' (''Hail Holy Queen'', literally: Hail, Queen) is a composition for organ by

Olivier Latry Olivier Jean-Claude Latry (born 22 February 1962) is a French organist, improviser, and composer. He is professor of organ in the Conservatoire de Paris. He became interested in the organ after listening to recordings by Pierre Cochereau. His ...

, a meditation of the Latin

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

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 ...

". Each of the seven movements reflects one line of the hymn which can optionally be sung in

chant A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of n ...

before the related movement. The work was first performed on 9 October 2007 by the composer at Notre Dame in Paris, recorded there and published by .

History

Latry, organist at Notre Dame in Paris, is known as an improviser. He realised the idea of commenting the

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe dur ...

of the

Marian hymn Marian hymns are Christian songs focused on Mary, mother of Jesus. They are used in both devotional and liturgical services, particularly by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. They are often used in the mont ...

by organ music first in improvisation in Lawrence at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

in 1999 in the final concert of a conference of church music. The composer performed the work first at the ' of Notre Dame on 9 October 2007, with singer Emmanuel Bouquet and the Maîtrise Notre Dame de Paris. It was published by . Latry recorded it along with other contemporary compositions related to Mary. He played the United States premiere at

St. Ignatius Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, ...

in New York City on April 15, 2009.

Structure and music

Each of the seven movements reflects one line of the hymn which can optionally be sung in chant before the related movement. The singing can be performed by a female or male soloist, a schola or a children's choir. The movement are contrasting in character. : I – (With the freedom of Gregorian chant) : II – (Calm) : III – (Hammered, wild) : IV – (Dark, relentless) : V – (Profound) : VI – (Like a slow procession) : VII The work takes about 23 minutes to perform. Latry expresses the different emotions of the calls to Mary by markings which focus more on the mood than the tempo. ' (Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy) has the liberty of Gregorian chant. ' (Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope) is calm. ' (To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve) is an exclamation, hammering and wild. ' (To thee do we send forth our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears) appears dark and relentless. ' (Turn then, most gracious advocate, Thine eyes of mercy toward us) is profound. ' (And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus) is a slow procession. The last call ' (O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary) has no marking. It ends like bells. The composer wrote in his program notes for the US premiere of Christians in "moments of deep faith, joy, doubt, incomprehension, despair, rebellion, hope, bliss and beatitude", expressed in the reflections of the invocation to Mary. The reviewer of a performance on 7 November in St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden, interpreted by

Gabriel Dessauer Gabriel Dessauer (born 4 December 1955) is a German cantor, concert organist, and academic. He was responsible for the church music at St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden from 1981 to 2021, conducting the Chor von St. Bonifatius until 2018. He is an inte ...

, described the work as surprisingly retrospect ("erstaunlich rückwärtsgewandt") and noted that it made the listener feel the complete cosmos of humanity, including the cruelty and violence, from which to be freed the prayer requests ("den gesamten Kosmos des Menschlichen nachempfinden ließ, einschließlich der Grausamkeit und Gewalt, aus der in diesem Gebet um Errettung gebeten wird").

References

{{Reflist , 30em , refs = {{cite web , last = Bragg , first = Chris , url = http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2008/June08/Salve_Regina_hortus056.htm , title = Salve Regina , publisher = musicweb-international.com , accessdate = 12 October 2015 {{cite news , last = Kösterke , first = Doris , url = http://www.wiesbadener-kurier.de/lokales/kultur/lokale-kultur/150-chorsaenger-erarbeiten-an-einem-tag-auffuehrung-zweier-kompositionen-von-gabriel-faure_16360973.htm , title = 150 Chorsänger erarbeiten an einem Tag Aufführung zweier Kompositionen von Gabriel Fauré , date = 9 November 2015 , newspaper =

Wiesbadener Kurier The ''Wiesbadener Kurier'' (also known as the WK) is a regional, daily newspaper published by the ''Wiesbadener Kurier GmbH & Co. Verlag und Druckerei KG'' for the area in and around the state capital of Hesse, Wiesbaden in Germany Ge ...

, language = German , accessdate = 10 November 2015 {{cite web , last = Ziegler , first = Scott R. , url = http://www.scottrziegler.com/uploads/9/6/4/3/9643652/realrecitalprogram.pdf , title = Salve Regina , publisher =

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, New Jersey The Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the fifth-largest cathedral in North America, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. It is located at 89 Ridge Street in the Lower Broadway neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey. ...

, access-date = 18 October 2015 , url-status = dead , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094518/http://www.scottrziegler.com/uploads/9/6/4/3/9643652/realrecitalprogram.pdf , archive-date = 4 March 2016 , df = {{cite book , title = 21. Wiesbadener Bachwochen / Vom Himmel auf Erden , publisher = Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Gesellschaft Wiesbaden , year = 2015 , pages = 15 , language = German {{cite book , title = Olivier Latry / Salve Regina , publisher = Universal Edition , year = 2001

External links

* John Terauds
Olivier Latry dazzles at the organ of Notre-Dame in Paris
Musical Toronto 8 August 2013 Latry 2001 compositions