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VICTORIA, Tomas Luis de – Salve Regina (Prayer to the Virgin Mary) – 8 CELLOS or LARGER CELLO ENSEMBLE

Other Identification:
“Victoria” refers to the composer Tomás Luis de Victoria, who set the “Salve Regina,” a Marian hymn meaning “Hail Queen”. His version is a well-known Renaissance polyphonic work, distinct from the “Salve Regina” hymn itself, which is one of the four Marian antiphons and a popular prayer for Catholics worldwide, especially as the final prayer of the Rosary.

Of the four separate settings of it which Victoria wrote, surely the most impressive and extended is the double-choir setting first published in the Gardane edition of 1576 and later reissued in 1600 in Madrid. It must surely be accounted one of the greatest achievements of any composer in the era of polyphonic music!

Victoria was the greatest Spanish polyphonist of all times, and one of the best of his time in Europe. He was born in Avila around 1548, and died in Madrid in 1611.
Movements or sections:
The work is divided into seven separate sections (almost movements) and makes full use of contrasts between a choir of high voices and one of lower voices, and between reduced-voice fugal sections of great intensity and passages of staggering grandeur when the full resources of both choirs are used to create imposing sonorities and a sense of sublime serenity.
Instrumentation:
OCTET OF EIGHT CELLOS, OR LARGER CELLO ENSEMBLE
Prepared by David Johnstone

This music is in 3 PDFs:
[1 – General Score
[2 – Cellos 1 to 4
[3 – Cellos 5 to 8
Approximate difficulty:
MEDIUM
David Johnstone simply transcribes the Salve Regina ‘as it is’, bringing it down into a register where cello ensembles will find it comfortable – no thumb position work is required. One can say “but I could do that” but until someone actually does it.…it’s not done!

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Johnstone Music has been performed by orchestras and conservatories worldwide, earning international recognition in cello repertoire.