Hymn "Virgo, mater Ecclesiae"
  • FKulash
    Posts: 91
    I'm looking for information about the hymn "Virgo, mater Ecclesiae", given here as the proper hymn for Vespers on the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church. ChoralWiki says three stanzas are a medieval trope on "Salve Regina". Can anyone tell me more about it, like how old it is? Where do the other four stanzas come from? What manuscripts or breviaries include it? Are there metrical versions in English?
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 508
    the solesmes monks sent it to me personally, its to go out in the next edition of the liber hymnarius, Ill see if I can find the digital file this week.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen FKulash MatthewRoth
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,908
    Interestingly it is not in 'Te Decet Hymnus, Anselmo Lentini' So may not be one of his confections (He was a great Latin Hymn writer, and is the most common author in the Liber Hymnarius. N.B. He led the committee that produced it)

    I have not found it in older 19th and 20th century books, so could well be a modern composition. I have not searched everything I have as that would take days!

    The trope can be found here, Cantus Database

    It appears that verses 1, 2, 4 and 5 are based on tropes.

    There are different versions of the Trope, one is in CH-SGs 390 Late tenth-century manuscript from the abbey of St. Gall, also known as the Winter volume of the Hartker Antiphoner. Manuscript here see bottom of page. Pg 10 of manuscript (Vespers of the Annunciation?) OR Here

    The Trope was also used in England here is a Transcription
    Source: 11th century, ascribed to Adhemar, Bishop of Puy,
    this version from the Processionale ad Usum Sarum, 1502
    Thanked by 4DCM CHGiffen FKulash Roborgelmeister
  • DCM
    Posts: 86
    The recent Divine Office hymnal, which contains a blank verse translation of the text, notes it as "based on a 15th century trope on the Salve Regina, emended by the CDW, 2018," with no editor otherwise named. It's not exactly modern but it is a new adaptation for the new memorial.

    The melody is that of O gloriosa domina. Go to https://www.ibreviary.com/m/breviario.php, set the date to June 9, 2025 and select Evening Prayer to see the aforesaid translation (suggested hymn tune is Hereford).
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen FKulash
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 508
    see my discussion from a few years back the document I attach has the hymn notated in it. https://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/18884/memorial-mater-ecclesiae#Item_4
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen DCM
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,210
    @DCM that is the Marian tone; unless it has a proper melody (like Ave Maris Stella) everything in the same meter uses that tone for Marian feast days, in the preconciliar office, and it looks like the CDW and Solesmes made it happen for this feast, although really? They couldn’t make the last verse fit the meter? They also couldn’t find a way to make the doxology proper by using Gloria tibi Domine. But you can just use Ave Maris Stella, as is meet and just.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • DCM
    Posts: 86
    This doxology is used because it maintains the hymn's address to Mary rather than switching to the Trinity, adapted from the doxology used in similarly addressed office hymns of the same meter (Patri sit et Paraclito/ tuoque Nato gloria,/ qui veste te mirabili/ circumdederunt gratiae). I like it this way because it has a nice poetic effect, unifying the doxology with the text rather than treating it as an unrelated appendix.

    I don't like elisions either but there is only one, fairly smooth imo. Ave maris stella also has one.
    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,210
    well, it’s bizarre.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
Add a Comment