Virgin Mary, Annunciation, and

Assumption
Te-Wei Huang
Instructor: Dr. Sarah Williams
MUSC755: Renaissance Music

Introduction

Located at the center of New York city, Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most

famous and largest museums which has plentiful collections of artworks from different

cultures and historical backgrounds. It attracted more than 7 millions of visitors just in 2016.

This July, the museum will host an exhibition of Renaissance art. Interestingly, it focuses on

the stories of Virgin Mary, which was a popular painting topic for Renaissance artists. For

instance, several paintings from Italian painters such as Pietro di Domenico da

Montepulciano, Matteo di Giovanni, and Netherlandish artists, Gerard David and Hans

Memling. The religious views of the people of the Middle Ages had been built around the

concepts that existed since the beginning of Christianity, which was the belief of inescapable

judgment for one‘s sins, and fear of the loss of eternal salvation. Along with these deep

concerns, however, were elements of hope based on pious acts and rites that could be

undertaken in this life and after death, and, above all, on the help that could be afforded by

the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the saints. 1

The museum arranges a music program on the opening day, July 1st. The repertoires are

selected from well-known Renaissance composers, Du Fay and Josquin de Prez, and will be

performed by the best a cappella group from South Carolina, Charlestones.

1 James M. Bates, D.M.A. "Music in Honor of the Virgin Mary during the Middle Ages and Renaissance." (2010)
, p.1.
 Annunciation and Assumption

The stories of Virgin Mary are in relation to the feast days in liturgical cycle. It's important to

understand the texts which respond to specific stories in the Bible. For example, composers

applied the text, Ave regina caelorum, to praise the annunciation of Virgin Mary, which is on

March 25. On the other hand, they arranged the music based on the text, Salve regina, to

present the assumption of the Virgin.

Referring to the bible, according to Luke 1:26-38, in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s

pregnancy, angel Gabriel visited Mary and said “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The

Lord is with you.” In the beginning, Mary was clueless about these words and the intention of

the angel. The announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would

conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit to be called Jesus.2 The angel said "Do not be

afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and

you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High..."

Hence, annunciation to Virgin Mary became one of the most popular subjects for the painters

during Medieval and Renaissance periods. Typically, painters depicted the scene of angel

Gabriel arriving Mary's house and delivering God's message while Mary sitting inside her

house, listening to angel's annunciation carefully. In this exhibition, the museum will display

several pieces created by Italian artists, Master of Monte Oliveto, Petrus Christus, Botticelli,

and Netherlandish painters Hans Memling and Gerard David. All these masterpieces

demonstrate distinctive painting characteristics in order to present various styles and aesthetic

aspects of the art from different countries and periods.

2 Britannica Academic, s.v. "Annunciation," accessed May 3,2018,

https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Annunciation/7702#.
 Paintings Collections

Saints and Scenes from the Life of the Virgin

Artist: Master of Monte Oliveto (Italian, active Siena ca. 1305–35) Date: ca. 1320 These

well-preserved panels are the wings of a portable triptych, the center panel of which is still

unidentified. The left wing depicts three principal scenes from the life of the Virgin (her so-

called "joys") while on the right wing is her coronation in heaven.3

Archangel Gabriel; The Virgin Annunciate

Artist: Gerard David (Netherlandish, Oudewater ca. 1455–1523 Bruges) Date: ca. 1510

Gerard David painted in Bruges all his life. These two Annunciation panels originally formed

the movable wings of an altarpiece. When the wings were closed, the Archangel Gabriel and

the Virgin Annunciate were shown. When opened, on certain feast days, the Christ Carrying

the Cross and the Resurrection would have been displayed, flanking a central image, perhaps

the Lamentation.

Saints and Scenes from the Life Archangel Gabriel

of the Virgin. The Virgin Annunciate

3 https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/41.190.31bc/
 Madonna and Child with Angels

Artist: Workshop of Robert Campin (Netherlandish, ca. 1375–1444 Tournai), Date: ca.

