Today being the feast of the
Queenship of Mary, I thought of giving you a brief reflection on one of the
most popular prayers or hymns of the Catholic Church. The Salve Regina, or Hail
Holy Queen was composed during the Middle Ages by German monk Hermann of
Reichenau. It was always sung or recited in Latin especially among monks during
Compline, the prayer that is said in the evening. It is said that St Bernard,
while acting as legate Apostolic in Germany, on Christmas Eve, 1146, he entered
the cathedral to the processional chanting of the anthem, and, as he
genuflected three times, he uttered the words "O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria," and these words were added to the Salve Regina. The
Salve Regina is traditionally sung at the end of a priest's funeral Mass out of
reverence to Mary, the Mother of Christ, the High Priest, and all Priests. As a
prayer, it is commonly said at the end of the rosary. The hymn has been set to music by various
composers, including Victoria, Palestrina, Josquin and Lassus. Handel and Liszt
composed their own settings in later years. Schubert composed no less than four
versions. In 1976 the words of the first verse of the Salve Regina were used as
a repeating theme in the song 'Oh What a Circus' in the musical Evita, with music by Andrew Lloyd
Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Hail our life, our
sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, Poor banished children of Eve; To
thee do we send forth our sighs, Mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, Thine eyes of mercy toward us; And after
this our exile, Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O
loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
No comments:
Post a Comment