Puer Natus in Bethlehem

For Christmas and Epiphany.

Words and Music: A 14^th Century Latin Hymn.
See: Puer natus in Bethlehem - from Piæ Cantiones, with notes and links to translations.

Music: Melody, 1543
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / XML

Mixed Setting for Choir from Bruno Antonio Buike, Neuss/Germany
(opens in a new window at Bruno's site)

Source: J. H. Hopkins, ed., Great Hymns of the Church Compiled by the Late Right Reverend John Freeman Young (New York: James Pott & Company, 1887), # 57, p. 89.

1. Puer natus in Bethlehem, Alleluia.
Unde gaudet Jerusalem. Alleluia.

2. Hic jacet in præsepio, Alleluia.
Qui regnat sine termino. Alleluia.

3. Cognovit bos et asinus, Alleluia.
Quod puer erat Dominus. Alleluia.

4. Reges de Sabâ veniunt, Alleluia.
Aurum, thus, myrrhum offerunt. Alleluia.

5. Intrantes domum invicem, Alleluia.
Novum salutant principem. Alleluia.

6. De matre natus virgine, Alleluia.
Sine virili semine; Alleluia.

7. Sine serpentis vulnere, Alleluia.
De nostro venit sanguine; Alleluia.

8. In carne nobis similis, Alleluia.
Peccato sed dissimilis; Alleluia.

9. Ut redderet nos homines, Alleluia.
Deo et sibi similes. Alleluia.

10. In hoc natali gaudio, Alleluia.
Benedicamus Domino: Alleluia.

11. Laudetur sancta Trinitas, Alleluia.
Deo dicamus gratias. Alleluia.

Sheet Music and Text from J. H. Hopkins, ed., Great Hymns of the Church Compiled by the Late Right Reverend John Freeman Young (New York: James Pott & Company, 1887), # 57, p. 89.

"Original Melody.
Harmony altered from Dr. Layriz"

This is one of many carols found in the 1582 Finnish Collection, Piae Cantiones.

Theodoric Petri, ed., Piæ Cantiones Ecclesiasticae et Scholasticae Veterum Episcoporum. (Gyphisuualdiæ: Augustinum Ferberum, 1582)

Sheet Music and Notes from Rev. George R. Woodward, ed., Piæ Cantiones. A Collection of Church & School Song, chiefly Ancient Swedish, originally Published in A. D. 1582 by Theodoric Petri of Nyland. (London: Printed at the Chiswick Press for the Plainsong & Medieval Music Society, 1910), Carol #12, pp. 16-17, Notes p. 223.

See: The Christmas Songs in Woodward's Piæ Cantiones (1910)

Sources of Latin hymns found in Piae Cantiones:

• Guido Maria Dreves and Clemens Blume, eds., Analecta Hymnica Medii Aevi, Vol. 1.  Cantiones Bohemicae. (Leipzig: O. R. Reisland, 1886).

• Guido Maria Dreves and Clemens Blume, eds., Analecta Hymnica Medii Aevi, Vol. 45b. Cantiones et Motetten des Mittelalters. (Leipzig: O. R. Reisland, 1904).

• G. E. Klemming, ed., Piae Cantiones. S. Trinitas. Iesus Christus. S. Spiritus. S Maria. (1886). Primary source for many scholars, including Dreves, Woodward and others.

• George Ratcliffe Woodward, Piae Cantiones: A Collection of Church & School Song, chiefly Ancient Swedish, originally published in A.D. 1582 by Theodoric Petri of Hyland. (London: Chiswick Press for the Plainsong & Medieval Music Society, 1910).

• Sheet music for some hymns can be found in George Ratcliffe Woodward, The Cowley Carol Book, First & Second Series. Table Of Contents. (London: A. R. Mowbray & Co., Ltd., ca. 1902, 1912).

• Translations of some carols can be found in John Mason Neale and Thomas Helmore, eds., Carols for Christmas-tide (London: Novello, 1853). By the same authors was Carols for Easter-tide (1854).

• Translations and sheet music for some hymns can be found in Charles L. Hutchins, ed., Carols Old and Carols New (Boston: Parish Choir, 1916).

• Scans of individual pages from Piæ Cantiones (in the Adobe PDF format) can be downloaded from Facsimiles Piae Cantiones (http://www.spielleut.de/facs_piae_cantiones.htm; accessed June 15, 2009).

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