1427–32. Having just entered the room, the angel Gabriel is about to tell the Virgin Mary that

she will be the mother of Jesus. The golden rays pouring in through the left oculus carry a

miniature figure with a cross. On the right wing, Joseph, who is betrothed to the Virgin,

works in his carpenter’s shop, drilling holes in a board. On the left wing, the kneeling donor

appears to witness the central scene through the open door.

Madonna and Child with Angels The Assumption of the Virgin.

Program
================================================

Guillaume Dufay –Ave regina

Guillaume Dufay –Ave maris stella

Josquin des Prez –Ave maria

Josquin des Prez –Victimae paschali laudes

Guillaume DuFay- Ave regina

Josquin des Prez –Salve Regina

Robert Wynkynson – Salve Regina




Marian Antiphons

Marian antiphons are a set of hymns which praises the name of Virgin Mary. The hymns in

honor of Mary flourished during 11th to 12th centuries and became popular in Europe. The

Christian believers in this period were afraid of the inescapable judgment, hence, they

worshipped Virgin Mary to pursuit for eternal salvation. In the view of traditional Christian

culture, only those purified humans will reach heaven after death. Therefore, they believed

that the only way to escape from their judgment was “by appealing to those who were already

in the presence of God and Christ and could intercede. These personages included the saints

but above all the Virgin Mary. Devotions and prayers to Mary and the saints became one of

the most central elements of medieval Christianity.”4

There are three important liturgical texts, the Ave Maria, the Angelus, and the Magnificat

from the story of the Annunciation. The angel's greeting to Mary, which is traditionally

translated as "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee," (in Latin Ave Maria, gratia

plena, Dominus tecum) is the opening of Ave Maria, and a part of the Rosary prayers. The

Angelus consists of three Ave Marias, together with some additional materials. The

Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) is the poem with which Mary responded to the Annunciation and

the believers to celebrate the power of God.5

4 James M. Bates. "Music in Honor of the Virgin Mary during the Middle Ages and Renaissance." (2010), p.3.

5 http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/annunciation.shtml
 Ave maris stella - Guillaume Dufay

Ave maris stella, Hail, star of the sea,

Dei Mater alma, bountiful mother of God
Atque semper Virgo, and ever Virgin,
Felix cœli porta. happy gate of heaven.
Sumens illud Ave Taking that Ave
Gabrielis ore, from the mouth of Gabriel,

Funda nos in pace, preserve us in peace,
Mutans Evæ nomen. giving Eve a new name.
Monstra te esse matrem, Show thyself to be a mother,
Sumat per te preces, may he who was born for us
Qui pro nobis natus, receive our prayers through thee.
Tulit esse tuus.

The word Ave came to have special meanings and treatment. It is the first word spoken to

Mary by angel Gabriel at the Annunciation, from whence, as has been mentioned, it became

the beginning of the Ave Maria text. Another metaphor, found here and elsewhere, is based

on a play with the letters of the important word ―ave can be seen in the second stanza. Mary

was considered as the opposite of Eve: where Eve had brought sin to all mankind.6

Guillaume DuFay (ca. 1397-1474), the most well-known composer in 14th century, was

associated with Burgundian court. He was trained at the Cathedral of Cambrai in north

France and traveled to the south frequently, exposing himself in various music styles. 7 Dufay

was one of the most prolific composers of a more elaborated style of fauxbourdon.

Fauxbourdon was a very common feature of early Renaissance music which means an added

"fake drone". In Ave maris stella, Du Fay applied fauxbourdon style by composing three

voice lines moving in parallel motions throughout the entire piece. Willem Elders (1934) has

found 170 compositions from 1425-1510 that have the instruction fauxbourdon and 24 are by

6 Ibid, p.20.
7J. Peter Burkholder, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. New York: W. W.
Norton & Compony, 8th edition. 2010, p.179.
Dufay, more than any other composer who can be identified.8 However, in this case, one

should notice that Du Fay adorned the melody by applying fauxbourdon style as the fixed

intervals create more harmonic colors.

Josquin des Pres- Ave maria

Ave Maria, Gratia plena, Hail Mary, full of grace,


Dominus tecum, Virgo serena. The Lord is with thee, serene Virgin.

Ave, cuius Conceptio, Hail, thou whose Conception,

Solemni plena gaudio, Full of great joy,

Caelestia, Terrestria, Fills heaven and earth

Nova replet laetitia. With new gladness.

