Nesciens mater

General information

Antiphon during Christmastide

Settings by composers

• Anonymous, in Attaingnant's Fourth Book of Motets, 1534 AATB
• Walter Lambe SATTB
• Ferdinand di Lasso SSATTB
• Jean Mouton SSABar.ATBarB

Other settings possibly not included in the manual list above

• Andreas de Silva — Nesciens mater

Text and translations

Latin text Nesciens mater virgo virum peperit sine dolore salvatorem saeculorum. Ipsum regem angelorum sola virgo lactabat, ubere de caelo pleno. (some sources have ubera de coelo plena)

English translation Knowing no man, the Virgin mother bore, without pain, the Saviour of the world. Him, the king of angels, only the Virgin suckled, breasts filled by heaven.