MCE 05-07 O virginum praeclara

Edition

Motet

I-Sc K.I.2, ff. 108v–110r

The two sources contain some different readings, which point to distinct lines of transmission. The Siena manuscript I-Sc K.I.2 shows several rhythmic variants (substitutions) and a few melodic divergences and errors, besides ornamental passing notes. The passage on ‘Intrent ut astra’ displays a different alternation between b and f′. Since an error occurred (a missing minima), it is not clear what the passage originally looked like. At the end of the Siena manuscript two additional semibreves in c.o.p. ligature are notated which are absent in the Milanese version. Some e flats are notated in Siena and not in the Milanese source. On the other hand, in Siena several ligatures are missing. The section in coloration is rendered in Siena though the proportion sign 3/2. Concerning the text underlay, Siena includes the verses ‘Quod Eva tristis abstulit’ and ‘Intacta nesciens’ that are missing in I-Mfd 1.

On the whole the Milanese Librone presents a more correct musical text, even if it is not reliable in the same way with regard to the text underlay. One wonders whether Scribe A copied from a source with incomplete or unclear text, or if he himself is responsible for the problematic text underlay.

The edition is based on the Milanese source with supplements in the text that restore the form of the poem and correspond to the readings of the Siena manuscript.

Text (ed. by Eva Ferro)

Edition	Translation
O virginum praeclara, Maria sanctissima, ⟨genuisti⟩ tuum factorem et^[1] redemptorem saeculi.	O renowned virgin, holiest Mary, you gave birth to your maker, redeemer of the ages.
O gloriosa domina, Excelsa supra^[2] sidera^[i], Qui te creavit provide Lactasti sacro ubere.	O glorious lady, excelling the stars, He who created you with providence, you fed with your holy breast.
Quod Eva tristis abstulit^[3], Tu reddis^[ii] almo germine, Intrent ut astra flebiles Caeli fenestra facta^[iii] es.	What wicked Eve took away, you return by a restoring offspring, so that the bewailable ones should enter the stars you were made the heaven’s window.
Tu regis alti ianua Et porta lucis fulgida. Vitam datam per virginem, Gentes redemptae, plaudite^[4].	You door of the high king and shining gate of light. Redeemed people, applaud the life given by a virgin.
Domus pudici pectoris^[5] Templum repente fit dei^[6], Intacta^[iv] nesciens virum^[7] Verbo concepit^[v] filium, Iesum Christum.	The house of a modest breast became suddenly the temple of God, untouched, unknowing any man, she conceived a son, Jesus Christ, through the word.

^[1] et] missing in Librone 1, C A T B

^[2] supra] super in I-Sc K.I.2, T B

^[3] quod Eva tristis abstulit] missing in Librone 1, A T B

^[4] plaudite] paudite Librone 1, B

^[5] pectoris] peccatoris Librone 1, A B

^[6] fit dei] fidei Librone 1, C A T B

^[7] intacta nesciens virum] missing in Librone 1, T B

^[i] sidera] sydera I-Sc K.I.2, B

^[ii] reddis] redis Librone 1, C A T B; I-Sc K.I.2, A T

^[iii] facta] fatta I-Sc K.I.2, C

^[iv] intacta] intatta I-Sc K.I.2, T

^[v] concepit] cumcepit Librone 1, A

The edition of this text is based on two sources, namely Librone 1 (ff. 132v–133r) and I-Sc K.I.2 (ff. 108v–110r), a paper manuscript written for the cathedral of Siena, containing a miscellany of music for religious occasions, which was copied in an orderly fashion following the genre: psalms, hymns, Magnificats, motets, and masses.^[1] In I-Sc K.I.2 the only mistake is the evident absence of a conjugated verb in the first strophe; the text in Librone 1, instead, among other errors, also misses two whole lines (‘Quod Eva tristis abstulit’ and ‘Intacta nesciens virum’) that were restored in this edition.

