Wonderful Chant

Beautiful Music!!
The reason I love Gregorian Chant is that just by listening you can feel how ancient it is, and how many generations have lived their lives singing it and knowing the melodies. Pleeeaaase listen to the Salve Regina. It'll only take a minute or so, and it's so beautiful.

Click to hear the Salve Regina

The Salve Regina chant was written by Herman the Cripple (11th century), who suffered from cerebral palsy and spina bifida. His parents were unable to care for the badly crippled boy and left him at a local Benedictine Abbey at the age of seven. Herman proved to be a genius in astronomy, math, history and theology. He eventually went blind and had to give up his writing. Besides the immortal Salve Regina, he also wrote the text to Alma Redemptoris Mater.

Here's the text of the Salve Regina:

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;
vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae.
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.
Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

Translation:

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy,
hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To thee do we cry, the banished children of Eve;
to thee we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
Thine eyes of mercy toward us;
And after this our exile
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus:
O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.