Anthem to Our Lady

[FrGareth]

I've just prayed Compline (before going online? - well, it's better than praying blearily afterwards ) and it got me wondering what others among us (if we pray Compline in private or corporarely) do with the Anthems.

At seminary, the pre-Vat-II tradition was followed, Alma Redemptoris Mater from Advent to 2 Feb and then Ave Regina Caeolorum onwards and through Lent (and almost always in Latin).

My own personal practice is to try to harmonise with the post-Vat-II seasons, so having used the Alma throughout Advent, I switch to Ave Regina Caeolorum - and I often make use of the English translations in the Breviary.

#117, the English Alma, fits the tune of "Tell out my soul"... at least until the last line which is 2 syllables longer than one would expect.

#119, the English Ave Regina Caeolorum fits to Jerusalem!

This does mean I have to resist the temptation to use #125 in Christmastide, an English setting of the Salve Regina which can be sung to Good King Wenceslaus!

Come Lent, I will be back to O Sanctissima #126 or its English equivalent #127. But (not being gifted at sight-reading, so practicing the Radio 4 discipline of "One song to the tune of another") I'm still scratching my head to find a 10.7.10.7 tune which I might know from some other context. Any suggestions?

[musicus]

I thought I'd take a look at these texts, but lacking a breviary, I Googled and came up with http://www.breviary.net , which looked promising. You have to register in order to get past the home page, so I did so and logged in. I was then presented with a couple of options to sign up for a paid subscription! Now, I don't object to this in principle, but it seems disingenuous not to flag this up from the start.

It occurs to me that I may well find these texts in my Shorter Morning and Evening Prayer. If so, I will give some thought to suitable tunes. (Indeed, there may be fruitful work here for the composers among us.)

[FrGareth]

In the Shorter M&EP, see pages 315-318.

In the full M&EP, see pages 685-688.

In Volumes I, II and III of the Divine Office, the Marian anthems follow the poems in the Appendix of hymns.

if you have "Daily Prayer" you are on your own - I don't have a copy!

[docmattc]

Almost all of my resources are packed away in boxes ready to move house, but in Laudate there is only one piece that's 10.7.10.7, and its 10.7.10.7 + refrain. Its 734, Reap me the Earth, the 2nd tune for which is written by one John Ainslie.

[keitha]

You could try "Schonster Herr Jesu", which is 10.7 10.7 and is no 323 in The English Hymnal. If you pm me with an email address, I will email the tune to you.

[musicus]

In the Shorter M&EP, see pages 315-318...

Very helpful. Thank you, Fr G.

[Lakelark]

The traditional tune for O Sanctissima and for the English version which is in The Divine Office is an 18th-century Sicilian melody, called (not surprisingly) O Sanctissima. I've found the melody, unharmonised, at
http://romaaeterna.jp/basil/sb126.html
You can play a midi of this melody, and it wouldn't be too difficult to busk some harmonies if you wanted.

[gwyn]

Good find Lakelark. It's a lovely tune, Fr. O'Maley sang it nicely in "The Bells of Saint Mary's" iirc.

We often wheel it out her at Sunny Abergavenny-on-Sea, they hymn that is, not the filum.

[VML]

That's the tune we used to sing at school, about the time we were treated to 'The Bells of St Mary's' for Reverend Mother's feastday treat...