The text of the motet combines two hymns: stanzas 2–4 are a continuation of Venantius Fortunatus’s Marian hymn Quem terra, pontus, aethera (AH 50, no. 72, pp. 86–87, stanzas 6–8). The last stanza is instead drawn from Sedulius’s hymn A solis ortus cardine (AH 50, no. 53/2, pp. 58–60, stanza 4). Concerning the initial text, no source has yet been identified; ‘genuisti’ has been added to give meaning to the sentence.

Librone 1, ff. 132v–133r (integrated with I-Sc K.I.2)	Text sources
O virginum praeclara, Maria sanctissima, ⟨genuisti⟩ tuum factorem et redemptorem saeculi.
	AH 50, no. 72
O gloriosa domina, Excelsa supra sidera, Qui te creavit provide Lactasti sacro ubere.	6. O gloriosa femina, Excelsa super sidera, Qui te creavit provide Lactas sacrato ubere
Quod Eva tristis abstulit, Tu reddis almo germine, Intrent ut astra flebiles Caeli fenestra facta es.	7. Quod Eva tristis abstulit, Tu reddis almo germine, Intrent ut astra flebiles, Caeli fenestra facta es.
Tu regis alti ianua Et porta lucis fulgida. Vitam datam per virginem, Gentes redemptae, plaudite.	8. Tu regis alti ianua Et porta lucis fulgida; Vitam datam per virginem, Gentes redemptae, plaudite.
	AH 50, no. 53/2
Domus pudici pectoris Templum repente fit dei, Intacta nesciens virum Verbo concepit filium, Iesum Christum.	4. Domus pudici pectoris Templum repente fit dei, Intacta nesciens virum Verbo creavit filium.

^[1] See Timothy J. Dickey, ‘Rethinking the Siena Choirbook: A New Date and Implications for Its Musical Contents’, Early Music History 24 (2005), 1–52, at 3. The manuscript has been recently newly described and dated. See http://www.proms.ac.uk/object_part/350/

