O gloriosa Domina

General information

The second half of Quem terra pontus, attributed to Venantius Fortunatus and used as the Office Hymn at Lauds of the BVM. The 1632 revision begins "O gloriosa Virginum".

Notes on selected settings

Jacques Arcadelt a 4
Giovanni Croce SATB (v. 1 only)
Nicolas Gombert: O gloriosa domina dei genitrix a 4

Orlando di Lasso (?)
Willaert a 6

Settings by composers (automatically updated)

William Byrd — O gloriosa Domina Latin ATT
Giovanni Croce — O gloriosa Domina Latin SATB
Heinrich Finck — Quod Eve tristis abstulit Latin SATB
Andrea Gabrieli — O gloriosa Domina a 6 Latin ATTTBB
Mariano Garau — O gloriosa Domina Latin SATB
Tiburtio Massaino — O gloriosa Domina Latin SATB.SATB
Jacobus Vaet — O gloriosa domina Latin SSAATTBB
Franciszek Walczyński — O gloriosa Domina Latin SSA

Text and translations

Latin text

O gloriosa Domina
excelsa super sidera,
qui te creavit provide,
lactasti sacro ubere.

Quod Eva tristis abstulit,
tu reddis almo germine;
intrent ut astra flebiles,
Caeli fenestra facta es.

Tu regis alti janua
et porta lucis fulgida;
vitam datam per Virginem,
gentes redemptae, plaudite.

Gloria tibi, Domine,
qui natus es de Virgine,
cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu
in sempiterna saecula. Amen.

English translation

O Heaven's glorious mistress,
elevated above the stars,
thou feedest with thy sacred breast
him who created thee.

What miserable Eve lost
thy dear offspring to man restores,
the way to glory is open to the wretched
for thou has become the Gate of Heaven.

Thou art the door of the High King,
the gate of shining light.
Life is given through a Virgin:
Rejoice, ye redeemed nations.

Glory be to Thee, O Lord,
Born of a Virgin,
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
world without end. Amen.

O gloriosa virginum

The most striking changes in the 1632 revision of Urban VIII are to the first and last stanzas: