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The Visitation
During his life Adam was asked to compose not one but two new "offices" for the Catholic liturgy, a rare honour indeed. The first was never to be completed but the second, a service in honour of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin certainly was. The order of service was completed in 1389 and adopted by Boniface IX immediately. Throughout the next hundred years several new versions of the office of the Visitation were composed but Adam's remained in popular use across Europe right up until the time of the Reformation. It even survives as an early printed text, a copy of which is preserved in the collection of Hereford Cathedral.
The authors of such sacred texts were supposed to be anonymous, the work of God was too important for mere mortals to be looking for their own personal credit. It was considered just as unseemly to take credit for musical composition, as it was for the early artists who preceded Giotto to claim authorship of their finest works. Adam however, with his love of codes and word games found a way around that! In the first antiphon, shown below, he used the first letter of each verse to spell out his name: ADAM C (the C being for Cardinalis).
Following the first Antiphon we have included the text of the Office down to the first lesson, showing the structure and range and use of language Adam deployed in hymns, antiphons and readings.
Antiphona
Accedunt laudes virginis
Admirande indaginis
Noviter promulgate
En, visitat
Maria mater ipsamet
Celica probitate
Divo repletur munere
Maria, sine murmure
Cum filium concepit,
Surrexit ab oraculo
Statim in montis calculo
Abiit et profecit
Accendit ardor spiritus
Mariam tangens celitus
De Nazareth migrando,
Mox ad
Ubi tumulti caruit
Superna degustando.
Monstrans culmen dulcedinis
Maria sui sanguinis
Stantem in domo proximi
Propinqua templo Domini
Devote subministrat.
Carisima sancti spritus
Diffudit se divinitus
In puerum, cum sensit
Conceptum salutiferum
Marie sibi ovium
Capitulum
Ego mater pulcre dilectonis et timoris et magnitudinis et sancte spiritu. In me omnis gratia vie et veritatis.In me omnis spes vite et virtutis. (Ecclesiasticus XXIV?)
Hymnus
In Mariam
Vite viam
Matrem veram viventium (folio 355v)
Pie venit
Qui redemit
Peccata delinquentium.
Gressum cepit
Cum concepit
Maria multum properans
Visitavit
Comfortavit
Salutatur
Inflammatur
Inaudita
Fiunt ita
De dono sancti spiritus.
Impregnata
Gravidata
Fit mater olim sterilis;
Infans datus
Nondum natus
Exultat Christo iubilis.
Servit maior
Gaudet minor
Maria fert solatium
Visitatis
Preparatis
Ad spiritum propheticum.
Precursorem
Et doctorem
Maria plebi indicat
Qui rectorem
Purgatorem
Digito mundo nuntiat.
Leva gregem
Duc ad regem
Maria cunctos visitans,
Ut salvetur
Et letetur
Cum tu sis mater medians
Amen.
Responsario: V Speciosa tua et pulchra tua: R Intentionem prospere
Ad Magnificat
Antiphona
Acceleratur ratio
In puero non dum nato
Instinctu sacri neumatis
Divintus sibi dato
Novit presentem Dominum
In virgine clam latentem
Adoravit servulum venientem.
Oratio
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus qui ex habundantia caritatis beatam Mariam tuo filio ad salutationem
Ad Matutinum
Invitatorium
Reginam celi Mariam concorditer adoremus
Que visitans
Provenit
O Christi mater celica
Fons vivus fluens gratia
Lux pellens cuncta scismata
Maria, Deo proxima.
Ex motu veri luminis
Transivit in monticulis
Virgo iuvare vetulam
De precursore gravidam.
Mater venit de
Ut salutet
Replentur dono spiritus
Anus et eius filius.
Quod mater Dei affluit
Infans gaudet in utero
Presente Christo Domino.
Marie visitatio
Exemplum dat, pro bravio
Quod sit parata omnibus
Ipsam pie querentibus
Trinitatis clementia
Cuncta lavet facinora
Per matris Christi merita
Nos ducat ad celestia.
Amen.
In Primo Nocturno
Antiphona
De celo velud radius
Descendens sacer spiritus
Mox benedictam virginem
Sanctitatis propaginem
Prophetice clamavit.
Psalmus de sancta Maria
Antiphona
Inter turmas femineas
Et sanctarum ex cubias
Maria collaudatur
Propter fructum, qui queritur.
Quo iure mundus emitur
Et plene visitatur.
Antiphona
Vocat hanc matrem nomine
Domini primo famine
Quod fuit clausam aliis
In velatis misteriis
Notitia interna.
Lectio Prima: Beatissima virgo Dei mater a suis primordiis modo consacrata. Propter beneficia eius in audita exhibita populo invocanti omnes in necessitate constituti adeam confugiunt tam quod ad singulare remedium. Ubi humanum subsidium non sufficiens requisitum. Disponit namquis omnia inferiora sua et sapientia providentia industria et gratia propulsata virgo gubernatrix seculi et terrene potentie. Mariam virgo mater miserie et impetrarix venie in maria virgo mater militantis ecclesie in maria virgine advocata seculi in maria.
This version is taken from Vatican Library Ottobone Lat 676 ff 355-359