Ave regina caelorum [013]

Giovanni Matteo Asola

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AC013 Ave regina coelorum 12 vv

Type

Motet

Scores

Ave regina coelorum

Polyphonic ensemble SSSAAATTTBBB

Three contrasting choirs. Chr. I: C-G2; A-C2; T-C3; B-C4. Range, c-g’’. Chr. II: C-G2; A-C1; T-C2; B-C3. Range, g-g’’. Chr. III: C-C1; A-C2; T-C3; B-F3.[1] Range c-c’’. High clefs. No evidence of chant. Ave regina coelorum verses, textual phrases and specific words are delineated through antiphonal techniques and harmonic goals. Asola explores contrast of tone color of the three choirs as well as various choir combinations. Approximately three-quarters of the antiphon is devoted to statements of individual words (e.g., “salve,” mm. 19-24), brief phrases (e.g., “vale, valde,” mm. 46-8 and “et pro nobis,” mm. 56-9) and complete textual phrases equally distributed between individual choirs (Chr. I, 19 mm.; Chr. II, 20 mm.; and Chr. III 17 mm.). Choir I opens with “Ave…coelorum” followed by a tutti with the same text; choir II presents “Ave…angelorum” with a response of the same text by Chrs. I and III. Except for the silence that prepares the second and final tutti, “semper…exora” (mm. 67-73), overlapping phrases prevail; however, at some points of intersection, individual choirs may not be harmonically complete. Cadential goals of three statements of “super…speciosa” are related by interval of a third (C, Chr. I; E, Chr. II; G, Chr. III). Except for the textual phrase “salve radix, salve porta,” that reflects Tridentine usage, a Pre-Tridentine text has been set. Final C.

1. Asola’s Regina coeli (RC015), also published in Asola 1599, includes identical high clefs for the three choirs.

Associated people

Giovanni Matteo Asola - Composer

Creation place and date

No information.

Associated sources

Sung texts

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Ave, regina caelorum,
Ave, domina angelorum:
Salve, radix, salve, porta,
Ex qua mundo lux est orta:

Gaude, virgo gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa,
Vale, o valde decora,
Et pro nobis Christum exora.

***

Pre-Tridentine version:

Ave regina coelorum,
Ave, domina angelorum,
Salve radix sancta
Ex qua mundo lux est orta:

Gaude gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa:
Vale, valde decora,
Et pro nobis semper Christum exora.
Et pro nobis Christum exora.

***

Tridentine version:

Ave regina coelorum
Ave, domina angelorum,
Salve radix, salve porta
Ex qua mundo lux est orta:

Gaude virgo gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa:
Vale, o valde decora,
Et pro nobis Christum exora.

Bibliography

Modern editions

No information.

References

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Contributors

Harry Elzinga - Project manager ; Scientific editor

Ailin Arjmand - Collaborative work

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https://ricercardatalab.cesr.univ-tours.fr/works/1329/

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Ave regina caelorum [013], in RicercarDataLab [https://ricercardatalab.cesr.univ-tours.fr/works/1329/] (accessed 21 January 2026).

Last modification: Dec. 10, 2025