Ave Maria
A Mantra and Marian Chant
Hail full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
How blest are you,
how blest are you among women.
Blest is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus.
O holy Mary,
O Mother of God,
pray now for us sinners,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Amen.
A Reflection on Luke 2: 28
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a young woman engaged to a man called Joseph,
of the house of David.
Her name was Mary.
He said to her,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
Composer's Reflection
Luke based his Infancy Narratives, the stories of the earthly origins of the Messiah, around an early pre-Christian collection of hymns, perhaps from an Essene commune. The Essenes had chosen an austere existence to prepare for the coming of the Messiah, which was both imminent (about to happen soon) and immanent (the Messiah was already present within their asceticism and expectations). This collection of canticles, refrains and acclamatory songs provided a rich source of theology-in-liturgical-practice from which Luke spun the threads of his story. Yet these songs were not about the origins of the Messiah but reflected on the nature of this long-awaited liberator.
The Ave Maria, Magnificat, Gloria, Benedictus and Nunc Dimitis draw on a wealth of biblical materials about Israel as the womb from which the Messiah would spring. The term Virgin Daughter of Zion was a symbol of the expectant Israel. The Ave is the first song, used by Luke in the context of the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38). The angel's opening greeting recalls Nathan's words to David (2 Sam 7:8-16), identifying Jesus as the Davidic Messiah. empowered by the same Spirit of prophecy as described in Isaiah 6. Power from the Most High descending on Mary indicates that she is the new Ark of the Covenant, God's visible presence on earth.
The Ave is in two sections. The first is Luke's quotation, from the pre-Christian messianic expectations of Judaism. The second, a Christian response, represents the Early Church's understanding of Mary and affection for her. Following the Jewish tradition of regarding Wisdom, who was with God from the very beginnng, as the feminine expression of God, and acknowledging the Eastern custom of honoring the Holy Spirit as feminine, Mary has long been regarded as the Seat of Wisdom. It was this same Spirit which covered Mary with shadow, the cloud which symbolized the presence of the invisible God, at the conception of Jesus. This setting acknowledges the two different sources of the hymn, and it preserves the dynamic of greeting and acclamation in Luke's text.
The greeting, Ave, Maria or Hail, Mary, is sung as an assembly mantra throughout. In a leisurely yet firm 3/4 tempo, this is the pulse, the heartbeat, of the song. It is sung in unison during verse 1, and a descant is added in verse two, an open fifth redolent of medieval times (which devoted so much attention to Mary). This descant may be sung by high choir voices (sopranos and tenors) or by a divided assembly, following the choir division. The verses are sung over the mantra by a cantor. Two cantors may be used, reflecting the two sections of the text. The pace is always unhurried.
Sing the mantra many times before beginning the verse. The verses may be sung in three ways. The first is to sing them sequentially, as written. The second is for the cantor to remain silent for an additional two or four measures, with only the mantra being sung, before continuing. The third is for the cantor to repeat phrases, even reiterating earlier ones. In the second section, the cantor allows the descant to settle before resuming the verses or handing over to the second cantor. This piece should be sung without accompaniment, other than tuned percussion (bells or midi keyboard), playing either a set pattern of chimes, or simple one chime (single note or an open fifth) every fourth or sixth measure.
The song may be used on occasions honoring Mary, acknowledging the messianic nature and expectations of the Church. It is well-suited to the Advent-Christmas season, especially the Marian feasts in December, the 4th Sunday of Advent, the Feast of the Holy Family, and January 1, Feast of the Motherhood of God. It also sings well during the Marian months of May and October. As a song born from Scripture rather than piety, it may be used in reflective moments of the liturgy, for example as a prelude, a Gospel reflection, or a post-communion meditation. Take care to strictly observe the timing so that the final, lengthened - and not the -ri of Maria is stressed, to avoid disaster and the cantor(s) becoming irredeemably lost.