Work
Salve Regina
for SATB choir
Borrow/Hire:
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About
The 'Salve Regina’ text is one of the four Marian antiphons – texts associated with the Virgin Mary which are used at various liturgical times of the year in the Roman Catholic church. This one is used from Trinity Sunday (the first Sunday after Pentecost) until just before Advent. Originally these antiphons were used in conjunction with psalms, but since the 13th century they have been independent parts of the liturgy.
This setting begins with one of the Gregorian chants used with this text – the first line for tenors only, and then the second line harmonised. A version of this music reappears later in the work.
Salve Regina was written for the vocal group The Madrigal Companie of New Plymouth. The ensemble had performed a number of works of mine, and when preparing for a concert of Marian music asked about other works of mine. Given that none of my settings of the Magnificat suited the size and combination of voices, I decided to write this short work for the group, aiming for a simple SATB texture with almost no sub-division of parts.
Difficulty note
Suitable for chamber, community and church choirs
Dedication note
Written for The Madrigal Companie, New Plymouth
Text note
Text in Latin