MCE 03-04 Ave sponsa verbi summi
Motet
The version in I-Mfd 1 misses the last section (from ‘Gaude virgo fruens deliciis’); see the Critical Apparatus for details.
Text (ed. by Eva Ferro)
Edition |
English translation |
Ave, sponsa verbi summi, |
Hail, bride of the highest Word, |
Gaude, virgo salutata |
Rejoice, virgin saluted |
Gaude, mundi domina, |
Rejoice, lady of the world, |
O plena prae ceteris |
O full of divine grace |
De peccati vinculo |
From the bond of sin, |
Gaude, virgo fruens delitiis, |
Rejoice, virgin, you who enjoy delights, |
Mater dei exaudi nos, |
Hear us, Mother of God, |
Et regnare fac renatos |
And make the reborn reign, |
[1] virga] virgo Librone 1, C T1
[2] puerperio] puerperi Librone 1, C T2
[3] peccatis] reatu Librone 3, B
[i] nuntio] nuncio Librone 3, C T1
[ii] vitia] vicia Librone 3, T2
This edition is based on two sources, namely Librone 1, ff. 147v–149r (copied by Scribe A) and Librone 3, ff. 128v–130r (copied by Scribe I). Librone 1 omits the last part of the motet (after ‘Libera nos, o Maria’).
The scribes mostly used a standard orthography, but introduced quite a few semantic variants. In the first verse Scribe A wrote ‘virgo’ instead of virga in C and T1: this variant, however, makes little sense in the context. Also, he wrote ‘puerperi’ instead of puerperio in C and T2 (the missing final letter was probably forgotten after the turn of the page). In Librone 3 Scribe I wrote ‘reatu’ instead of peccatis in B, but in this case the variant is not problematic grammatically and can be considered equivalent to the prevailing reading peccatis.
The motet draws mostly on Marian sequences – inter alia, the sequence Verbum bonum et suave (AH 54, no. 218, pp. 343–45, verse 5), from which the first verse is taken – but also includes a verse taken from a Marian prayer (‘Gaude virgo fruens deliciis, / Expurga nos a nostris vitiis, / Iam rosa iuncta lilio, / Et iunge tuo filio’).[1] The text recalls the structure (‘Gaude… Gaude… Gaude...’) of poems about the ‘Joys of Mary’, a theme widespread in late medieval piety. In general the motet alternates salutations of Mary (‘Ave’, ‘Gaude’) with requests for intercession and help for sinners (‘Libera nos’, ‘Expurga nos’, ‘Exaudi nos’).
[1] The idea of a possible Premonstratensian origin of this verse is raised in François Petit, O. Praem., La spiritualité des prémontrés au XIIe et XIIIe siècles (Paris: Vrin, 1947).
Measure | Voice | Source | Category | Comment | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I-Mfd1 | rubrics and verbal directions | no ‘loco’ rubric | |||
I-Mfd1 | designation of voices | –, Contra Altus, Tenor primus, Tenor secundus, Contra bassus | |||
I-Mfd3 | designation of voices | –, Altus, Tenor primus, Tenor secundus, Bassus | |||
I-Mfd1; I-Mfd3 | clefs | original clefs: c1, c4, c4, c4, f4 | |||
2-6 | 5 | I-Mfd1 | text underlay | verbi summi missing | |
4 | 2 | I-Mfd3 | accidentals | b without flat | |
4-6 | 2 | I-Mfd1 | text underlay | verbi summi missing | |
7 | 1 | I-Mfd1 | pitch and rhythm | a' non-dotted Sb + a' Mi instead of the dotted Sb | |
10 | 4 | I-Mfd3 | accidentals | b without flat | |
12 | 5 | I-Mfd3 | accidentals | B without flat | |
14 | 2 | I-Mfd1 | pitch and rhythm | Mi g + Sm f + Sm g instead of Sb g | |
17-19 | 5 | I-Mfd1 | text underlay | Gaude, virgo salutata missing | |
18-19 | 5 | I-Mfd1 | pitch and rhythm | F Br instead of Sb + Sb | |
20 | 2 | I-Mfd1 | coloration | f'-e' in minor color | |
20-22 | 3 | I-Mfd1 | text underlay | Gabriele nuntio missing | |
21 | 1 | I-Mfd1 | coloration | no minor color | |
22-25 | 5 | I-Mfd1 | text underlay | Gaude, mater iucundata missing | |
25-26 | I-Mfd1 | rubrics and verbal directions | ‘Verte cito’ directions at ff. 147v–148r, pointing to the conclusion of the piece on the following opening, and corresponding to the passage between mm. 25 and 26 in the edition. | ||
26 | I-Mfd1 | mensuration and proportion signs | C3, instead of 3, at the start of a new opening (ff. 148v-149r) | ||
28-31 | 2 | I-Mfd3 | text underlay | Dulcis super omnia. Gaude, caeli regina missing | |
33-35 | 5 | I-Mfd3 | text underlay | Gratia divina missing | |
34-36 | 2 | I-Mfd3 | text underlay | Gratia divina. De peccati vinculo missing | |
36-39 | 2 | I-Mfd3 | text underlay | Libera nos, o Maria missing | |
36-39 | 1 | I-Mfd1 | text underlay | Libera nos, o Maria was missing but was filled in by Gaffurius | |
36-39 | 3 | I-Mfd1 | text underlay | Hoste carne saeculo Libera nos, o Maria was missing; Gaffurius filled in the words Libera nos, o Maria | |
37 | 2 | I-Mfd1 | pitch and rhythm | the second pair of Sb a + Mi b is missing (haplography) | Show |
38-39 | I-Mfd3 | rubrics and verbal directions | ‘Verte cito’ directions at ff. 128v–129r, pointing to the conclusion of the piece on the following opening, and corresponding to the passage between mm. 38 and 39 in the edition. | ||
38 | 3 | I-Mfd1; I-Mfd3 | pitch and rhythm | Mi f + Sb e, both blackened, in I-Mfd 1; two white Mi followed by punctum divisionis in I-Mfd 3 | |
38 | 5 | I-Mfd1 | pitch and rhythm | Sb A not blackened (but with punctum divisionis inserted between the last Mi of m. 37 and the first of m. 38) | |
39 | 1 2 3 4 5 | I-Mfd1 | pitch and rhythm | the version of the ms. ends with the first note of this measure (C: Lo d'; A: Lo a [not f]; T1: Lo d; T2: Lo d [instead of rest]; B: Lo d [not a]) | |
39 | 3 | I-Mfd1 | musical symbols | final double barline missing |
Text
Edition | English translation |
---|---|
Ave, sponsa verbi summi, |
Hail, bride of the highest Word, |
Gaude, virgo salutata |
Rejoice, virgin saluted |
Gaude, mundi domina, |
Rejoice, lady of the world, |
O plena prae ceteris |
O full of divine grace |
De peccati vinculo |
From the bond of sin, |
Gaude, virgo fruens delitiis, |
Rejoice, virgin, you who enjoy delights, |
Mater dei exaudi nos, |
Hear us, Mother of God, |
Et regnare fac renatos |
And make the reborn reign, |