In honour of Our Lady’s Assumption, which we celebrated liturgically last week, I would like to highlight two pieces of sacred music in this post.
The first is a hymn that traces its roots to the 17th century. In 1687, a German priest named Johann Georg Seidenbusch published a hymn entitled “Gegrüßet seist du, Königin,” or “Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above” in English.
The hymn is essentially a metrical vernacular version of the Latin prayer Salve Regina. Fr. Seidenbusch used the Latin phrases “Salve Regina” and “Salve Maria” as the refrains of his hymn, which has since been translated into English. The English translation of the hymn first appeared in a hymnal in 1884. Since that time, it has become a popular hymn for the Feast of the Assumption. You can listen a beautiful version of this hymn by clicking here.
The original Salve Regina (or “Hail, Holy Queen,” in English) is much older than the hymn. The Salve Regina’s origin is largely unknown, although it is typically attributed to Blessed Hermann of Reichenau, a German Benedictine monk who lived in the 11th century. Whatever the exact origin of the prayer may be, we know that it was sung at Cluny Abbey, a French Benedictine monastery, by the year 1135. In 1251, the Cistercian Order began to sing the prayer at the end of Compline, or Night Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. This practice became more widespread in the 13th century when Pope Gregory XII ordered that the prayer be chanted after Compline on Fridays. A century later, the prayer became a permanent part of Compline; even to this day, it is sung at the end of that hour in the Divine Office between Trinity Sunday and the First Sunday of Advent.
According to tradition, Our Lady referred to this prayer in an apparition to St. Dominic. The Roman Breviary recounts that when St. Dominic asked Our Lady to say her name, she answered, “I am she whom you invoke every evening: and when you say, ‘Eia ergo, advocata nostra’ [‘Turn then, most gracious Advocate,’] I prostrate myself before my Son, entreating Him to protect this [Dominican] Order.” Thus, when we pray or chant the Salve Regina, we are addressing Our Lady in words that she herself affirmed as powerful.
There is both a solemn tone and a simple tone of plainchant for the Salve Regina. The origins of both chants is unknown, although some speculate that they may have been composed by the same person who penned the words of the prayer. It is also possible that the chants developed in the monasteries where the prayer was first chanted. Regardless of their sources, both chant tones are beautiful hymns in honour of Our Lady, uniting us with the laity, religious, and clergy members who have prayed this hymn each day throughout the centuries. You can listen to the solemn tone of the chant here and the simple tone of the chant here.
Bibliography
Frisk, Sr. M. Jean. “Antiphons.” At University of Dayton, www.udayton.edu.
“Salve Regina.” At History of Creativity, www.historyofcreativity.com.
“Salve Regina: Hail Holy Queen.” From The Roman Breviary. At Preces Latinae, www.preces-latinae.org.
I love both the chant versions of the Salve Regina. I am simply unable to remember it in English at all.
Chant makes all other liturgical music obsolete.