Hymns to Mary

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Marian antiphons
)
Akathist hymn to Mary
may be chanted

Marian hymns are

Lutheran churches.[citation needed] They are often used in the month of May devotions. Some have also been adopted as Christmas hymns. Marian hymns are not popular among some Protestants, as they see Marian veneration as idolatry. However, the practice is very common among Christians of Catholic traditions, and a key component of the Eastern Orthodox liturgy. There are many more hymns to Mary within the Eastern Orthodox yearly cycle of liturgy than in Roman Catholic liturgy.[1]

The Magnificat hymn (song of the Virgin Mary) is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and historian Marjorie Reeves states that it is perhaps the earliest Christian hymn. The Magnificat is named after its first word in the 4th century Vulgate Bible, based on Luke 1:46–55, and continues to be widely used to date by Roman Catholics, Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox.[2]

Marian hymns are at times shared among different groups of Christians, or are influenced by other hymns. For instance, The second stanza of the Anglican hymn Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones is derived from the Eastern Orthodox hymn to the Theotokos.[3]

Marian hymns may be analyzed to shed light on the

Akathist to the Theotokos has been the subject of detailed study related to the Marian themes it presents within its various components.[4]

Eastern Church

Coptic Marian altar at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
, Jerusalem

In the

Theotokia (i.e. hymns to the Theotokos) are an essential part of the Divine Liturgy. The positioning of Marian hymns in the Orthodox liturgical services effectively places the Theotokos in the most prominent place after Christ, in that the Theotokia immediately follow the hymns that praise Christ.[5] In the Theotokia people repeat the name Mary many times as a sign of their close friendship with her, and as an expression of the desire to call her by her name.[6] Parts of the Axion Estin hymn date back to 8th-century (Cosmas of Maiuma).[7]

In the Eastern Church, the Theotokia often include biblical references that emphasize the mystery of the

Coptic Church and are included in every canonical hour, day and night.[6][8]

The widely used

Akathist Hymn (meaning the unseated hymn) to the Theotokos (Mother of God) is attributed to Saint Romanos the Melodist who composed many (perhaps several hundred) hymns to saints during the 6th century.[9] The attribution is not supported by recent scholarship, but Romanos did make a vital contribution to the Marian poetry in Constantinople.[10] In the Orthodox weekly liturgical cycle, Wednesday is dedicated to the Theotokos, and all daily services include numerous Marian hymns. These take precedence over the veneration of other saints and angels.[5]

While the formations of the Divine Liturgy in the 6th and 7th centuries preceded the beginnings of the period of Byzantine Iconoclasm, it was perhaps during the 11th century that the Theotokia became part of the liturgical books of the Eastern Church.[8] As of the 12th century an increasing number of diataxeis, giving the order of the liturgy included Marian hymns.[8]

On Wednesdays and Fridays, the regular Theotokia are replaced with Stavrotheotokia, hymns in which the focus is less on the incarnation (although this imagery is still present) and more on the image of the Virgin Mary standing before the Cross.

By the 13th century,

Sunday of Orthodoxy continues to combine Marian hymns and the veneration of icons in a manner that confirms the identity of Mary as the Theotokos.[8]

Hymns, feasts and miraculous Marian icons are now combined within Eastern church practices, e.g. the Akathistos to the "wonder working"

litanies and the veneration or Benediction of the icons of Mary are combined in the Maronite Church's, Benediction of the icon of the Virgin Mary. Here a hymn litany includes the repetition of the phrase: "We petition you...". This Marionite hymn litany has two parts: first the giving of praise to Mary, then the petitions.[13]

Western Church

The Magnificat on the wall of the Church of the Visitation

According to

Ave Maria became well established.[14]

Marian hymns in the Western Church grew even faster during the 13th century as the

Stabat Mater Speciosa about the joy of the Virgin Mary. Based on the Gospel accounts of the Nativity of Jesus, this was one of the tenderest hymns and is often considered one of the seven greatest Latin hymns.[18][19]

The 13th century growth of Marian devotions was also witnessed in France, with the construction of

Jaque de Cambrai introduced a new range of Marian poems which were not simply devotional texts that affirmed a religious point of view, but had specific melodic components that allowed them to be sung with ease.[20] By the end of the 13th century, Marian hymns constituted the greatest number of texts in the Montpellier Codex, the largest and most comprehensive extant manuscript of 13th century music.[21]

By the 14th century, the

Santa Maria de Montserrat included hymns in Latin such as O Virgo Splendens ("O Splendid Virgin") and Laudemus Virginem ("Let us praise the Virgin").[citation needed
]

While a number of well known hymns to Mary exist, many local and regional

Our Lady of Solitude of Porta Vaga.[22][23]

Some hymns to Mary are also included in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal, e.g. hymn number 251 is "My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness", which is based on the Magnificat and hymn 419 is "For All the Faithful Women" in which the first stanza includes: "We honor faithful Mary, fair maiden, full of grace".[24]

The

Galician-Portuguese language during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile El Sabio
(1221–1284).

