Hermann Schroeder

Salve Regina

This little work was composed at the suggestion of the Belgian organist Jef Anseeuw who performed the world premiere at the Heilig-Hart Kerk in Izegem on 25 September 1982 together with Lieven Vanderwalle on the violoncello. The piece begins with a paraphrase of the initial motif 'Salve Regina' which is intonated by the cello in the low register. The cello then plays the entire melody of the song. The decent organ accompaniment is limited to some short interludes in which motifs of the Gregorian melody, as in a classical chorale prelude, are played in advance in an imitative manner. The lyrical, meditative composition is ideal for services or concerts and can be combined as an introductory piece with the large-scale organ composition 'Salve Regina' from Schroeder's 'Marianische Antiphone' (ED 4538).