AVE REGINA CAELORUM

Ave Regina Caelorum (Hail, Queen of Heaven) is one of the four ancient prayers collectively known as the Marian Antiphons. Together with the Alma Redemptoris Mater, Regina Coeli, and Salve Regina the four antiphons are assigned to a portion of the church year and sung folloing the evening Offices of Vespers or Compline. Ave Regina Caelorum is used from the Feast of the Purification of Mary (The Presentation of the Lord) on February 2, through the Wednesday of Holy Week. The origin of the Ave Regina Caelorum prayer is unknown but it appears in the Saint Alban's Book of the twelfth century.

Recorded on:

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Concerto Della Donna
Iwan Edwards, conductor

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I GOT ME FLOWERS

I Got Me Flowers is the latter half of George Herbert's poem, Easter, selected from his collection of sacred poetry The Temple (published posthumously in 1633). Herbert was raised in a politically-ambitious and wealthy family, attended Cambridge and was an MP for two years. He gave this up in favour of the priesthood, serving at a small parish near Salisbury where he wrote much of his poetry.

Herbert is grouped together with other seventeenth-century "metaphysical" poets such as John Donne and Henry Vaughan (see Allan Bevan's Three Motets on Texts of Henry Vaughan). The "metaphysicals" are appreciated for their striking imagery and for their metrical innovations. I Got Me Flowers describes events of Holy Week and Easter in a personal manner. The "flowers to straw thy way" bring to mind Christ's triumphnat entry into Jerusalem, while the remainder of the poem concerns itself with Easter Day, declaring it incomparable amongst the "three hundred" other days of the year.

HURON CAROL (SSAA)

Recorded on:

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And On Earth Peace
Heruvymy Ukrainian Female Quartet

Recorded on:

Parlez-moi
Concerto Della Donna
Iwan Edwards, conductor