The most beautiful Vexilla Regis that you’ve never heard

ServiamScores

Just what it says on the tin! I transcribed this directly from a 1732 manuscript in my collection. The melody is not in Gregobase (at least, not with this text).

https://psallitedomino.com/blog/vexilla-regis-1732

Demo: https://youtu.be/aJb9VZzsvf4?si=P84GRuekAnYlfbNv

Palestrina

The melody looks very familiar... I just can't remember where I've seen it before.

monasteryliturgist · Screenshot 2026-02-28 082314.png

The melody seems to be a variation from the Pentecost Melody for Compline

kevinf

Stunning. Wow!

probe

That's a keeper.

tomjaw

The melody is a variant of this, https://gregobase.selapa.net/chant.php?id=9947
The Dominican Hymnarium gives a XIII century date...

The global chant database has the Hymn O rex benigne Domlne as well as the Ad Cenam as a possible match,https://cantusindex.org/id/a00868
Manuscript link see 72r
https://www.manuscriptorium.com/hub/browser/default/detail?url=https:%2F%2Fcollectiones.manuscriptorium.com%2Fassorted%2FAIPDIG%2FNKCR__%2F4%2FAIPDIG-NKCR__XII_E_15C___0XHU8F4-cs%2F&lang=en&imageId=https:%2F%2Fimagines.manuscriptorium.com%2Floris%2FAIPDIG-NKCR__XII_E_15C___0XHU8F4-cs%2FID0072r

Melody is ST 229 or ST 245 is you have access to Bruno's book

The first manuscripts in the melody section are worth comparing,
https://cantusindex.org/id/008249

tomjaw

This is possibly the oldest example,
Einsiedeln · 11th / 12th century Codex 366(472)
https://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/sbe/0366/42/0/

ServiamScores

I’m grateful that you all have had more info on the melody. I’ll have to update the blog post when I get a chance. Interestingly, I like this corrupted variant better than the official versions that are still extant in the repertoire.

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