M066 O admirabile commercium

Standardised text incipit: 
O admirabile commercium
Standardised composer: 
Compère, Loyset
Attribution notes: 
"Loyset" (I-Mfd 1, index; as part of C17)
In cycle(s): 
C17 Hodie nobis de virgine
Reference source: 
I-Mfd 1, ff. 178v-179r
Number of voices: 
4
Mensuration: 


Length: 
37
Signature: 
b
Clefs: 
c1c3c4f4
Final: 
G
Music incipit: 
ggfabcbg
gbcdfedc
ggaabbag
gfedfedb
Pre-existing melodies (Cantus prius facti): 

This motet possibly quotes pre-existing material, but it can not be linked to any Cantus prius factus with a corresponding text.

Modern editions: 
AMMM 13, 70-73; CMM 15.2; MCE 1.8
GCO Catalogue: 
[I.136]
Literature: 
FINSCHER 1964
Discography: 

Loyset Compère: Mass, Motets, Songs, Orlando Consort, Metronome 1002

Further notes: 

M101 O admirabile commercium is not a concordance.

Text details

Tags: 
Mixed prose and verse
Composite text
To/about Jesus
About Christmas
Standardised text incipit: 
O admirabile commercium
Liturgical/devotional association: 
Christmas; Christmastide
Full text: 

O admirabile commercium humani generis creator hodie ex virgine nasci dignatus est. Christus natus est nobis per quem salus aeterna mundo apparuit. 

Beatus auctor saeculi 
Servile corpus induit 
Ut carne carnem liberans 
Ne perderet quos condidit.

English translation: 

O wonderful exchange! The creator of the human race today deigned to be born of a Virgin. Christ was born for us, through whom eternal salvation appeared to the world.

The blessed creator of the ages wore a servile body, so that freeing flesh through [his] flesh, he does not lose those who he founded.

 

Correspondences in standard ref works: 

O admirabile ... apparuit: compare the following items, in which the segments corresponding to our text are underlined:

Antiphon at Lauds for the Octave of Christmas (also used in the Little Office of the BVM during Christmastide), Cantus ID 003985
O admirabile commercium creator generis humani animatum corpus sumens de virgine nasci dignatus est et procedens homo sine semine largitus est nobis suam deitatem.

Invitatory for Christmas, Cantus ID 001055
Christus natus est nobis venite adoremus

Responsory for Christmas, Cantus ID 006858
Hodie nobis caelorum rex de virgine nasci dignatus est ut hominem perditum ad regna caelestia revocaret gaudet exercitus angelorum quia salus aeterna humano generi apparuit.

Antiphon for the Epiphany, Cantus ID 004682
Salus eterna mundo apparuit ut hominem perditum ad celestia revocaret.
 

Beatus ... condidit = Hymn at Lauds for Christmas A solis ortus cardine, Cantus ID 008248, st. 2

Related texts in other sources: 

I-Mfd 3, ff. 168v-169r, O admirabile commercium (anon.) (= M085, T085)

I-Mfd [4], ff. 65v-66r, O admirabile commercium (L. Compère) (= M101, T101)

T066 O admirabile commercium

Music incipit (MEI): 
File M066OAdmirabileCommercium.xml

Sources with this motet

Displaying 1 - 1 of 1
Source Motet incipit Attribution Rubric Cycle / Text
I-Mfd 1
178v-179r 		O admirabile commercium
ID: M066 		Loyset (index; as part of C17)
Compère, Loyset 		loco deo gratias C17 Hodie nobis de virgine
T066 O admirabile commercium