Marian antiphons

See also: Antiphon
Salve Regina manuscript, 1787

Marian antiphons are a group of hymns in the

Psalm verse; in an attempt to avoid confusion the terms votive antiphons or breviary anthems [26]
are sometimes used instead.

The Marian Anthems are sung primarily by

Canonical Hour when sung in choir, if the choir was then to disperse. These four antiphons were originally only performed in connection with psalms, but have been used as detached chants since 1239.[26]

Although there are a number of Marian antiphons, some of great antiquity, the term is most often used to refer to the four hymns which have been used as detached chants since 1239:[26]

There have been exceptions to this schedule in different

Benedictine monasteries were using them in the 14th century.[27] In current usage the liturgical year is divided into four periods, with each period associated with one of the four Marian antiphons, which is sung at the end of Compline or Vespers during that period.[citation needed] For example, Alma Redemptoris Mater is sung from the first Sunday in Advent until Candlemas
(2 February).

The four Marian antiphons (with occasional variations in the text) are often set to

polyphonic music for choir or as solo arias. The Gregorian melodies exist both in elaborate solemn forms and simple versions.[28]

Other languages

While a number of Marian hymns are written in Latin and English,[29] there are nine notable Marian hymns with German lyrics included in the 2013 Gotteslob, listed below:

See also

References

Part of a series of articles on
Mariology
General perspective
Specific views
Prayers and devotions
Ecumenical
icon Christianity portal
  1. ISBN 0-85244-429-X
    page 183
  2. ISBN 1-110-47186-6
    page 17
  3. ISBN 0-8028-2266-5
    page 13
  4. ISBN 90-04-12088-2
    pages 25-27
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-9745618-0-0
    pages 81-83
  6. ^
    ISBN 0-908000-07-3
    page 81-83
  7. ^ "Песнопение "Достойно есть"". Церковно-Научный Центр "Православная Энциклопедия" (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  8. ^
    ISBN 0-7546-3603-8
    pages 95-98
  9. ISBN 0-86012-259-X
    pages 5 and 6
  10. ISBN 9780812249071
  11. ISBN 1-86189-118-0
    page 86
  12. ^ "University of Dayton". Archived from the original on 2011-08-13. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  13. ISBN 1-893757-61-7
    page 111
  14. ^
    ISBN 0-8264-8097-7
    page 3-5
  15. ^ Catholic encyclopedia
  16. ISBN 0-313-30054-2
    page 204
  17. ISBN 1-56548-110-0
    pages 163-165
  18. ^ Sabatier, Paul Life of St. Francis Assisi Charles Scribner Press, NY, 1919, page 286
  19. ^ The seven great hymns of the Mediaeval Church by Charles Cooper Nott 1868 ASIN: B003KCW2LA page 96
  20. ISBN 0-8020-3885-9
    pages 4-8
  21. ISBN 0-89579-080-7
    page xx
  22. ^ Chabacano studies: essays on Cavite's Chabacano language and literature by Emmanuel Luis A. Romanillos, 2006 Cavite Historical Society page 125
  23. ^ Sto. Niǹo de Molino Bacoor, Canite 1984-1994: the making of a parish by Delos Reyes, Aloma Monte.; Bacoor, Cavite: Parish of Sto. Nino de Molino, 1994, page 139.
  24. ISBN 0-8066-5618-2
    items 251 and 419
  25. ISBN 0-19-816572-2
    pages 104-107
  26. ^ a b c Catholic encyclopedia
  27. ISBN 1-84383-153-8
    page 38
  28. Liber usualis
     gives the later on p282
  29. OCLC 496007085. Archived from the original
    on 2012-03-06.

Further reading

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hymns_to_Mary&oldid=1210803364#Marian_antiphons"