MCE 06-04 O pulcherrima mulierum

Edition

Motet

See the general ‘Evaluation of the sourcesʼ at the level of the cycle.

Text (ed. by Eva Ferro)

Edition

English translation

O pulcherrima[i] mulierum, qualis est dilectus tuus ex dilecto tuo, quia sic[1] adiurasti nos[2]?

O thou most beautiful among women, what manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, that thou has so adjured us?

Dilectus meus candidus et rubicundus[3][ii], electus[iii] ex milibus.

My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands.

Labia illius stillantia mirram[iv] primam.

His lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrh.

Guttur illius consuavissimus[4] et[5] totus desiderabilis.

His throat is most sweet, and he is all lovely.

Talis est dilectus meus et ipse amicus meus, filiae Ierusalem.

Such is my beloved, and he is my friend, o ye daughters of Jerusalem.


[1] sic] in Librone 1, T sic looks like siq but this is because the vertical line, that the copyist usually adds to separate words that are near to each other, was written with dark ink and could be mistaken for the vertical stroke of the letter q.

[2] nos] Librone [4], T wrote no

[3] rubicundus] Librone [4], C wrote rubicudus

[4] consuavissimus] all voices in Librone [4] have suavissimum

[5] et] Librone [4], C T B wrote est


[i] pulcherrima] pulcerrima Librone 1, C A T B; pulcerrima Librone [4], T B; C A no longer visible

[ii] rubicundus] rubicondus Librone [4], A

[iii] electus] ellectus Librone 1, A

[iv] mirram] miram Librone 1, T B; miram Librone [4], C A T B

This edition is based on Librone 1, ff. 137v–138r, where the text was written by Scribe A, and on Librone [4], ff. 134v–135r, where Scribe J was at work. Librone [4] transmits some textual variants and mistakes, for instance the choice of ‘suavissimum’ (as in the Vulgate) in all voices instead of consuavissimum as in Librone 1, the incomplete ‘no’ in the T (instead of nos) and the wrong ‘est’ in C T B (instead of et).
The text draws from Song of Songs 5: 9–10, 13, and 16, and, as previously noted,[1] some parts of it can be found in the liturgies for Nativity and Assumption (see CAO 3, nos. 2227 and 5098). Thus, it fits into the context of Marian devotion of the whole cycle.


[1] Nolan Ira Gasser, ‘The Marian Motet Cycles of the Gaffurius Codices: A Musical and Liturgico-Devotional Study’ (Ph.D. diss., Stanford University, 2001), 288.

