TRACK LIST
Simple
Tone
[1]
Alma Redemptoris Mater; [2] Ave Maria; [3] Ave Maris Stella; [4] Ave
Regina caelorum; [5] Regina caeli; [6] Salve Regina.
Solemn
Tone
[7]
Alma Redemptoris Mater; [8] Ave Regina caelorum; [9] Regina caeli; Salve
Regina.
Five
Marian Motets (de Satgé)
[11]
Alma Redemptoris Mater; [12] Ave Maria; [13] Ave Regina caelorum; [14]
Regina caeli; [15] Salve Regina.
Other
Motets
[16]
Magnificat for Soprano Solo (de Satgé); [17] Ave Maria (Arcadelt).
Plainsong
Hymns
[18]
Caelestis aulae Nuntius; [19] Inviolata; [20] Jam toto subitus; [21] O lux
beata; [22] Sub tuum; [23] Te gestientem gaudiis.
Plainsong
Propers
[24]
Salve Sancta Parens (Introit for
Mary, Mother of God); [25] Felix
namque es (Offertory for Mary, Mother of God); [26]
Benedicta et venerabilis es,
(Gradual for Vigil of the Assumption); [27] Gaudeamus omnes
(Introit for the Assumption); [28]
Assumpta est Maria (Offertory
for the Assumption); [29] Tota
pulchra es, Maria (Alleluia verse for Immaculate Conception); [30]
Magnificat with Antiphon (Communion for Feasts of Our Lady).
English
Hymns in Harmony
[31]
Ave Maria! O Maiden, O Mother; [32] Hail, Queen of the heavens!; [33]
Hail, Queen of the heaven, the ocean star; [34] Hail, Ocean Star!; [35]
Holy Virgin, by God's decree (arranged de Satgé); [36] Immaculate Mary
(Lourdes Hymn); [37] Maiden yet a mother; [38] The Lord, whom earth and
air and sea.
COPYRIGHT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Tracks
11-15 from Five Marian Motets –(The Music Makers 1998)
Track 16 Magnificat for Soprano Solo –(The Music Makers 1999)
Track 31 Ave Maria, O Maiden, O Mother music by Richard Terry (Burns &
Oates)
Track 34 Hail, Ocean Star - music by Richard Terry (Burns & Oates)
Track 35 Holy Virgin, by God’s decree – melody Paul Décha, words Raymond
Lawrence (Kevin Mayhew Ltd 1988) arrangement The Music Makers (2006)
The CD contains a wide range of Marian music, with the hope of satisfying most tastes. It begins with well known plainsong Antiphons to Our Lady in Simple and Solemn Tones, which cover the liturgical year.
Five Marian Motets (tracks 11-15) are simple 4-part settings of the Antiphon texts. Published by The Music Makers, they are deliberately designed for performance by amateur parish choirs and can be seen to derive from the spirit of Gregorian chant. Indeed the Salve Regina has the Simple Tone interwoven between the parts.
No CD of music to Our Lady should be without a Magnificat and we have included two contrasting versions. I have always seen the Magnificat as something that really should be sung by a woman – the total joy and abandonment to Almighty God expressed by Mary as she learned she was to bear a child is a great marvel. Magnificat for Soprano Solo aims to express the wonder of the Annunciation. Although this requires a soprano of considerable skill and dexterity, the accompaniment is very simple and the music is not difficult to perform.
We have included the Ave Maria by Jacob Arcadelt (c.1505-1568) because it is a classic and a delight in every way and relatively easy to perform. Although widely available elsewhere, the sheet music for this may be bought from The Music Makers.
(Tracks 18-23) There are a number of plainsong hymns to Our Lady that have largely been forgotten since Vatican II and I am delighted to include some of these, which are both beautiful and evocative. Caelestis aulae Nuntius, and Te gestientem gaudiis are two of four hymns from the Roman Breviary for the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary (Oct. 7). The hymns were composed by Fr. Ricchini in 1757 and first appeared in the Dominican Breviary and were later added to the Roman Breviary. The subject of all four hymns are the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary. The first three hymns deal with each set of Mysteries: the Joyous, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious. Te gestientem gaudiis is a short summary of the first three hymns : -
1) Te gestientem gaudiis, te sauciam doloribus, te iugi amictam gloria, o Virgo Mater, pangimus (The gladness of thy Motherhood, the anguish of thy suffering, the glory now that crowns thy brow, O Virgin Mother, we would sing.) 2) Ave, redundans gaudio dum concipis, dum visitas; et edis, offers, invenis, Mater beata, Filium (Hail, blessed Mother, full of joy in thy consent, thy visit too; joy in the birth of Christ on earth, joy in Him lost and found anew.) 3) Ave, dolens, et intimo in corde agonem, verbera, spinas crucemque Filii perpessa, princeps martyrum. (Hail, sorrowing in His agony the blows, the thorns that pierced His brow; the heavy wood, the shameful Rood Yea! Queen and chief of Martyrs thou). 4) Ave, in triumphis Filii, in ignibus Paracliti, in regni honore et lumine, Regina fulgens gloria. (Hail, in the triumph of thy Son, the quickening flames of Pentecost; shining a Queen in light serene, when all the world is tempest-tossed). 5) Venite, gentes, carpite ex his rosas mysteriis, et pulchri amoris inclitae Matri coronas nectite. (O come, ye nations, roses bring, culled from these mysteries divine, and for the Mother of your King with loving hands your chaplets twine). 6) Iesu, tibi sit gloria, qui natus es de Virgine, cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, in sempiterna saecula. (All honour, laud, and glory be, O Jesu, Virgin-born to Thee; All glory, as is ever meet, To Father and to Paraclete.)
