"Ave Regina caelorum" is one of the

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 ...

said or sung in the

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (), Divine Office (), or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the Latin Church. The Liturgy of the Hours forms the official ...

at the close of

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 ...

. In the

Roman Breviary The Roman Breviary (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Breviarium Romanum'') is a breviary of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. A liturgical book, it contains public or canonical Catholic prayer, prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notat ...

as revised by

Pope Pius V Pope Pius V, OP (; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (and from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 January 1566 to his death, in May 1572. He was an ...

in 1569 it was assigned for this use from compline of 2 February until compline of

Wednesday of Holy Week In Christianity, Holy Wednesday commemorates the Bargain of Judas as a clandestine spy among the disciples. It is also called Spy Wednesday, or Good Wednesday (in Western Christianity), and Great and Holy Wednesday (in Eastern Christianity). I ...

. Since the revision of the Liturgy of the Hours in 1969, the only Marian antiphon for whose use a fixed period is laid down is the

Easter season Eastertide (also known as Eastertime or the Easter season) or Paschaltide (also known as Paschaltime or the Paschal season) is a festal season in the liturgical year of Christianity that focuses on celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. P ...

antiphon ''

Regina caeli "Regina caeli" (; Queen of Heaven) is a musical antiphon addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary that is used in the liturgy of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church during the Easter season, from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. During this seaso ...

''.Hugh Henry, "Ave Regina" in ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' (New York 1907)
/ref> Like the other Marian antiphons, Ave Regina caelorum has been set to polyphonic music by composers such as

Leonel Power Leonel Power (also spelled Lionel, Lyonel, Leonellus, Leonelle; Polbero), c. 1380–1445, was an English composer of the early Renaissance. Along with John Dunstaple he was a dominant figure of 15th-century English music. Mainly a composer of mo ...

(d. 1445),

Guillaume Du Fay Guillaume Du Fay ( , ; also Dufay, Du Fayt; 5 August 1397 – 27 November 1474) was a composer and music theorist of early Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered the leading European composer of h ...

(d. 1474),

Tomás Luis de Victoria Tomás Luis de Victoria (sometimes Italianised as ''da Vittoria''; ) was the most famous Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Orlande de Lassus as among the principal composers of the late Re ...

(1548-1611),

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 ...

, 3 settings, H.22, H.19, H. 45,

Manuel de Sumaya Manuel de Zumaya or Manuel de Sumaya (c. 1678 – December 21, 1755) was perhaps the most famous Mexican composer of the colonial period in New Spain. His music represented the pinnacle of the Baroque in the New World. He holds the distinction of b ...

(1678-1755), and

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

(1732-1809).''Choral Repertoire'' by Dennis Shrock 2009 page 585 The prayer, whose author is unknown, is found in manuscripts from the twelfth century onward.

Text

The antiphon itself consists of two stanzas, each of four lines:

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 ...

, as revised in 1969 after the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

, ends with the antiphon alone. In the earlier

the following

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 ...

and the following prayer are added to the antiphon:

Musical settings

has composed one ''Ave Regina coelorum'' H.19, for 3 voices and bc (1670) and one ''Ave Regina coelorum'' H.45 (1690) for soloists, chorus, 2 violins and bc.

also composed an ''Ave Regina Caelorum'', but instead written for 4 voices (SATB).

References

External links

"Ave Regina Caelorum" Gregorian Chant
* {{Authority control Marian antiphons Marian devotions

Text

Musical settings

See also

References

External links