Ave, cuius Nativitas Hail, thou whose Nativity

Nostra fuit solemnitas, Became our great celebration,

Ut lucifer lux oriens As the light-bearing Morning Star

Verum solem praeveniens. anticipates the true Sun.

Ave pia humilitas, Hail, faithful humility,

Sine viro fecunditas, Fruitful without man, 

Cuius Annuntiatio Whose Annunciation

Nostra fuit salvatio. Was our salvation. 

Ave vera virginitas, Hail, true virginity,

Immaculata castitas, Immaculate chastity,

Cuius Purificatio Whose Purification

Nostra fuit purgatio. Was our cleansing.

Ave, praeclara omnibus Hail, glorious one

Angelicis virtutibus, In all angelic virtues,

Cuius fuit Assumptio Whose Assumption

Nostra fuit glorificatio. Was our glorification. 

O Mater Dei, O Mother of God,

Memento mei. Amen. Remember me. Amen.



Josquin is one of the most famous Franco-Flemish composers. He traveled to French and

Italy and worked for the courts and composed 95 motets during his lifetime. Combining

various textures is his best-known compositional technique. Contemporaries hailed Josquin

8 Ibid, p.21.
as “the best of composers of our time” and “the father of musicians.” Martin Luther also

proclaimed that “Josquin is the master of notes.”9 In this piece, there are paired duet, canon,

Fauxbourdon (which implies trinity and conception), and homorhythmic passages that

demonstrate the varieties in Josquin's music. He usually applies voice imitation in his

composition. For instance, the descending figure from the upper to the bass voice symbolize

descending from heaven to earth. Could this melodic gesture imply the descending angel

from the sky who announces that Mary would conceive?

Josquin des Prez –Victimae paschali laudes

Victimae paschali laudes, the sequence for Easter day, lends itself to dramatic treatment

because the text contains a dialogue, and in many churches while it was sung the singers

would adopt certain character roles and act out the sepulcher scene of Easter morning. 10 The

text depicts a dialogue between three women and Virgin Mary. The women went to the tomb,

asking " Tell us Mary, what did you see on the way?" Then, the singer who present Mary

responds "[I saw] the tomb of the living Christ..." Josquin adopted the opening verse to praise

Jesus in the first section. In the second section, the singers ask Mary what did she see (Dic

nobis Maria, quid vidisti via?) The superius tune of the first section was borrowed from

Ockeghem‘s chanson D’ung aultre amer. The register arrangement makes the melody stand

out and easier to listen. The tune in the original chanson refers to a lover who is male, and

how it would be a dishonor to love any but him. These verses, which symbolically mirror

Christ, are matched to those of the first section of the Victimae paschal text, which praises

9J. Peter Burkholder, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. New York: W. W.
Norton & Compony, 8th edition. 2010, p.203.

10 Ibid, p.31.
Christ, the innocent victim who has redeemed his sheep. 11

Josquin des Prez –Salve Regina

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae, Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
ad te clamamus
exsules filii Hevae,
ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.
our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;

to thee do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this our exile,

show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

In a liturgical church, Salve Virgina, one of the most recognizable chant, will be the last hymn

of Marian antiphon that performed at the end of the post-Pentecost. The importance of Salve

regina within the Salve service is mirrored in the great number of polyphonic settings of the

antiphon from the Renaissance.12 From the early 15th century, if not before, the Salve regina

was sung as part of various new devotions in honor of the Virgin Mary. 13 In this piece, the

imitative figure from bass to the higher voice of the opening demonstrates one of Josquin's

favorite composition texture. As the imitation grows more intense, the intertwined melodies

become more complex which show Josquin's various composition styles. One canon is in the

upper two voices at the fourth, and the other canon is in the lower two voices at the fourth.

The chant is paraphrased in the alto, which is followed in canon by the soprano. 14 One can

11 James M. Bates. "Music in Honor of the Virgin Mary during the Middle Ages and Renaissance." (2010), p.34.

12 Ingram, Jeannine S., and Keith Falconer. "Salve regina." Grove Music Online. 3 May. 2018.

13 Ibid.

14 James M. Bates. "Music in Honor of the Virgin Mary during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.", p.29.
observe that Josquin repeated the first four notes of the beginning that emphasizes the word

"Salve," hence the recurring motif conveys the imploring nature of the text.