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Measure	Voice	Source	Category	Comment
		I-Mfd1	designation of voices	-, Contra Altus, Tenor, Contra bassus
		I-Sc_K.I.2	designation of voices	missing
		I-Mfd1; I-Sc_K.I.2	clefs	original clefs: c1, c3, c4, f2
1-2	1 3 4	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhythm	Br instead of Lo
1-3	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhythm	Lo instead of dotted Lo
3	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	ligatures	no lig.
4	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	accidentals	e-flat
5	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	ligatures	no lig.
6	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhythm	Sm a' and Sm g' instead of Mi a'
6	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	ligatures	no lig.
7	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhythm	Mi c' Sb c' instead of dotted Sb c'
7	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	accidentals	e-flat
8	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	ligatures	no lig.
10	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Mi d' Sm c' Sm b instead of dotted Mi d' and Sm c'
12	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	accidentals	e'-flat
12	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb f' instead of dotted Mi f' and Sm e'
12-14	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Lo d' + Mi d' instead of Sb d' + Br d' + Sb d'
13-14	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	ligatures	no lig.
13-14	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Lo G instead of Br G and Br g
16	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	accidentals	e-flat
17	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	dotted Sb a and Mi g instead of Br a
18	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	dotted Sb d' Mi c' Mi b instead of Br
18	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	ligatures	no lig.
20-21	3	I-Mfd1	pitch and rhythm	Mi g + Mi g instead of Sb g (tie is editorial)
20-21	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb g instead of two Mi g
24	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	coloration	minor color instead of dotted Mi g and Sm a
25-26	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	coloration	minor color instead of dotted Mi b and Sm a
25-26	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	coloration	minor color instead of dotted Mi g and Sm f
26	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sm e and Sm d instead of Mi e and d
28-29	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	ligatures	lig. between b and d'
28-30	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	dotted Lo instead of Br and 4 Sb
29	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	coloration	minor color instead of dotted Mi b' and Sm a'
30-31	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	ligatures	lig. between d' and e'
31-32	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb and Br instead of dotted Br
32-33	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	dotted Sb g + Sm f' + Sm e' + Sb f' instead of Br g' + Sb f'
33-34	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Lo d'
41-44	2	I-Mfd1	text underlay	Qui te creavit provide
43	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Mi and Sb instead of Br and Mi
43	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	coloration	minor color instead of dotted Mi d' and Sm c'
43	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb a instead of Mi a and Mi a
44-46	2 3 4	I-Sc_K.I.2	text underlay	Quod Eva tristis abstulit is written out in the ms.
44-48	2	I-Mfd1	text underlay	Lactasti sacro ubere Tu reddis almo germine
48	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb b instead of Sm b
48-49	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	coloration	minor color instead of dotted Mi g' and Sm f'
48-51	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	text underlay	the repetition of germine is written out in the ms.
49	2 3 4	I-Sc_K.I.2	coloration	minor color instead of the dotted Mi and Sm
49-50	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	dotted Mi c' + Sm b + Sm a + Sm g + Sb a instead of Sb a + Mi d' + dotted Sb a (missing notes)
52-53	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Mi b + Mi b + Mi b + Mi f + Mi f' + Mi f' + Mi f' + Mi d' instead of Mi b + Mi f + Mi f' + Mi f' + Mi f' + Mi d' + Mi f' + Mi f'
54	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Mi a is missing
62-76	1 2 3 4	I-Sc_K.I.2	mensuration and proportion signs	3/2 instead of coloration
64-65	1 3 4	I-Sc_K.I.2	text underlay	the repetition of per virginem is written out in the ms.
65	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sm c instead of Sm e
67	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb b + Mi g instead of dotted Mi b + Sm a + Mi g
71	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb rest; first Mi is missing
71	4	I-Mfd1; I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	first Mi d is missing
71-73	3 4	I-Mfd1	text underlay	Templum repente fidei
71-73	3 4	I-Sc_K.I.2	text underlay	Intacta nesciens virum is written out in the ms.
72	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Mi c and Mi d instead of Sb c
75-76	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	text underlay	Iesum (Ihesum) is repeated
76	2	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb Mi instead of dotted Sb
76	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sm c instead of Sm e
76	1	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb g' and Sb f' in lig (additional notes) + Mx g'
76	3	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb g and Sb a in lig. (additional notes) + Lo g
76	1 2 3 4	I-Mfd1	pitch and rhytm	all final notes are Mx
76	4	I-Sc_K.I.2	pitch and rhytm	Sb G and Sb d in lig. (additional notes) + Lo G
76	1 3 4	I-Sc_K.I.2	musical symbols	fermatas above the second Sb of the lig. and above the final notes in C and A

Edition	Translation
O virginum praeclara, Maria sanctissima, ⟨genuisti⟩ tuum factorem et redemptorem saeculi.	O renowned virgin, holiest Mary, you gave birth to your maker, redeemer of the ages.
O gloriosa domina, Excelsa supra sidera, Qui te creavit provide Lactasti sacro ubere.	O glorious lady, excelling the stars, He who created you with providence, you fed with your holy breast.
Quod Eva tristis abstulit, Tu reddis almo germine, Intrent ut astra flebiles Caeli fenestra facta es.	What wicked Eve took away, you return by a restoring offspring, so that the bewailable ones should enter the stars you were made the heaven’s window.
Tu regis alti ianua Et porta lucis fulgida. Vitam datam per virginem, Gentes redemptae, plaudite.	You door of the high king and shining gate of light. Redeemed people, applaud the life given by a virgin.
Domus pudici pectoris Templum repente fit dei, Intacta nesciens virum Verbo concepit filium, Iesum Christum.	The house of a modest breast became suddenly the temple of God, untouched, unknowing any man, she conceived a son, Jesus Christ, through the word.

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