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Medieval Music Database

Tuba sacre fidei; In arboris; Virgo sum

Three-voice motet by Philippe de Vitry

Sources

Ivrea: Biblioteca Capitolare 115, fol. 15v-16 (3/2);
Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, fonds nouv. acq. français 23190 (olim Serrant Château, ducs de la Trémoïlle), fol. 33v-34 (lost).

Facsimiles

1. BESSELER, Heinrich and Peter GÜLKE. Schriftbild der mehrstimmigen Musik, Leipzig: Deutscher Verlag für Musik, 1973. Musikgeschichte in Bildern, vol. 3, part 5, nos. 19a,b.
2. HOPPIN, Richard H. Medieval Music, New York: W. W. Norton, 1978, p. 369 (Triplum and Tenor).

Editions

1. BESSELER, Heinrich. 'Studien zur Musik des Mittelalters. II. Die Motette von Franko von Köln bis Philippe von Vitry', Archiv für Musikwissenschaft, VIII (1926), p. 245.
2. Scelta di musiche per lo studio della storia, edited by Andrea Corte, 2nd edition, Milan: Ricordi, 1939, no. 29.
3. JOHNSON, Mildred. The 37 Motets of the Codex Ivrea. Vol. I: Commentary, Vol. II: Transcriptions, Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University: 1955, no. 16.
4. The Roman de Fauvel; The Works of Philippe de Vitry; French Cycles of the Ordinarium Missae, edited by Leo Schrade, Monaco: Editions de L'Oiseau-Lyre, 1956. Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century I, p. 88.
5. Anthology of Music, edited by K. G. Fellerer, 47 vols., Cologne: Arno Volk Verlag, 1959ff. [German edition as Das Musikwerk], Vol. XLVII, p. 29 [R PMFC].
6. Die Motette, edited by Heinrich Hüschen, Cologne: Arno Volk Verlag, 1975. Das Musikwerk XLVII, no. 5.
7. PHILLIPS, Elizabeth V. and John-Paul Christopher JACKSON. Performing Medieval and Renaissance Music: an Introductory Guide, Schirmer Books:New York, 1986, p. 111 [R PMFC].

Text Editions

BLACHLY, Alexander. The Motets of Philippe de Vitry, Columbia University (M.A. thesis), p. 114.

Literature

1. BESSELER, Heinrich. 'Studien zur Musik des Mittelalters. II. Die Motette von Franko von Köln bis Philippe von Vitry', Archiv für Musikwissenschaft, VIII (1926): 137-258.
2. BESSELER, Heinrich. Die Musik des Mittelalters und der Renaissance, Potsdam: Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft Athenaion, 1931, pp. 128-129.
3. ZWICK, Gabriel. 'Deux motets inédits de Philippe de Vitry et de Guillaume de Machaut', Revue de musicologie, XXVII (1948), p. 33.
4. Missa Tornacensis, edited by Charles van den Borren, [n.p.]: American Institute of Muscicology, 1957. Corpus Mensurabilis Musicae 13, p. VIII.
5. SANDERS, Ernest H. 'The early motets of Philippe de Vitry', Journal of the American Musicological Society, XXVIII (1975): 24-45.
6. BESSELER, Heinrich and Peter GÜLKE. Schriftbild der mehrstimmigen Musik, Leipzig: Deutscher Verlag für Musik, 1973. Musikgeschichte in Bildern, vol. 3, part 5, pp. 58-59.
7. GÜNTHER, Ursula. 'Sinnbezüge zwischen Text und Musik in Ars nova und Ars subtilior', Musik und Text in der Mehrstimmigkeit des 14. und 15. Jahrhunderts, edited by U. Günther and L. Finscher, Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1984, p. 267.
8. PHILLIPS, Elizabeth V. and John-Paul Christopher JACKSON. Performing Medieval and Renaissance Music: an Introductory Guide, Schirmer Books:New York, 1986, pp. 110-117.

Recordings

1. The Ars Nova: Vocal Music of 14-Century France and Italy, Capella Cordina, directed by Alejandro Planchart (1966): Expériences Anonymes EA/EAS 83.
2. Missa Tournai um 1330. Motetten um 1320, Capella Antiqua München, directed by Konrad Ruhland (1967): Telefunken AW6 41231 (SAWT 9517) (GER).
3. Philippe de Vitry 1291-1361, Benjamin Bagby and Barbara Thornton, Sequentia (1991): RD 77 095.
4. Philippe de Vitry and the Ars Nova, Robert Hare-Jones (CT), Charles Daniels (T), Angus Smith (T), Donald Greig (Bar), Orlando Consort (1991): CD-SAR 49.

Text

TRIPLUM
Tuba sacre fidei
proprie dicta dei
preco arconorum
in theatris clamitat
quod racio hesitat
basis peccatorum
fatendum simpliciter
credendumque firmiter
morive necesse
deum unum in tribus
personis equalibus
et tres unam esse
virginem non semine
viri set spiramine
verbi concepisse
ipsam seper virginem
deum atque hominum
mundo perperisse
sed transnaturalia
ista cum sint omnia
credentibus vita
necis negligentibus
nature quod gressibus
ratio potita
in premissis dubium
gignat et aururium
igitur nitetur
et fides per quam via
apud archana dia
clarior habetur
semper imitetur.


MOTETUS
In arboris empiro prospere
virginitas sedet puerpere
mediatrix fides in medio
cum stipite cecata ratio
insecuta septem sororibus
sophismata sua foventibus
hec ut scandat dum magis nititur
debilitas ramorum frangitur
petat ergo fidei dexteram
vel eternam nitetur perperam.


TENOR
Virgo sum.

Translation

TRIPLUM
The trumpet of holy faith.
God's own statements.
herald of mysteries.
sounds forth to the audiences
that Reason.
the root of sin, wavers.
One must die
confessing more simply.
believing more firmly
in a God
in three equal persons.
and three in one.
And in a virgin
conceiving not by the seed of man.
but by the spirit of the Word.
she remaining a virgin;
and in a God and man
born to the world.
But whereas all these
transcendental things
are the life of the believing.
who are able
to be negligent of death.
reason.
acquired in nature by steps.
produces doubts at the beginning.
and guesswork as it proceeds.
Thus faith.
through which we can have
a clearer road to the beyond.
should always be followed.


MOTETUS
At the top of the tree
virginity sits pleasantly, bearing a child.
At the middle is mediating faith.
while at the foot, blind reason.
followed by her seven sisters (the liberal arts)
dwelling on their sophistries.
tries to climb in order to shine more brightly.
but the weakness of the branches (causes her)
to be dashed to the ground.
Thus either she asks for the hand of faith.
or strives eternally in vain.


TENOR


Text revision and translation © EA 83; Phillips & Jackson 86# 117; Blach



Content Approved by: MMDB Director
Last updated: Wednesday, 19 March 2003


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