Posted on by Jeffrey Tucker

Quiz: What is the Marian Antiphon for Advent?

The answer is: Alma Redemptoris Mater. One might suppose that because it is one of the main Marian antiphons of the Church year that it would be in every Church hymnal. Right? Well, there seems to be missing sense of this in Portland, Oregon, because this antiphon does not appear in the otherwise sizeable Heritage Missal of the Oregon Catholic Press. It’s like it doesn’t exist. Ave Maria and Salve Regina are there but not Alma Redemtoris. This is the sort of problem I keep drawing attention to: if we are to sing like Catholic people, we need to sing Catholic music. If that music – even simple Marian antiphons for the liturgical season – has just gone missing from our hymnals, we are stuck unless there is a pastor or music director who understands and cares about these things.

OCP might respond that this antiphon does not fare well in its annual music survey. Perhaps that is right. But how can it when it doesn’t appear and hasn’t appeared for years in their material? If the problem is a fear of printing non-copyright-protected music, they might consider commissioning someone in the building to set an English text underneath so that they can copyright it. In any case, surely there is some workaround that OCP could pursue to at least get the main core of Catholic music in a Catholic hymnal.

You can download this and hundreds of other Catholic hymns from the Parish Book of Chant (PDF and buy link).

Here is the most simple setting that most parishes would, could, should sing:

Here is the solemn version, which (for whatever reason) is the one I know best:

Here is another monastic version:

Here is what is apparently the most famous polyphonic version by Palestrina (we sang one by Guerrero this morning):

9 Replies to “Quiz: What is the Marian Antiphon for Advent?”

  1. A Catholic hymnal, by definition, has minimal requirements. Addressing God as "Mother" or "she" would not fulfill those requirements. By the same token, their "annual music survey" should not be the final determining factor, in what is or is not included in a hymnal. It is disconcerting enough that sufficient turnover in musical sensibilities requires them to publish a new one every year.

  2. I am only a simple organist and singer in a Schola. I am also a Secular Franciscan who is required to say the liturgy of the hours. The Marion antiphon for Advent is indeed the Alma Redemptoris. Even if it is not in your parish hymnal, it can be played as a prelude or communion meditation. If you have no Schola or Choir to sing it in its original Latin chant, versions of it in English or in choir arrangements can be found. A particularly beautiful one is Chepponis' mother of the Redeemer.

  3. St. Joan of Arc's Adult choir sang the simple setting at today's 10:30 mass under the inspirational musicianship of Adam Bartlett. I think you know him ;-). It was amazing. And yes, I saw people dabbing at their eyes. Ahhh, I love sacred music.

  4. I don't buy into David's hermeneutic of subtraction, but Alma Redemptoris Mater does belong in a Catholic hymnal. Choral music is nice, but the ideal would be a setting everyone can sing.

    But it is an antiphon, though an optional one, for the end of Compline. The priorities would be a few settings of the Canticle of Simeon, and the common psalms for Night Prayer, along with ARM.

    I've played it a number of times myself. People recognize it either on piano or guitar.

  6. Daehenob (Rick) — my gosh, that Victoria/Chanticleer is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing it!

    Anyone who has the good fortune to hear that music in church would surely be moved to prayer.

  9. Basically, I like research because research is like to solve the quiz, you know. Always there is a problem, and I have to solve the problem. So I like those patterns. It's almost like research is sort of in a quiz.

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