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Views from the Choir Loft

Masterful “Salve Regina” by 17th-Century Portuguese Composer

Fr. David Friel · April 30, 2017

IOGO DIAS MELGÁS is a name that, until last week, meant nothing to me. I had never heard of him, nor had I heard any of his music, so far as I am aware. That changed during a concert given by the combined choirs of The Catholic University of America at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in downtown DC.

Melgás was a Cuban-born Portuguese composer of the late Renaissance, having lived in the seventeenth century. He first became acquainted with sacred music as a choirboy at the Cathedral of Évora. He died blind and poor, remaining relatively unknown until the publication of his complete works in modern notation in 1978.

What caught my attention during this concert was not, at first, Melgás. It was, rather, the text of the Salve Regina, which is one of my favorite prayers. Because I like the text so much, I thought I would listen extra hard. That extra listening effort was rewarded both by the quality of the performance and by the ingenuity of the composition.

The treatment Melgás gives to this prayer is very affective—an example of extreme word painting. This style is likely to turn off some listeners. For me, however, I found it particularly appropriate that such an affective prayer should receive an equally affective treatment.

Three sections of the piece especially strike me. First is the four-bar section that creatively presents the words spes nostra salve. The pitter-patter of alternation between the keys of D minor and A, combined with the rhythmic opposition of soprano and bass against the interior voices, creates a brief passage with a very playful sound.

The second section that I find delightful is the nearly staccato setting of the words ad Te suspiramus, followed immediately by the flowing richness of the phrase gementes et flentes. The contrast makes the sentiment come alive.

The third section of this work that inspires me is the meditative approach to the words O clemens, O pia, O dulcis. These are, in my opinion, among the sweetest words of any of our traditional Catholic prayers. They deserve an equally sweet musical treatment, and this they receive at the hands of Melgás.

T STRUCK ME during the concert that this particular setting of Salve Regina is great not merely because it is inventive or novel or musically interesting. It is a great piece of music because it clearly emanates from the heart of a composer who had a fertile interior life. This is the sort of setting that could only have derived from faith and grown out of the experience of praying these words repeatedly and fervently. Personal faith, without a doubt, contributes something intangible to the composition of sacred music.

For an excellent recording of this piece, check out this YouTube video.

To obtain a free copy of the score for the piece, visit the Choral Public Domain Library here.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Sheet Music Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“I have, on the other hand, retained several more or less traditional tunes, absolutely valueless and without merit from a musical point of view, but which seem to have become a necessity if a book is to appeal—as I hope this one will—to the varied needs of various churches.”

— A. Edmonds Tozer (1905)

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