decorative mother Mary statue

It’s a humble Catholic prayer, with a simple but incredibly moving tune by Franz Schubert. But who has performed ‘Ave Maria’ and what are the lyrics?

Despite being one of the world’s favourite settings of ‘Ave Maria’, Schubert never actually wrote a piece called ‘Ave Maria’.

Schubert’s music was actually called ‘Ellens dritter Gesang’, which translates as ‘Ellen’s Third Song’. He wrote it in 1825, aged 28, to the words of Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem The Lady of the Lake. The song does contain the words ‘Ave Maria’, but only in reference to the prayer itself.

Now one of Schubert’s most popular works, ‘Ave Maria’ has been recorded by numerous artists, with lyrics that largely differ from the original poem.

Andrea Bocelli, Maria Callas and Celine Dion have all recorded beautiful versions, as has the inimitable Luciano Pavarotti.