Tota pulchra es Maria

General information

Tota pulchra es is an old Catholic prayer, written in the fourth century AD. It is one of the five antiphons for the psalms of Second Vespers for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The title means "You are completely beautiful" (referring to the Virgin Mary). It speaks of her immaculate conception. It takes some text from the deuterocanonical book of Judith, and other text from Song of Songs.
(taken from the Wikipedia article)

Settings by composers

Anton Bruckner SATB (9-way divisi) & org. Nicolaes Craen ATBB (part of a longer excerpt from the Song of Solomon) João de Deus Castro Lobo SATB 2 recorders & strings José Maurício Nunes Garcia SATB flute & strings Gregorian chant, accomp. Abel Di Marco Mariano Garau SABar SATB Angelina Figus SSA Francisco Guerrero SSATTB Karl Kempter SSAATTBB

Orlando di Lasso SA or TB John Plummer TBB Ramiro Real SSAA Giovanni Battista Riccio ATB & bc Francisco Valls SATB & bc Christopher Upton SSATB (adds variant 1)

Original text and translations

Latin text Tota pulchra es, Maria et macula originalis non est in te. Vestimentum tuum candidum quasi nix, et facies tua sicut sol. Tota pulchra es, Maria, et macula originalis non est in te. Tu gloria Jerusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri. Tota pulchra es, Maria. Variant 1 tu advocata peccatorum. O Maria, Virgo prudentissima, Mater clementissima, ora pro nobis, intercede pro nobis ad dominum Jesum Christum. Polish translation Całaś piękna jest, Maryjo i zmazy pierworodnej nie ma w Tobie. Tyś chwałą Jeruzalem, Tyś weselem Izraela. Tyś chlubą ludu naszego, Tyś orędowniczką grzesznychm O Maryjo. Alleluja.

English translation You are completely pure, Mary, and the stain of original sin is not within you. Your clothing is white like snow, and your face is like the sun. You are completely pure, Mary, and the stain of original sin is not within you. You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you are the honoured of our people. You are completely pure, Mary. from Wikipedia article Variant 1 you are the advocate of sinners. O Mary, most prudent Virgin, most clement Mother, pray for us, intercede for us to the Lord Jesus Christ.

External links

• Song of Solomon 4:7- at Biblestudytools

• View the Wikipedia article on Tota pulchra es Maria.

• A variant at Preces latinae
• A chant and use in Novenas at Nunspeak
• Isaac's text at Emily Ezust's Liedernet
• setting by Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki
• link to another version of the text