The hymn Inviolata dates from the 11th Century and Sub tuum praesidium (Under your protection) is the oldest Antiphon to the Blessed Virgin Mary from the see of Alexandria in the third century.
Jam toto subitus (Now let the darling eve) is a Hymn for Vespers for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (15th September). It is attributed to Callisto Palumbella who lived in the 18th century. Written by Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903), O lux beata caelitum. is used for Vespers on the Feast of the Holy Family (Sunday after Christmas).
The music for all these plainsong hymns is available in modern notation from The Music Makers (Catalogue R023).
Although arguably less easy for amateur parish choirs to perform, it seemed appropriate to include several of the Propers (tracks 24-30) attributed to some of the Feasts of Our Lady. Salve Sancta Parens is the Introit for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (1st January) and Felix namque es the Offertory verse for the same. Benedicta et venerabilis es is the Gradual for the Vigil of the Assumption (evening of 14th August) and Gaudeamus omnes and Assumpta est Maria are the Introit and Offertory for the Assumption (15th August). Tota pulchra es is the Alleluia verse for the Immaculate Conception (8th December). The music (plainsong notation) for these and other Propers may be found in the Gregorian Missal published by Solesmes.
In order to include a simple plainsong setting of the Magnificat as a contrast to the one for soprano solo we include one from the Graduale Simplex which is to be sung with an antiphon between each verse. This is to be sung during Communion on any Feast of Our Lady.
Lastly, for lovers of harmonised hymns in the vernacular we have included a few favourites. All but three of these hymns may be found in The Catholic Hymn Book published by Gracewing. Ave Maria! O Maiden, O Mother is to be found in Hymns Old & New and as the popular hymn, Holy Virgin, by God’s decree is usually sung in unison, we have made a 4 part arrangement of this, ideally to be sung a cappella.
Jeremy de Satgé
June 2006
OTHER NOTES
Schola Cantamus was founded in 1992 by Jeremy de Satgé as an occasional professional choir to sing at weddings, funerals and other church services as well as concerts.
Copyright
The Music Makers, June 2006
Recorded in London, June 2005 by Schola Cantamus
Singers: Rachel Chapman, Clare Wilkinson, Adam Tunnicliffe & Jeremy de Satgé
Directed and produced by Jeremy de Satgé
Recorded and mixed by Colour Blind
Cover
image: Coronation of the Virgin Mary
by Francis Hoyland
INDEX
OF HARMONY HYMN TUNES
Track 31 Ave Maria! O Maiden, O Mother; (Ave
Maria, R.R. Terry); 32 Hail, Queen of the heavens! (Joanna,
Trad.); 33 Hail, Queen of the heaven, the ocean star (Stella,
Trad.); 34 Hail, Ocean Star! (Laurence,
R.R. Terry); 35 Holy Virgin, by God's decree (Vierge Sainte, melody Paul Décha, arranged de Satgé); 36
Immaculate Mary (Lourdes Hymn, Trad.);
37 Maiden yet a mother (Une vaine crainte,
Trad.); 38 The Lord, whom earth and air and sea (Eisenach,
J.H. Schein, arr J.S. Bach).
SHEET MUSIC SOURCES
For those wishing to perform the music contained on the CD, the following is a list of where the music might be found:
Tracks 1-10 from Plainsong to Our Lady in Modern Notation (The Music Makers – R023)
Tracks 11-15 from Five Marian Motets (The Music Makers –L008)
Track 16 Magnificat for Soprano Solo (The Music Makers –L012)
Track 17 Arcadelt’s Ave Maria (The Music Makers) and elsewhere
Tracks 18-23 from Plainsong to Our Lady in Modern Notation (The Music Makers –R023)
Tracks 24-29 from Gregorian Missal (published by Solesmes)
Track 30 from Plainsong to Our Lady in Modern Notation (The Music Makers) and elsewhere
Track 31 from Hymns Old & New (published by Kevin Mayhew) and elsewhere
Tracks 32 & 34 not readily available but may be purchased from The Music Makers upon request
Tracks 33 & 35-38 from The Catholic Hymn Book (published by Gracewing) and elsewhere.