conception. The graphic representations of such closed or walled gardens, in which often also some sort of well or fountain can be seen, also became very popular during the late Middle Ages.[3]


[1] Anne Winston Allen, Stories of the Rose: The Making of the Rosary in the Middle Ages (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997), 88.

[2] ‘Since she was seen as the first bride of Christ’: ibid., 92.

[3] See the illustrations ibid., 85–108.

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Measure Voice Source Category Comment Image
I-Mfd1 rubrics and verbal directions no ‘Galeazescha’ rubric
I-Mfd1 rubrics and verbal directions no ‘loco’ rubric
I-Mfd1 designation of voices first opening: –, Contra altus (the second word possibly on an erasure; the ‘a’ is not capital as elsewhere), Tenor primus, Tenor secundus, Contra bassus; second opening: –, Contra Altus, Tenor primus, Tenor secundus, Contra bassus Show
I-Mfd3 designation of voices –, Altus, Tenor primus, Tenor secundus, Bassus
I-Mfd1; I-Mfd3 clefs original clefs: c1, c4, c4, c4, f4
7-8 2 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm Sb c’ + Mi c’ instead of dotted Sb
7-9 2 I-Mfd1 text underlay caeli iubar mundi lilium instead of caelibatus lilium
7-8 5 I-Mfd1 text underlay caelibatus lilium missing (with consequent advancement of the successive two lines in the text underlay)
9 1 2 3 4 5 I-Mfd1 musical symbols the fermata signs were erased Show
13 1 I-Mfd1 coloration no minor color
13-14 1 I-Mfd1 coloration no minor color
14 2 I-Mfd1 coloration no minor color
15 2 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm Sb c' not dotted
16 2 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm b Sb instead of Mi Show
16 2 I-Mfd3 pitch and rhythm b was Sb instead of Mi, but a different hand corrected it by adding the stem Show
18 3 I-Mfd1 coloration no minor color
18 5 I-Mfd1 coloration no minor color
19 2 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm Sb a was Mi (corrected by erasing the stem) Show
20 1 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm Sm g’ instead of Fu g’ + Fu f’ Show
21 2 I-Mfd1 coloration no minor color
27-28 I-Mfd1 rubrics and verbal directions ‘Verte cito’ directions at ff. 143v–144r, pointing to the conclusion of the piece on the following opening, and corresponding to the passage between mm. 27 and 28 in the edition
28 I-Mfd1 mensuration and proportion signs the mensuration sign O3 is placed at the start of a new folio (f. 144v) and it corresponds to the beginning of our modern measure
28 I-Mfd3 mensuration and proportion signs the mensuration sign 3 is placed after the first Sb of m. 28 in CAT1B, and after the two rests of the same m. in T2
32 1 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm Sb a' was Mi (corrected by erasing the stem) Show
34-37 5 I-Mfd1; I-Mfd3 text underlay the text O virgo pura starts after the rest of m. 35; Apud regem ut ruina is missing
36 1 I-Mfd1 ligatures the first two Sb are in lig., not the second and the third
37 5 I-Mfd1 ligatures no lig. between a and e
39 5 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm d Mi instead of blackened Sb (with punctum divisionis before the previous Mi) Show
41 1 I-Mfd1 coloration white dotted Mi f' + Sm g' instead of blackened dotted Mi f' + Fu g'
Text
Edition English translation

Ave, virgo gloriosa,
Caeli iubar, mundi rosa,
Caelibatus lilium.

Hail, glorious virgin,
splendour of heaven, rose of the world,
lily of celibacy.

Ave, gemma pretiosa,
Super omnes speciosa,
Virginale gaudium.

Hail, precious gem,
beautiful above all creatures,
virginal joy.

Florens hortus, aegris gratus,
Puritatis fons signatus
Dans fluenta gratiae.

Flowering garden, beloved of the sorrowful,
sealed fountain of purity
bringing forth streams of grace.

Quae regina diceris
Miserere miseris,
Virgo, mater gratiae.

You who are called queen,
have mercy on the miserable,
virgin, mother of grace.

Reis ergo fac regina,
O virgo pura,
Apud regem ut ruina
Relaxetur debita.

Therefore, Queen, appeal for the sinners,
o pure virgin,
to the King, so that the due ruin
may be eased.

O virgo pura,
Pro nobis dulciter ora.

O pure virgin,
pray sweetly for us.