Holy Mother, Queen of Sorrows
April 19, 2014
The Lamentation, Girard David
HOLY SATURDAY is traditionally reserved to honor Our Lady. At Tradition in Action, there is a beautiful version of the hymn Stabat Mater with this description:
Stabat Mater is a tragic song that meditates on the sorrow of Our Lady as she stood at the foot of the Cross during the crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The song embodies the lament of Mary, for as she watches the agony of her Son she also sees the suffering of her God. As foretold by the Prophet Simeon, her heart was pierced by a sword of sorrow.
This particular version of Stabat Mater was composed by the Italian musician Giovanni Maria Nanino (1543-1607). It was adopted into the book of Gregorian Chant, the Liber Usualis, and is here sung by the Benedictine monks of the Abbaye Saint Maurice et Saint Maur de Clervaux, Luxembourg.
