Tempi Madonna by Raffaello Sanzio - Alte Pinakothek - Munich - Germany 2017

"Alma Redemptoris Mater" (; "Loving Mother of our Redeemer") is a Marian hymn, written in Latin

hexameter Hexameter is a metrical line of verses consisting of six feet (a "foot" here is the pulse, or major accent, of words in an English line of poetry; in Greek as well as in Latin a "foot" is not an accent, but describes various combinations of s ...

, and one of four seasonal liturgical

Marian antiphons Marian hymns are Christianity, Christian songs focused on Mary, mother of Jesus. They are used in Marian devotions, devotional and Liturgy, liturgical services, particularly by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, a ...

sung at the end of the

office An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a po ...

Compline Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer liturgy (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times. The English wor ...

(the other three being '' Ave Regina Caelorum'', '' Regina Caeli'' and ''

Salve Regina The "Salve Regina" ( , ; meaning "Hail Queen"), also known as the "Hail Holy Queen", is a Marian hymn and one of four Marian antiphons sung at different seasons within the Christian liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. The Salve Regina ...

'').

History

Hermannus Contractus (also called Herman the Cripple; 1013–1054) is said to have authored the hymn based on the writings of Saints Fulgentius, Epiphanius, and

Irenaeus Irenaeus ( or ; ; ) was a Greeks, Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christianity, Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development of Christian theology by oppos ...

of Lyon. It is mentioned in '' The Prioress's Tale'', one of

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

's ''

Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' () is a collection of 24 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. The book presents the tales, which are mostly written in verse (poetry), verse, as part of a fictional storytellin ...

''. At one time Alma Redemptoris Mater was briefly used as an antiphon for the hour of

Sext Sext is a canonical hour of the Divine Office in the liturgies of many Christian denominations. It consists mainly of psalms and is held around noon. Its name comes from Latin and refers to the sixth hour of the day after dawn. With Terce, None ...

for the feast of the Assumption, but since the 13th century it has been a part of Compline. Formerly it was recited at the end of the canonical hours only from the first Sunday in

Advent Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Chri ...

until the Feast of the Purification (2 February). It was translated into English by, amongst others,

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was previously an Anglican priest and after his conversion became a cardinal. He was an ...

in " Tracts for the Times", No. 75 (Kindly Mother of the Redeemer).

Text

Latin

Depending on the period, the following combinations of a

versicle A versicle (from Latin , ) is a short two- or four-line verse that is sung or recited in the liturgy alternating between the celebrant, hebdomadarian or cantor and the congregation. It is usually a psalm verse in two parts. A series of versicl ...

, response, and

collect The collect ( ) is a short general prayer of a particular structure used in Christian liturgy. Collects come up in the liturgies of Catholic, Lutheran, or Anglican churches, among others. Etymology The word is first seen as Latin ''collēcta'' ...

are added. From the first Sunday of Advent until Christmas Eve, the collect from the Fourth Sunday of Advent is used, and thereafter until the Feast of the Presentation, the collect from

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God is a feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the aspect of her motherhood of Jesus Christ, whom she had circumcised on the eighth day after his birth in accordance with Levitical Law. Christian ...

, is used. The first collect (“''Grátiam tuam quáesumus...''”) is notably also used in Masses during Advent, and is exactly the same prayer that concludes the

Angelus FIle:Jean-François Millet (II) 001.jpg, ''The Angelus (painting), The Angelus'' (1857–1859) by Jean-François Millet The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation (Christianity), Incarnation of Jesus ...

(another Marian devotion focused on the Incarnation).

From the first Sunday of Advent until Christmas Eve

From First
Vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...
of
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
until the
Presentation A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. Presenta ...

English translation

From the first Sunday of Advent until Christmas Eve

From First Vespers of Christmas until the Presentation

American Liturgy of the Hours translation

Church Music Association of America translation

Translation of Edward Caswall (1814-1878)

In ''The Divine Office'' (1974) this is hymn number 118 and it recommends singing it to the tune SONG I, by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625). This tune has a metre 10.10.10.10.10.10. Since the last line of the text has 12 syllables the tune will need to be modified.

Musical settings

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'' ''H.146, Marche en rondeau''. This theme is st ...

, 2 settings, ''Alma Redemptoris Mater'' H.21 (1675), for 2 voices and bc, ''Alma Redemptoris Mater'' H.44 (16 ?), for soloists, chorus, 2 violins and bc.

References

{{Virgin Mary Marian devotions Roman Catholic prayers Marian antiphons Christian hymns in Latin 11th-century poems Latin religious words and phrases