Salve regina [145]

Orlande de Lassus

Full title / Other titles

SR145 Salve regina 6 vv ; 2.p. Ad te suspiramus 4 vv ; 3.p. Et Jesum 6 vv

Type

Motet

Scores

[1] Salve regina

Polyphonic ensemble SSATTB

C I-G2; C II-G2; A-C2; T I-C3; T II-C3; B-F3. High clefs. Entire range, A-a’’. Chant (App. 4) in continuous semibreves serves as a cantus firmus (B) with limited melodic influence upon other voices.[1] An embellished “salve” motto a fifth higher than chant (B) appears in T I; the initial three pitches (T II) duplicate B a third higher and are also presented in C I (e’’, d’’, e’’, mm. 2-3). Brief references to chant associated with “regina” (C I and C II, mm. 4-6), “suspiramus” (C I and C II, mm. 46-8), “advocata” (C I and A, mm. 66-7), “Et Jesum” (C I, mm. 93-4) and “fructum” (T II, T I, C I and C II, mm. 99-102) complete the tally. Within a dense full voice, contrapuntal texture the equal Cantus voices (f’-a’’) frequently exchange melodic material, a procedure that increases tension in verse 9. A descending triad concurrent with “O dulcis,” treated imitatively in C I and C II, also invades the A and T voices. To create dominant/tonic function, Lassus inserts A as the penultimate pitch of B in 1.p. and 3.p. Declamatory text setting prevails. Final d.

1. Lassus treats chant in a similar manner in his Regina caeli (RC114); notated in square black chant notation in sources.
[2] Ad te suspiramus

Polyphonic ensemble

[3] Et Jesum

Polyphonic ensemble SSATTB

Associated people

Orlande de Lassus - Composer

Creation place and date

No information.

Associated sources

Sung texts

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Salve, regina, mater misericordiae;

Vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae.

Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.

Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens,

O pia,

O dulcis virgo Maria.

Bibliography

Modern editions

[Lasso, 1894, vol. 13]

Lasso, O. di, 1894, Sämtliche Werke, F. Haberl et A. Sandberger (éd.), Leipzig.
(n° 527-528-529)

[Lasso, 2002]

Lasso, O. di, 2002, The Complete Motets 19, Bergquist P. (éd.), Madison.
(n° 29)

References

No information.

Contributors

Harry Elzinga - Project manager ; Scientific editor

Ailin Arjmand - Collaborative work

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Salve regina [145], in RicercarDataLab [https://ricercardatalab.cesr.univ-tours.fr/works/2094/] (accessed 25 January 2026).

Last modification: Dec. 2, 2025