MCE 04-02 Salve decus virginum : Tu convallis humilis
Motet
Incipit of stanza 1a of the sequence Salve mater salvatoris loosely quoted in C and T (opening):
1--g--g--h--g--k--kjh---j--j---4
See the Introduction.
Text (ed. by Eva Ferro)
Edition |
Translation |
Salve, decus virginum, |
Hail, splendour of virgins, |
Myrtus[1] temperantiae[2], |
Myrtle of temperance, |
Porta clausa, fons hortorum[i], |
Closed gate, spring of the gardens, |
Cinnamomi[iv] calamum[4], |
Surpassing a branch of cinnamon, |
Tu convallis humilis, |
You humble valley, |
Flos campi, convallium[vii] |
Flower of the field, |
Tu caelestis paradisus |
You, heavenly paradise |
Tu candoris et decoris, |
The plentifulness of brightness and beauty, |
[1] myrtus] virtus Librone 1, T B; mirtus A
[2] temperantiae] teperantie Librone 1, C
[3] odorifera] odrifera Librone 1, A
[4] calamum] talamun Librone 1, A
[5] Libanusque] libanuque Librone 1, C
[6] plenitudinem] pleni plenitudinem Librone 1, B
[i] hortorum] ortorum Librone 1, C A T B
[ii] cella] cela Librone 1, C A T B
[iii] cella] cela Librone 1, C A T B
[iv] cinnamomi] cynamomi Librone 1, T; cinamomi Librone 1, A B
[v] murram] mirram Librone 1, C A T B
[vi] tus] thus Librone 1, C A T B
[vii] convallium] conualium Librone 1, T
This edition is based on Librone 1, ff. 85v–87r, where the text was written by Scribe B, like all other motets of this cycle.
The text presents quite a few mistakes and orthographical variants. Apart from some missing letters (‘odrifera’ for odorifera in A, ‘libanuque’ for Libanusque in C) and abbreviation signs (‘teperantie’ for temperantie in A), the scribe also wrongly copied the word ‘virtus’ instead of the correct myrtus in B. As for the orthography of the text, in many places the spelling reflects the particular phonetic aspect of the words, for instance the constant omission of double consonants, as in ‘cela’ for cella (in all voices) or ‘cinamomi’ for cinnamomi (in A and B).
All verses of the motet were drawn from the same sequence of Adam of Saint-Victor (AH 54, no. 245, pp. 383–86) from which the first motet of the cycle was taken. Verse form and rhythm are thus the same.
In this part of the sequence (verses 5–12 in AH) the usual topic of Marian devotion is expressed through several different images that can be divided into two main topics referring to two sensorial aspects: smell and vision. Mary is likened not only to different sweet-smelling plants and flowers (myrtle, rose, lily) but also praised as ‘fragrant spikenard’, ‘chamber of healing ointments’ that surpasses the fragrance of ‘a branch of cinnamon, myrrh, incense, and balsam’, and as ‘frankincense that emanates sweetness’. Her beauty is thematized in the last verse, in which her fragrance is again mentioned (‘The plentifulness of brightness and beauty, / of sweetness and fragrance, / you possess’).
Measure | Voice | Source | Category | Comment | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I-Mfd1 | rubrics and verbal directions | ‘F. G.’ added later by Gaffurius | |||
I-Mfd1 | designation of voices | –, Contra acutus, Tenor, Contra gravis | |||
I-Mfd1 | clefs | original clefs: c1, c3, c4, c4 | |||
53-54 | 2 | I-Mfd1 | rubrics and verbal directions | ‘Verte folium’ direction at f. 85v, pointing to the second part of the piece on the following opening, and corresponding to the passage between mm. 53 and 54 in the edition | |
62 | 4 | I-Mfd1 | pitch and rhythm | Sb e instead of f | |
99 | 2 | I-Mfd1 | pitch and rhythm | one more Sb d’ at the end of the bar, with a thin stroke in the middle that maybe indicates its deletion | Show |
Text
Edition | Translation |
---|---|
Salve, decus virginum, |
Hail, splendour of virgins, |
Myrtus temperantiae, |
Myrtle of temperance, |
Porta clausa, fons hortorum, |
Closed gate, spring of the gardens, |
Cinnamomi calamum, |
Surpassing a branch of cinnamon, |
Tu convallis humilis, |
You humble valley, |
Flos campi, convallium |
Flower of the field, |
Tu caelestis paradisus |
You, heavenly paradise |
Tu candoris et decoris, |
The plentifulness of brightness and beauty, |