Ave regina caelorum [098]

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

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AC098 Ave regina coelorum 8 vv

Type

Motet

Scores

Ave regina coelorum

Polyphonic ensemble SATBXXXX

Two contrasting choirs. Ch. I: C-C1; Sp-C1; A-C3; Q-C4. Range, c-d’’. Ch. II: O-C3; Sx-C4; T-C4; B-F4. Range, F-f’. Chant (App. 2) is only employed for the first two textual phrases (“ave…angelorum” and “salve…orta”) where it permeates the texture; for the salutation “ave,” chant lies in the second voice from the bottom. Formal structure is particularly delineated through high (Ch. I) and low (Ch. II) choirs. Phrase one (”ave…coelorum”) is relegated to Ch. I, phrase two (“ave…angelorum”) to Ch. II all within an imitative, polyphonic fabric. Notably, the initial music for both “ave” phrases is identical to that of the opening “ave” of Palestrina’s 5 vv setting of Ave regina coelorum (AC 97). The final two phrases (“gaude…speciosa” and “vale…exora”) exhibit two to four-measure phrases in alternating choirs in homorhythmic style and culminate in a tutti for “vale…exora.” The Pre-Tridentine text reflects declamatory style with occasional melismas (“salve”). To complement trochaic prosody, “gaude gloriosa,” notated as M, Sm, M, Sm, M, M interprets the inherent textual prosody (long-short) within duple mensuration and homorhythmic style (mm. 22-4).[1] Final F, b♭ signature.

1. The same principle is applied to “gaude gloriosa” in Ave regina caelorum settings by Balbi (AC015), Cartari (AC026) and Vecchi (AC132).

Associated people

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - Composer

Creation place and date

No information.

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

[Palestrina, 1937, vol. 8]

Palestrina, G. P. da, 1937, Le opere complete, Casimiri R. (éd.), Rome.
(n° 31)

[Pierluigi da Palestrina's Werke 3]

Palestrina, P. da, 1869, Pierluigi da Palestrina’s Werke, Haberl F. X. et Espagne F. (éd.), Leipzig.
(n° 31)

References

No information.

Contributors

Harry Elzinga - Project manager ; Scientific editor

Ailin Arjmand - Collaborative work

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Ave regina caelorum [098], in RicercarDataLab [https://ricercardatalab.cesr.univ-tours.fr/works/1414/] (accessed 22 January 2026).

Last modification: Dec. 11, 2025