Engraved by Verovio 2.2.0-dev-151d39f Cantus Altus Tenor Bassus O O O O 1-6 3 3 pul pul 6 6-8 C A T B 7 cher cher ri ma ri ma pul pul 8-13 cher cher ri ma ri ma 10 mu li e mu li qua rum, e rum, C A T B 13 qua lis est qua qua lis est di lec tus lis est lis est di lec tu di lec tus di lec tus tu us ex tu us tus tu us ex di di lec ex di us ex lec to to tu lec to tu di lec to C A T B 19 tu o, o, qui o, qui tu o , a sic a ad iu sic ad iu ras ras ti nos? ti nos? Di lec tus Di lec tus Di lec tus Di lec tus C A T B 25 me us can me me us can me us can us can di dus di dus di dus di dus et ru bi et ru bi et ru bi et ru bi cun cun cun cun dus, dus, dus, dus, e lec e C A T B 32 tus ex lec tus mi ex mi li li La bus, bus. bi mi li La a il C A T B 38 bus . bi a il stil li lan us stil li ti stil lan us stil lan a, stil lan ti ti lan ti ti a C A T B 44 a mir a a mir mir ram pri mi ram pri ram pri ram pri mam. mam. mam. Gut Gut tur il li mam. Gut Gut tur il tur il li us us con tur il li us li us C A T B 50 con su su a con su con su a vis vis a vis a vis si si si si mus et to tus mus et to tus mus et to tus mus et to tus de si de ra bi de si de ra bi de si de ra bi de si de ra bi C A T B 55 lis. lis. Ta lis lis. Ta lis lis. Ta lis Ta lis est di est di lec est di lec est lec tus me tus me tus me me us et ip se us et ip us et us et ip se C A T B 59 a mi se a mi ip se a a mi cus me cus me mi cus me cus me us, us, fi li us, fi us, fi li ae Ie li ae fi li ae ae Ie C A T B 63 ru Ie ru Ie ru ru sa lem. sa lem. sa lem. sa lem. 13-23 15 16-17 17-20 21 22-23 23 24-27 28-30 28-31 29 33 36 36 39-44 41-42 44 44-47 45-46 45-46 48 49-53 50-53 50-56 55 55 57-58 58 65 MCE 06-04 O pulcherrima mulierum Gaspar van Weerbeke
Measure Voice Source Category Comment Image
I-Mfd1 designation of voices –, Contra Altus, Tenor, Contra bassus
I-Mfd4 designation of voices –, Altus, Tenor, Bassus
I-Mfd1; I-Mfd4 clefs original clefs: g2, c2, c3, c4
1-6 2 3 4 I-Mfd4 text underlay O pulcherrima (passage no longer visible in the C)
3 4 I-Mfd1; I-Mfd4 accidentals flat not explicitely indicated before the Mi and the dotted Mi e
3 4 I-Mfd4 musical symbols ‘3’ under the blackened Sb e
6 2 I-Mfd1; I-Mfd4 pitch and rhythm d' Br instead of Sb
6-8 2 I-Mfd4 text underlay mulierum
8-13 3 4 I-Mfd4 text underlay mulierum
10 4 I-Mfd4 coloration no minor color
13-23 3 I-Mfd4 text underlay Qualis...tuo
15 2 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm the tie is editorial (passage no longer visible in I-Mfd [4])
16-17 1 I-Mfd1 text underlay tuus missing (passage no longer visible in I-Mfd [4])
17-20 4 I-Mfd4 text underlay ex dilecto tuo missing
21 3 I-Mfd4 coloration no minor color
22-23 2 I-Mfd4 ligatures no lig. between a' and g'
23 2 I-Mfd4 text underlay nos missing
24-27 3 4 I-Mfd4 text underlay Quia...adiurasti
28-30 4 I-Mfd4 text underlay nos
28-31 3 I-Mfd4 text underlay no[s]; Dilectus…rubicundus missing
29 2 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm Mi d' erased and replaced with a Sb f' Show
33 1 I-Mfd4 coloration no minor color
36 4 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm the tie is editorial
36 4 I-Mfd4 pitch and rhythm b dotted Sb instead of Sb+Mi
39-44 3 I-Mfd4 text underlay Labia...stillantia
41-42 4 I-Mfd4 ligatures lig. between d and g
44 1 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm Sb g' was probably Mi (emended by erasing the stem); Sb d'' erased and replaced by Mi b' with a round shape Show
44-47 3 I-Mfd4 text underlay primam
45-46 1 I-Mfd4 ligatures no lig. between b' and a'
45-46 3 I-Mfd4 ligatures no lig. between d' and c'
48 3 I-Mfd4 text underlay guttur
49-53 2 I-Mfd4 text underlay suavissimus (instead of consuavissimus)
50-53 1 3 4 I-Mfd4 text underlay suavissimus (instead of consuavissimus)
50-56 4 I-Mfd1 text underlay consuavissimus...Talis est missing
55 3 I-Mfd4 pitch and rhythm d' Sb+Mi instead of dotted Sb
55 4 I-Mfd1; I-Mfd4 pitch and rhythm the tie is editorial
57-58 4 I-Mfd4 text underlay meus missing
58 4 I-Mfd4 pitch and rhythm d perfect Sb instead of Sb+Mi
65 1 2 3 4 I-Mfd1 pitch and rhythm last note Mx instead of Lo
Text
Edition English translation

O pulcherrima mulierum, qualis est dilectus tuus ex dilecto tuo, quia sic adiurasti nos?

O thou most beautiful among women, what manner of one is thy beloved of the beloved, that thou has so adjured us?

Dilectus meus candidus et rubicundus, electus ex milibus.

My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands.

Labia illius stillantia mirram primam.

His lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrh.

Guttur illius consuavissimus et totus desiderabilis.

His throat is most sweet, and he is all lovely.

Talis est dilectus meus et ipse amicus meus, filiae Ierusalem.

Such is my beloved, and he is my friend, o ye daughters of Jerusalem.

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