for SSATB unaccompanied No. 1 of McDowall's 'Three Latin Motets', Ave Regina is a gentle and lyrical setting of the text 'Hail, Queen of the Heavens'. The calm and memorable opening phrase is hinted at in passages of more intensity, and its partial statement at the end leaves it lingering after the voices have faded away.
Cecilia McDowall (b.1951)
"Once again, sensitivity to the words - their passion, their dignity, and their metrical quantities - is faultless." - Peter Dale, Choir & Organ Sept 06
"A gentle and lyrical response to the 'Queen of the heavens . . . from whom the light came into the world'. In fifty-five bars McDowall's sparing Ave Regina is truly trenchant, so too is its scope; with the highlighting of key words glowingly effective." - Howard Smith, Music and Vision, March 08
