Ave Regina caelorum
The Ave Regina caelorum is sung as the concluding votive antiphon of the Divine Office during the pre-Lent and Lenten seasons, i.e. from the Feast of the Presentation (2nd February) until Maundy Thursday.
It appears to be of monastic origin but the author is unknown (dating from around the 12th century). Herman Contractus
(1013–1054) is often suggested as the author, for he wrote several popular Marian antiphons around then. This antiphon is one of the traditional concluding antiphons for Compline in use since the 13th century. It is traditionally recited from the Feast of the Purification (Feb. 2) until Wednesday in Holy Week.
View the Wikipedia article on Ave Regina caelorum.
Notes on selected settings
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Settings by composers (automatically updated)
- Johann Kaspar Aiblinger — Latin SATB
- Johann Kaspar Aiblinger — Latin SATB
- Gregor Aichinger — Latin SATB
- Gregor Aichinger — Latin SST
- Gregor Aichinger — Latin SATB
- Ambrosian chant — Latin Unison
- Felice Anerio — Latin SATB.SATB
- Anonymous — Latin SATB
- Anonymous — Latin SATTB
- Anonymous — Latin ATT
- Benedict Anton Aufschnaiter — Latin SATB
- Jacques-Louis Battmann — Latin SATB
- Giacomo Benincasa — Latin SATB.SATB
- Giuseppe Antonio Bernabei — Latin SSAATBB
- William Byrd — Latin ATTTB, ATTBB
- William Byrd — Latin AATB
- Franz Bühler — Latin SATB
- Floriano Canale — Latin SATB
- Floriano Canale — Latin SATB
- Michel' Angelo Cancineo — Italian SATB
- Francesco Cavalli — Latin TB
- Hugo de la Chapelle — Latin SATBB
- Mark Chapman — Latin SSSAAA
- Marc-Antoine Charpentier — Latin SS
- Marc-Antoine Charpentier — Latin SSA
- Marc-Antoine Charpentier — Latin SS
- Sebastiano Cherici — Latin SAB
- Giovanni Battista Chinelli — Latin SAT
- Loyset Compère — Latin SATB
- Carlo Cozzi — Latin SAB
- Guillaume Dufay — Latin SATB
- Guillaume Dufay — Latin STT
- Guillaume Dufay — Latin ATT
- John Dunstable — Latin SAT
- Carlotta Ferrari — Latin SSA
- Costanzo Festa — Latin SATTBB
- Amadio Freddi — Latin SATTB
- Fabio Fresi — Latin SAATB, SATTB
- Johann Joseph Fux — Latin SATB
- Robert Führer — Latin SATB
- Robert Führer — Latin SATB
- Andrea Gabrieli — Latin SATB.ATTB, ATBB.TBBB
- Mariano Garau — Latin ST
- Mariano Garau — Latin SAA
- Mariano Garau — Latin SATB
- Mariano Garau — Latin SATB
- Elzear Genet — Latin STTB
- Carlo Gesualdo — Latin SATTB
- Eliseo Ghibel — Latin ATTBB
- Nicolas Gombert — Latin SATTB
- Charles Gounod — Latin ST
- Charles Gounod — Latin TTBB
- Charles Gounod — Latin SATB
- Alessandro Grandi — Latin SSATB
- Peter Griesbacher — Latin SATB
- Francisco Guerrero — Latin SATB
- Georges Guiraud — Latin Unison
- Johann Michael Haydn — Latin SATB.SATB
- Oliver Hayes — Latin SATB
- Bernard Hellebusch — Latin SATB
- Josquin des Prez — Latin SATB
- Karl Kempter — Latin SAB
- Jacobus de Kerle — Latin SATTB
- Marianus Königsperger — Latin SATB
- Marianus Königsperger — Latin SATB
- Pierre La Fage — Latin SSAB
- Pierre de la Rue — Latin SATB
- Orlando di Lasso — Latin STB
- Orlando di Lasso — Latin SSATTB
- Orlando di Lasso — Latin SAATBB
- Jan Le Febure — Latin SSATB
- Isabella Leonarda — Latin ATTB
- Caroline Lesemann-Elliott — Latin AATB
- Caroline Lesemann-Elliott — English SATB
- Alonso Lobo — Latin SSATB, AATBB
- Antonio Lotti — Latin SATB
- Jacquet de Mantua — Latin SATTB
- Menegali — Latin TTB
- Marco Molinari — Latin SATB
- Cristóbal de Morales — Latin SAATB
- Sigismund Ritter von Neukomm — Latin SSA
- José Maurício Nunes Garcia — Latin SATB
- Diego Ortiz — Latin SATTTB
- Juan Gutierrez de Padilla — Latin SATB.SATB
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina — Latin SATTB
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina — Latin SSSA
- Fabrizio Perone — Latin SATB
- Peter Philips — Latin SSATB
- Costanzo Porta — Latin ATTBB
- Costanzo Porta — Latin SATB
- Leonel Power — Latin ATB
- Valentin Rathgeber — Latin SATB
- Josef Rheinberger — Latin SATB
- Josef Rheinberger — Latin SATB
- Josef Rheinberger — Latin SATB, SSATTB, SATTB,SSAATTB,SATB.SATB
- Giovanni Battista Riccio — Latin Solo Soprano
- Giovanni Antonio Rigatti — Latin Solo Soprano
- Andrea Rota — Latin SATB.SATB
- Andrea Rota — Latin SAATTB
- Giovanni Rovetta — Latin TTB
- Giovanni Rovetta — Latin Solo SB
- Giovanni Rovetta — Latin SS,TT
- Antonio Sacchini — Latin Solo Soprano
- Juan García de Salazar — Latin SATB
- Andreas de Silva — Latin SATTB
- Francesco Soriano — Latin SATB
- Maximilian Stadler — Latin SATB
- Stefan Stocker — Latin SAB
- Francisco Valls — Latin SATB.SATB
- Tomás Luis de Victoria — Latin SAATB
- Tomás Luis de Victoria — Latin SATB.SATB
- Scott Villard — Latin SATB
- Samuel Webbe — Latin SATB
- Samuel Webbe — Latin SS
- Samuel Webbe — Latin SATB
- Jan Dismas Zelenka — Latin SATB
- Works that currently have no editions available:
- Giovanni Francesco Anerio — Ave regina caelorum
Text and translations
The text of this antiphon appears to have remained fairly unchanged since the 12th century, lines 3 & 8 being standardized as noted below in the Breviary of Pope Clement VIII, published in 1602. Dufay's setting is unique in ending with an Alleluia, which probably stems from the earlier use of the antiphon at the Annunciation.
 Latin textAve Regina coelorum, |
 English translationHail, Queen of Heaven. |
 Spanish translationSalve, reina de los cielos, |
 Vietnamese translationKính lạy Bà, Vị Nữ Hoàng Thiên Quốc, |
Caswall's 77. 77 metric paraphrase text Hail, O Queen of Heav'n enthron'd, |
In the context of Compline a versicle & response as well as a collect follow, rarely if ever set to music:
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V. Allow me to praise thee, holy Virgin. R. Give me strength against thy enemies. |