Puer natus est

Puer natus est nobis is the introit for the Mass of Christmas Day and, in the Extraordinary Form, the Octave of Christmas. It is drawn from Isaiah 9:2; the verse is from Psalm 98 (97) and the antiphon is repeated after the Gloria Patri.

Morales and Macchi set a shorter (and unidentified) text with 2 verses from Luke and John with alleluias. Senfl sets the standard antiphon, beginning after a plainsong intonation.

Neither of these shold be confused with the non-liturgical hymn Puer natus in Bethlehem. There is also an antiphon for vespers of The Nativity of John the Baptist, Puer qui natus est (LU p.1343).

Settings

• Three anonymous settings from the 15c Trent codices
• Puer natus est nobis (William Byrd)
• Puer natus est nobis (Iñigo Igualador)
• Puer natus est nobis (Claudio Macchi)
• Puer natus est (Cristóbal de Morales)
• Et Filius datus est nobis (Ludwig Senfl)
• Puer natus est (Stefano Torchio)

Text and translations

Latin text

Puer natus est nobis

Et filius datus est nobis

Cuius imperium super humerum eius

Et vocabitur nomen eius

Magni consilii Angelus

Cantate Domino canticum novum

Quia mirabilia fecit

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto

Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,

in secula seculorum. Amen.

English translation

A boy is born to us,

And a son is given to us,

upon whose shoulders authority rests,

and His name will be called

"The Angel of Great Counsel".

Sing to the Lord a new song,

because he has done the miraculous.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, and is now, and always will be,

in every human generation. Amen.

Spanish translation

Un niño nos ha nacido,
y un hijo nos ha sido dado,
el cual lleva sobre sus hombros el principado
y su nombre será
Ángel del gran consejo.

Cantad al Señor un cántico nuevo
porque ha hecho maravillas.