This edition was prepared by Andreas Stenberg — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Alvus tumescit virginis
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
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Alvus tumescit virginis by Thomas Stoltzer — Lyrics
1. Veni, Redemptor gentium;
Ostende partum virginis;
Miretur omne saeculum.
Talis decet partus Deo.
2. Non ex virili semine,
Sed mystico spiramine
Verbum Dei factum est caro,
Fructusque ventris floruit.
3. Alvus tumescit virginis.
Claustr(um)/(a) pudoris permane(n)t;
Vexilla virtutum micant,
Versatur in templo Deus.
4. Procedat e thalamo suo,
Pudoris aula regia,
Geminae gigans substantiae
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About Alvus tumescit virginis
This motet for SATTB voices sets a Latin text that is a Christmas hymn, dating from the 4th century. It meditates on the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth and the divine nature of Christ. The text opens with an invocation to the Redeemer, marvelling at the birth from a virgin and the wonder of the event. It continues to describe how the Word of God became flesh, not through human agency but by divine inspiration, and that the fruit of the virgin's womb has blossomed. The polyphony of Thomas Stoltzer would have been heard in the context of sacred music in the Renaissance.