Eton Choirbook

Eton Choirbook is a music collection of Marian antiphons sung at Eton chapel to worship

Mary during 1490~1502 in England. The remained paintings on the walls of Eton chapel

depict the miracles happened on Virgin Mary. For instance, some paintings describe Mary's

power of healing, converting unbelievers, and punishing sinners.

The four hymns that are mostly used in Marian antiphon are Alma Redemptoris Mater, Ave

Regina Caelorum, Regina Coeli, and Salve Regina. This choirbook gathers works from

composers from all over the country such as William Cornysh and Robert Wylkynson. It also

revived the whitewashing during the reformation and preserved some characteristics of early

Renaissance music in England. Eton Choirbook contains three musical genres: 54 motets, 9

Magnificats, and 1 Passion. Typically, the music of Eton Choirbook is dominated by florid

high treble, sometimes contain up to 13 vocal parts. In addition, the irregular and intricate

rhythms are very common and the text usually conveys religious meanings.

Salve Regina –Robert Wynkynson

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ,
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, Thine eyes of mercy toward us;
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
Our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry,
Poor banished children of Eve;
To thee do we send up our sighs,
Mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
And after this our exile,
Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
 O clemens, O pia, O clement, O loving,
O dulcis Virgo Maria. O sweet Virgin Mary.

The notion or the doctrine stated that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken into heaven, body

and soul, following the end of her life on Earth.15 Characteristic representations of the

Assumption show the Virgin, in an attitude of prayer and supported by angels, ascending

above her open tomb, around which the Apostles stand in amazement.16 Robert Wynkynson

was a clerk (and possibly a scholar) at Eton in 1490s and was an instructor of choristers from

1500 until 1515, when either live or die.17 In Robert Wynkynson's arrangement, the piece was

composed for nine voices symbolizing nine angels accompanying Mary to heaven.

Assumption est Maria, the cantus firmus tune selected by Wynkynson in the Salve Regina

implies that this piece was written for performance at the college's patronal feast.18

Charlestones
Charlestones, one of the most virtuous and versatile a cappella group in South Carolina will

be one of the guest performers for the exhibition of Renaissance art on July 1st. Formed in

2014, Charlestones has quickly made a name for themselves in the Southeast with over 100

performances in four states. Audiences praise their "flawless intonation," "rocksteady

camaraderie," and "crystal-clear harmonies" for their various singing styles from barbershop

to musical theatre, country to jazz, patriotic to spirituals, and hymns to pop. 19

15 Britannica Academic, s.v. "Assumption," accessed May 3, 2018.

16 Ibid.

17
Magnus Williamson. The Eton Choirbook in Its Iconographical Context. Oxford University Press, Early
Music, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Aug., 2000), p.368.

18 Ibid, p.371.

19 http://thecharlestones.com.
 Bibliography

Bates, James M. " Music in Honor of the Virgin Mary during the Middle Ages and

Renaissance." PhD diss., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2010.

Burkholder, J. Peter, Grout, Donald Jay, and Palisca, Claude V.. A History of Western Music.

New York: W. W. Norton & Compony, 8th edition. 2010.

Ingram, Jeannine S., and Keith Falconer. "Salve regina." Grove Music Online. 3 May. 2018.

Williamson, Magnus. The Eton Choirbook in Its Iconographical Context. Oxford University 


Press, Early Music, Vol. 28, No. 3.

Websites

BBC. "The Feast of the Annunciation" http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/

holydays/annunciation.shtml#top (accessed May 2, 2018).

Britannica Academic, s.v. "Assumption," accessed May 3, 2018, https://academic.eb.com/

levels/collegiate/article/Assumption/9957.

Britannica Academic, s.v. "Annunciation," accessed May 3,2018, https://academic.eb.com/

levels/collegiate/article/Annunciation/7702#.

Charlestones. http://thecharlestones.com.

Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/keywords/renaissance-art/.

(accessed May 2, 2018).