Alma redemptoris mater [078]

Jean de Okeghem

Full title / Other titles

AR078 1.p. Alma redemptoris mater 4 vv ; [2.p] Virgo prius 4 vv

Scores

[1] Alma redemptoris mater

Polyphonic ensemble SATB

S-G2; A-C1; T-C3; B-F3. High clefs. Entire range, B♭-g’’. Paraphrased chant (App. 1) transposed a fifth higher is relegated to A. The tessitura for all voices is generally higher than that of Ockeghem’s other motets. Textual phrases “alma redemptoris mater,” “tu quae genuisti” and “virgo prius” are for two voices. The polyphonic texture exhibits long melodic lines, equality of voices, and melismatic text setting with limited use of imitation. The 1.p. is in triple mensuration, the 2.p. in duple mensuration but concludes (“miserere”) in triple mensuration. Final C.

[2] Virgo prius

Polyphonic ensemble SATB

Description

External link:
CPDL 03097 [fourth lower] [Choral Public Domain Library]

Associated people

Jean de Okeghem - Composer

Creation place and date

No information.

Associated sources

Sung texts

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Alma redemptoris mater, quae pervia caeli porta manes
Et stella maris, succurre cadenti surgere qui curat populo:
Tu quae genuisti, natura mirante, tuum sanctum genitorem:
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore sumens illud, Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Bibliography

Modern editions

[Besseler, 1929]

Besseler, H. (éd.), 1929, Altniederländische Motetten, Kassel.
(pp. 5-9)

[Greenberg et Maynard, 1975]

Greenberg, N. et Maynard, P. (éd.), 1975, An Anthology of Early Renaissance Music, New York, NY.
(n° 9)

[Ockeghem CW3]

Ockeghem, J. et Richard Wexler With Dragan Plamenac, 1992, Collected works. Motets and chansons, Boston.
(n° 1)

[Renaissance music in facsimile 21]

Dean, J. J. (éd.), 1986, Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Cappella Sistina MS 46, New York & London.
(ff. 115v-118)

[The Motet]

Hüschen, H., 1975, The Motet, K. G. Fellerer (éd.), Cologne.
(n° 10)

References

No information.

Contributors

Harry Elzinga - Project manager ; Scientific editor

Ailin Arjmand - Collaborative work

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Alma redemptoris mater [078], in RicercarDataLab [https://ricercardatalab.cesr.univ-tours.fr/works/1242/] (accessed 22 January 2026).

Last modification: Nov. 13, 2025