"O crux fidelis" - Andrea Gabrieli

O Crux fidelis
Andrea Gabrieli
(1510 - 1586)
SATB
Edited by Gary Harney
Translation
O faithful cross,
above all other,
the one noble tree.
None in foliage, nor in blossom,
nor in fruit offers more:
sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
sweetest weight is hung on thee!
Translation by Nathan Costa
O crux fidelis
Soprano
Andrea Gabrieli
(1510 - 1586)

 

O



Tenor
Bass
Crux

Alto




  

-

lis,
in
-
-

-
-

lis
11

in
 
-
-
nes, O
  
ter
om

lis,

-
-

lis
in

-
ter


Crux
fi

-


Crux
lis, in
-
-
ter
-


-
de
-
-

lis
-
om
-
om



ter
om
om
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
nes,
  
fi - de

-


nes
ar -

nes
nes, ar
-

   
-


        
-


nes, ar
© Gary Harney, 2010
fi -
  
Crux

-

     
-
-

-
  
in - ter
ter

Crux
in
-




-
  

 

 

-

O
fi
-

    

-


O
 
-
in
-

             

     

fi - de

Crux,
 

-

nes
(see edit. note on p. 4)

-
om

 

-
 

ter
  
O
-
de
-
Crux


     

 


   
O
-
 
 de
-

6
om
  
 

O


 


fi - de


       


 
  
-
bor un
  
-
bor u
ar
-
-
-
 

bor
u
-
     
na
no
  

na
no

-
-


2
  


  
       

16
-
bor
u
-
na
na
   
 
   
-
  
 - bi
- lis:
no
ar
-



 


-
bi -
lis:
21
pro
 
-
va
 
 -
va
-
 

26
lem

fron
-
  

 
 Fron
fert, fron -

-

nul
-

fert,
-
-
-
fron


-
fert,
   
de,
flo - re, ger - mi - ne. Fron

   

de,
-
    

-

-
-

  
-

nul
sil
-
-
   
va

-
va

   
sil
la
sil
  
-
-
-
va
ta



-
fert,
      
ta - lem
pro
-


flo - re, ger - mi - ne.

        
de,
flo - re,

  
Fron
-
     



ta - lem
la
pro
 
sil
va

ta - lem
la
de,

fron
la
-
-
de
ger
flo
-
-

-

Fron

  
de,
flo - re, ger - mi


-
ne.

-
mi -
 
re

flo - re, ger - mi - ne.

-
-
nul

 




-
flo - re, ger - mi - ne.
   
sil



de,
la
nul
fert,
  
pro
  

pro
     

sil
  
 


ta - lem



-
la
 
bi - lis:


-

nul
pro
  
nul
  
no - bi - lis:

ta - lem
-
bi - lis:
u - na
fert,
  
-
-
bor

  

-
     
-

no
        
ger - mi -
-

de,

3

  
31

ne. Fron - de,



ne.

 
 flo
      
flo - re,

-
re,
-
-
  
 
 
-


li

-
-
 
  
 cla
-
cla
-
cla
-

 

-
-


 
de,

dul




-
-

-
vos, dul


vos, dul

vos,
-

dul
-

vos,
 
-
dul

 
de,

ce
-

 
ce


   





ce
 
 
dus su
-


pon
ce pon
-
-
-
li
sti
-
-

dus su - sti
-
nu



ce
-

li

 
gnum, dul
 
gnum, dul
 
-
gnum, dul
-
-
-
-
gnum, dul
-



-

ces

ces

 
-
-
ce
ces

ces

Dul



dus su - sti - nu - it.

ce
nu - it.
   

-

ce
-
-


-
-
-
li
ce
 

li
li

-
Dul

-
-


-
-
-
Dul
ger - mi - ne.





dul
pon
Dul
ger - mi - ne.

  
ce
flo - re,
ce

dul
 
-


mi - ne.
-
flo - re,

gnum,
43
cla
-
gnum,
-

   

gnum,
-
-
Fron
Dul

 
ger
gnum,
   
mi - ne.
   

-
-

37
li
-

    
ger - mi - ne.


 

-

  
   
Fron
 
 li
-
Fron - de, flo - re,


ger
 
   
   
it. Dul - ce
pon
-
 


ce
pon
dul
-
dus su - sti -
 
-
dus su -
4

 
 
49
-
ce
 

-

dus, dul
Dul
-
 

   

sti - nu - it.
54
pon

 
it. Dul
 



it,
 
dus
-
su

ce
 
Dul

-
ce
pon

pon


-
sti

-
-
-
-
sti
ce
pon
pon
-
nu - it.
-
dus
 

dus
Dul
-


-

  
nu - it,




ce

nu
su - sti - nu -

pon
  


dus
su
-

su
-
it,


dus su - sti - nu - it.
-
 
sti
-





nu - it.

        
su - sti - nu - it.
-

sti
-

nu

su - sti - nu -

  

 


-
ce

-
   
ce pon
-
nu - it. Dul

su - sti - nu - it.

  
    
dus
 
-
-
su - sti


    


dus su - sti - nu - it,

dul
-

su - sti



su
dus
 
-
-
ce pon
dus
   

-
-

ce
 

    
Dul
  
-
pon
-

Dul

-
ce


  

   
 - nu - it.
 


pon
 
-


it.
Crux Fidelis is part of a larger work by Saint Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (c530-c609)
entitled Pange Lingua (Sing, my Tongue). He wrote it for a procession that brought a part of the true Cross
to Queen Radegunda in 570. This hymn is used on Good Friday during the Adoration of the Cross and in
the Liturgy of the Hours during Holy Week and on feasts of the Cross. (from CPDL.org)
This setting by Andrea Gabrieli was likely performend in San Marco on 14 September (Feast of the Exaltation of
the Holy Cross). At San Marco, this was celebrated without instruments or the need for a double choir, so a
simple SATB performance would be appropriate.
NOTE: The only source I possess for this work clearly shows that the last note of the alto line in bar 6
and the first note in bar 7 is a middle C. Nonetheless, given the harmony of that section, I suspect that
these two beats should be a D rather than a C. It is left to your judgment which to use.

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