"Ave Regina caelorum" is one of the Marian antiphons said or sung in the

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') 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 ...

at the close of compline. In the Roman Breviary as revised by

Pope Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...

in 1569 it was assigned for this use from compline of 2 February until compline of Wednesday of Holy Week. 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 ...

antiphon '' Regina caeli''.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''; 1370 to 1385 – 5 June 1445) was an English composer of the late Medieval and early Renaissance music. Along with John Dunstaple, he was a dominant figure of 15th ...

(d. 1445),

Guillaume Du Fay Guillaume Du Fay ( , ; also Dufay, Du Fayt; 5 August 1397(?) – 27 November 1474) was a French composer and music theorist of the early Renaissance. Considered the leading European composer of his time, his music was widely performed and repr ...

(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 Ren ...

(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'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

, 3 settings, H.22, H.19, H. 45 and Joseph Haydn (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, as revised in 1969 after the

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, ends with the antiphon alone. In the earlier Roman Breviary the following

versicle In Christian liturgical worship, preces ( ; ), also known in the Anglican prayer book tradition as the suffrages, are short petitions that are said or sung as versicles and responses by the officiant and congregation respectively. It is one of th ...

(℣) and response (℟) 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.

References

External links

"Ave Regina Caelorum" Gregorian Chant
* {{Virgin Mary Marian antiphons Marian devotions

Text

Musical settings

See also

References

External links