The Hail Mary, also commonly called the Ave Maria
(Latin) or Angelic Salutation, is a traditional
Christian prayer asking for the intercession of the
Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. In Roman Catholicism,
the prayer forms the basis of the Rosary and the
Angelus prayers. In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern
Catholic Churches, a similar prayer is used in formal
liturgies, both in Greek and in translations. It is
also used by many other groups within the Catholic
tradition of Christianity including...(+)
The Hail Mary, also commonly called the Ave Maria
(Latin) or Angelic Salutation, is a traditional
Christian prayer asking for the intercession of the
Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. In Roman Catholicism,
the prayer forms the basis of the Rosary and the
Angelus prayers. In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern
Catholic Churches, a similar prayer is used in formal
liturgies, both in Greek and in translations. It is
also used by many other groups within the Catholic
tradition of Christianity including Anglicans,
Independent Catholics, and Old Catholics. Some
Protestant denominations, such as Lutherans, also make
use of a form of the prayer.
Based on the greeting of the angel Gabriel to the
Virgin Mary in the Gospel of Luke, the prayer takes
different forms in various traditions. It has often
been set to music, although the most famous musical
expression of the words Ave Maria by Schubert does not
actually contain the Hail Mary prayer.
Although this traditional German Carol was originally
written for Chorus (SATB), I created this arrangement
for Acoustic Piano.