The Bible and Music

The “Ave Maria” piece was first mentioned to our class on the 14^th of March. Having sang this song in church and heard it playing on the radio as a Christmas carol, I wanted to know more about the history of this song.

Translated from Latin, Ave Maria means “Hail Mary.” Lyrics to this song also happen to be the words of the Roman Catholic prayer titled “Hail Mary.” The original words to this prayer were written in English, while it is most often sung in Latin. Surprisingly, the song was not written by a priest or member of the Roman Catholic clergy, but rather a portion of Sir Walter Scott’s (1771-1832) poem entitled The Lady of the Lake (1810). In the original, “Scott’s heroine[, named Ellen Douglas,] is praying to the Virgin Mary [after being forced into hiding and very afraid]. [Ellen] opens her plea with the phrase ‘Ave Maria,’ but continues in her own words:

‘Ave Maria! maiden mild!
Listen to a maiden’s prayer!
Thou canst hear though from the wild,
Thou canst save amid despair.’”

Only in 1825 was this poem put to music by composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828), after he used a prayer from The Lady of the Lake using a German translation by Adam Storck. Later published in 1826, Schubert “called his piece ‘Ellens dritter Gesang’ (Ellen’s third song).” Initially not created for use in liturgical services, a Latin version of the song was created in order to make it proper for church choirs and services.

Based on research, I found out Schubert’s original composition was added onto. The opening lines can be seen deriving from Luke 1:28, in which Gabriel comes to Mary on the day of the Annunciation. The Annunciation is when Mary is told she will bear the son of God by the Angel Gabriel. The next part of the Ave Maria can be linked to Luke 1:40-42, where Elizabeth greets Mary and Elizabeth’s child, who becomes John the Baptist, leaps for joy in her womb. Elizabeth exclaims Mary and her baby she is also carrying are blessed, as Mary’s child will become Jesus Christ. Finally, the final portion of the song brings attention to Mary’s holiness for agreeing to God’s plan for her to be the mother of Jesus. The ending of the song includes an appeal for mediation on Mary’s choice to trust in God.

Many composers tried to add on their own rendition of the ending of this song, which is a plea to Mary, in the Middle Ages. The majority of these composers also happened to be poets, a fun insight I found to be interesting. All petitions added as the final part of the song “occur in the same musical genre known as the ‘motet,’ a sophisticated piece of choral music in which the voices sing different texts simultaneously.” Differing petitions of the last part of the Ave Maria include “Filio sis, O dulcis, proprio nostra advocata” or “Be our advocate, O Sweet One, before your own Son of your Womb,” “Natum dulcissimum pro nobis peccatoribus exora, beata Maria” translated to “O blessed Mary, pray to your sweetest son for us sinners,” and “Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis” meaning “Holy Mary, pray for us.” One historian’s thoughts on the addition to the Ave Maria happens to be that composers were trying to make the song a bit more engaging for audiences at this time period.

Through this extensive background analysis of the Ave Maria, I feel much more aware of the process a song goes through in time. As mentioned before in this class, not all music was initially spiritual in nature; the Ave Maria can attest to this phenomena.

Works Cited and References:

http://www.chantcafe.com/2010/12/origin-of-ave-maria.html

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=18531

http://study.com/academy/lesson/ave-maria-lyrics-meaning-composer.html

http://www.conservapedia.com/Ave_Maria