Une Jeune Pucelle

Une jeune pucelle is a French folk song from 1557, which has a melody that is based loosely on an older French song entitled Une jeune fillette.

The French words were set to an earlier Italian ballad from the sixteenth century titled "La Monica", which is also known as a dance, in German sources called Deutscher Tanz, and in Italian, French, Flemish, and English sources labeled Alemana, Almande, Almagne, Almande nonette, Balletto alta morona, Balletto celeste Giglio, Aria venetiana, Aria Venetia che cantava Scappino, Balo todesco, The Queen’s Almaine, or Oulde Almaine. It was also used for German texts such as "Ich ging einmal spazieren" and with sacred texts such as "Von Gott will ich nicht lassen" and "Helft mir Gott es Güte preisen" (Hudson, Gerbino, and Silbiger 2001).

The words of the Huron Carol ("Jesous Ahatonhia"), written probably in 1642 by the Jesuit missionary Jean de Brébeuf for the Hurons at Ste. Marie, were set to an adaptation of this melody (McGee 1985, 13).

Lyrics

Une jeune pucelle de noble coeur priant en sa chambrette

Son createur, l'ange du ciel, descendit sur la terre

Lui conta le mystere de notre salvateur,

ce Dieu si redoutable est homme comme toi,

est homme comme toi.

Entend ma voix fidelle, pasteur, suis moi.

Viens témoigner ton zèle au divin Roi;

Ce Dieu si grand est né dans une étable,

Ce Dieu si redoutable est homme comme toi.

est homme comme toi.

References

• Glover, Raymond F. (ed.). 1990–94. The Hymnal 1982 Companion, 3 vols. in 4. New York: Church Hymnal Corp. ISBN 0898691435.
• Hudson, Richard, Giuseppe Gerbino, and Alexander Silbiger. 2001. "Monica [monicha, monaca]". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers.
• McGee, Timothy J. 1985. The Music of Canada. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-393-02279-X.